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Womens Saddle Recommendation

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Womens Saddle Recommendation

Old 11-26-21, 02:46 AM
  #26  
cjenrick
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BTW the specialized power comp mimic works for guys too. i think the LBS dude sold me a mimic in 143 because that's all he had and he didn't tell me about the gender thing but i found out from the website but i don't care because it is the best saddle i have used.

an added plus but here to now as yet invisible benefit of the filled in center section is the fact that a long off the saddle climb in the rain will not allow water to go through the middle of the saddle and soak the kit bag thus prolonging life due to less rot out of the cordona nylon what ever that is. .the saddle becomes a saddle bag umbrella, well i mean of couse this only applies to a fendered bike.

and, if i ever get that sex change operation like mom promised then i won't have to buy a new saddle. jus sayin.. wth?

Last edited by cjenrick; 11-26-21 at 03:05 AM.
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Old 11-26-21, 11:03 AM
  #27  
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bike fit videos

[QUOTE=cubewheels;22320479]In a road bike, you are likely to sit on your pubic rami as well because of the more leaning forward riding position.

Women with wider gap between hips can certainly benefit and be more comfortable from wide nose saddles to have better support for the pubic rami bones.

This is guide for choosing women's saddles. Although the video is GTN channel, the guide covered road bikes as well. The other video is from a pro bike fitter.
/QUOTE]

those videos were the most helpful ever, thank you!
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Old 11-26-21, 11:05 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by jnbrown
My wife has used:

Terry Butterfly
Selle Italia Diva
Specialized Power Mimic

The Specialized is her current favorite.
thank you!
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Old 11-28-21, 03:28 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by cubewheels
In a road bike, you are likely to sit on your pubic rami as well because of the more leaning forward riding position.

Women with wider gap between hips can certainly benefit and be more comfortable from wide nose saddles to have better support for the pubic rami bones.

This is guide for choosing women's saddles. Although the video is GTN channel, the guide covered road bikes as well. The other video is from a pro bike fitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37d2SQF1Rsc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsXtJ7TZsLw
Thanks for that. The second video explains exactly why I don't put my Brooks in a nose-up position as is common practice.
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Old 11-30-21, 10:41 AM
  #30  
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Saddle with padding

Originally Posted by JudeLaWyo
I have a cervelo caledonia-5. it was fit for me, so I know the saddle it set correctly, it's just not comfortable. I rode the saddle that came with the bike for about 300 miles before starting to swap them out. I am on the third saddle. each one has been worse than the original The original was a fiziks, it fit well, just hard.
Been down this road, lol. I've similarly tried the Specialized Power saddle...it was ok, and was comfortable for me for greater than 20 miles....it was too hard, and I found it too limiting to not be able to have more than one position on the bike, due to the super short nose (I like to sometimes ride more up on the nose, then push back to normal position). Couldn't stand the Power with mimic at all.

I've had the best luck with the standard Brooks C17 carved...enough of a flex position that I'm good without padding, and still lets me scoot forward and back as needed. Have done centuries comfortably on one. The other saddle might be more up your alley though, Ergon SR series women's. I use their SMC Women on a fat bike, that has maybe a little more upright posture than your road bike. They aren't the exact same shape though. You'd need to look at their profiles and compare to the first saddle that you thought worked, aside from the lack of padding. The padding is a nice amount in the SMC model, and it would likely work for me on my road bikes too, if I didn't already have something that I liked, I'd probably buy another Ergon. I'm out for a lot of long rides on the fatty, and this saddle is a good one.
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Old 12-01-21, 02:04 PM
  #31  
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A saddle is a VERY personal thing and no one can really suggest for you what she may like. Padded is not always the way to go. Good quality bike shorts with nice padding makes my ride comfortable.
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Old 12-05-21, 04:26 AM
  #32  
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back in the 70's all the high end bikes had a Brooks Professional. a really god-awful brick hard chunk of leather that was supposed to be fast but not comfortable. fast because you spent more time out of the saddle in order not to endure the wrath.

thankfully the technology has finally started to catch up with the rest of the world. i think. i still hurt after an 80 mile ride. i guess it is the lesser of the evils as riding a bike is not the most comfortable thing in the world. doing a high weekly average is probably the best way not to hurt so bad. don't get me started on riding with rain pants on.
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Old 12-05-21, 08:30 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Korina
I love my Brooks B17 Aged. Get your sit bones measured and start trying saddles. Good luck.
You beat me to it, Korina!

I bought one of my grail saddles, a Brooks B17 Select natural - thicker leather. She took one look at it and said “Can I try it?” and I said yes. Since then, it’s her saddle and I’m forbidden to touch it. The shape was initially comfy for her, we found a good angle for it, and it has become supple and compliant, with no sign of degradation after about 8 years of use, near-daily during cycling season. Total distance estimated between 8,000 and 48,000 miles. She rides a road bike, with the handlebars about an inch below the saddle, and with an uncramped arm position. Her lean forward is not very aggressive, but it’s enough to let her have a pretty straight back. We dab on a little Proofide about twice a year, it’s not ridden in the rain except by mistake, and the bike has decent fenders to protect the bottom of the saddlle.

For those interested, the Select is no longer made. I don’t know how the comfort of the current Standard and Champion B17s compare.
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Old 12-05-21, 09:59 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by cjenrick
BTW the specialized power comp mimic works for guys too. i think the LBS dude sold me a mimic in 143 because that's all he had and he didn't tell me about the gender thing but i found out from the website but i don't care because it is the best saddle i have used.

an added plus but here to now as yet invisible benefit of the filled in center section is the fact that a long off the saddle climb in the rain will not allow water to go through the middle of the saddle and soak the kit bag thus prolonging life due to less rot out of the cordona nylon what ever that is. .the saddle becomes a saddle bag umbrella, well i mean of couse this only applies to a fendered bike.

and, if i ever get that sex change operation like mom promised then i won't have to buy a new saddle. jus sayin.. wth?
I know what it’s like to have a Specialized saddle which is too narrow for me. The first one I bought was a discounted Alias 120 (a really early model), at that time the salesperson did not know how to do this Specialized’s way, so she just advised me “It should work.” I liked the narrowness across the middle, and when my bones were centered, it was a resilient perch without undue pressure. But, I had no margin. If I scooted sideways one of my bones hit the sharp-feeling edge, and I’d fall off of it, with only one bone supported. I later bought the same Alias in 143 mm width,, which did not have the same problem in falling off the cliff on the side. With this one my pelvic basin was a little narrow with respect to the the saddle edge to edge distance, and those sharp-feeling edges were still a problem. Eventually I found a 143 Toupe Gel was quite nice up to the 50 mile distance or so, i.e. I could not make more improvements by tweaking height, setback, or pitch (nose up or down), and seat post rotation (aka yaw). Later on longer rides, I found the Selle Anatomicas to work real well for me, somehow. All of these saddles, as well as my Brookses, needed a lot of fiddling to be optimized for each bike. When I hear a person has bought saddle after saddle, I think, how is your experience at tweaking your own saddle into place?

I would suggest that male or female, if you have a Specialized which you are not falling off of as I described, you probably have the correct width. If you have pain at the groins, possibly the saddle is too wide or does not allow you to sit back far enough on it. You might not have the correct shape or degree of padding, and may need tweaks in height, pitch, setback, and yaw.
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Old 12-05-21, 03:01 PM
  #35  
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if your bike and saddle are dialed in, you should not have to move around to different saddle positions, even on a long ride. watch the pros to see this.

i had a B17 but it was a bit wide, B15 might have fit better. The real bummer was allowing it to get wet without the Proofide. the leather was like sandpaper after that. this would cause the fabric to bind up and not move. which caused saddle sores.
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Old 12-14-21, 05:49 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by JudeLaWyo
I recently bought a new bike and I need a new saddle to go with it. Any recommendations on a saddle with a little padding for women that you really like? Specifically one designed for women?

Upgraded from the stock saddle to a Bontrager WSD. Not sure of the model, but she really likes it. Maybe you can zoom in and see the name? She has a step-through townie bike that we retro fitted with a Brooks Champion Flyer S. Not sure of what type of bike you have, but she loves both saddles.
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