pakossa

Been riding for about 25 years now (6,000+ miles/yr) and have tried over 100 saddles, but have yet to find "Mrs. Right" (haha). By now, I know what I need, but can't quite find it. (If the size/shape is right, it's too soft or hard, if the padding is right, it's too narrow or wide, etc.) Even though I'm a guy, a woman's saddle seems to work best, because a) I need something wider than most "men's" saddles -- around 155 - 160mm -- and b) I need the saddle pretty far rearward -- tip-of-saddle 10-12cm behind BB, depending on saddle length -- which is what many woman's models seem to be designed for. Currently have a Selle Italia Lady, which is pretty close to size and shape I need (but prefer less of a tapper from front to back), but the padding is a bit too thick and soft. (But I definitely need more padding than typical "hard-core" racing/men's saddles.

Gconan

Something from WTB ?

https://www.wtb.com/products/comfort

nomadmax 

Specialized Power in 155mm width. I have the Expert model in 143 and it is quite possibly the best saddle I've ever had in my 54 years of riding. They have different models that have more or less padding as well.

fietsbob

that must be the millionth which saddle thread.

Go forth sit on more saddles ...

US made selle anatomica, Stretched Leather,
has the longest rail adjustment range I've seen ,
though I don't own one ..

I don't sit on my saddle with your hips, so "I have an X and I like it"
as a solution for you, has little meaning..

But, inevitably, that is the typical reply..


good luck..




...

Teamprovicycle

Im going for a plain specialized power , they have 3 variations in all the right sizes , i cant wait till mine comes .

Paul Barnard

The best I have been able to find so far are Adamo. Specifically the performance recreation series. Find a shop that has them. They have a good demo program.

Phil_gretz

fizik cx pave
selle san marco ponza arrowhead
form E3
wtb volt

All are flat, firm with just a hair of give. all anatomical.

frogman

How about a Brooks leather saddle for women ? They carry a B17 for women. After you get the Brooks broken in they are very comfortable too.

tagaproject6

Infinity saddle. If all else fail...try it.

pakossa

Thanks . . . but no thanks!

DrIsotope

If you're willing to reject the Infinity offhand, then you're not really looking for help. No suggestion here is more or less valid than any other, because saddle fit is individual. If a saddle is comfortable for thousands of miles, I don't care how much it costs.

pakossa

It wasn't just the price -- didn't see that right away -- it's that . . . I started hurting just LOOKING at that freaking thing!!!

tagaproject6

I don't blame you, specially if you are the type to judge by sight. Let your ass do the judgement. If you REALLY LOOK, you will see that it avoids everything that makes your butt hurt during a ride.

Ald1 

To the OP "looks can be deceiving". I'm 66 and have Infinity saddles on both my bikes after spending lots of $$$ trying to find the "right" one. Just finished a comfortable century. Did you know this saddle was developed by a cycling doctor and is used by many endurance cyclist? Also I believe, they have a 30 day money back policy except for freight. But with saddles everyone is different. Good Luck!

pakossa

As I mentioned, I have tried over 100 saddles. It's gotten to the point where I CAN judge by looking at -- and feeling -- a saddle, whether or not I have some chance of liking it. (And I now know that those weird shaped ones -- like that one, as well as ISM, Adamo, Cobb, and SMP -- just don't work for me. (Maybe I'll just stick to that Selle Italia Lady after all . . . . . )

tagaproject6

If you say so.

jgwilliams

It's an expensive business, isn't it? I used to get bad saddle sores and went through numerous saddles in an attempt to find the right one. I'm glad that was then as I couldn't afford to do it now.

I eventually settled on a Fizik Arione - at that time none of them had the open centre. It wasn't perfect but it was pretty good and I'm still using that saddle many years on.

livedarklions

Do these saddle threads ever prove useful to the OP? It always seems like someone asking the forum to tell him what size shoe he should wear.

avole

I'd go along with Brooks, possibly with the ordinary B17 though. They won't be perfect to begin with, but they break in reasonably quickly, after which you have a saddle virtually custom made for your bum

The newer non-leather brooks saddles are meant to be good, too

rumrunn6

on the road bike my butt likes a Brooks B17



on the rough bikes for lots of pounding on gravel, etc I like $20 foam ergo saddles



the OEM Bontrager saddle on my older FX was just fine for everything except the rough stuff

Ald1 

FYI> Not so much for the OP but here's a link to a podcast with the inverter of the Infinity saddle.

https://www.radio.com/media/podcast/...ior-rich-rubin

jtburn

I also use the Infinity, most comfortable saddle I have ever used.

freeranger

I have a Serfas MX-3 Dorado on my road bike and have found it to be very comfortable (price is right too!) . I have a Terry Liberator (men's) on my mtn bike. It is an older model, so the padding is a bit worn, still comfortable, but I like the Serfas a little better. Saddles have to be one of the most personal fit item on a bike. I haven't tried one, but the leather saddles seem to get lots of good reviews. I may try a Selle Anatomica if I go to replace one of my saddles any time soon.

MikeyMK

It's important to ensure the seat is in the right position, both with tilt and reach. You want your body naturally settling on the back of the seat. The rails only tend to give a couple inches adjustment but there are other answers:

If the seat is too far back it's never gonna be comfortable - many seat posts will work within adequate tilt range when turned around, so the clamp is at the front. If that's too much, some designs have the clamp directly on the top instead of set back.

If the seat is already too far forward and you're just too upright, you can either fit a lay-back seat post (often limited diameters so you may need a shim for your frame), or fit a longer handlebar stem.

spinnaker

Here we go again. No one is going to be able to tell anyone else what the right saddle is for them. If you have really tried over a 100 saddles then you are not going to find one and you certainly aren't going to find it with advice on the internet. Your problem is compounded by the fact that you are looking for a woman's saddle.

Instead of looking at the saddle you might want to take a hard look at the bike. For example is it fitted properly? You might even want to look at a recumbent and switch bike types altogether.