Hi there

I'm new to this site and I live in NZ so am rather a long way away from you all!!

I have read quite a few of your comments/suggestions on saddles and wondered if anyone out there can help me.

I have a gel saddle at present with a dip in the centre not a hole and whenever I'm out riding I can guarantee that my girly bits get very sore - to say the least!! I was wondering if having a hole in the saddle is all it is cracked up to be or if I should tilt the nose of my saddle down and hope that this will solve my problems.

I ride in cycle shorts all the time and just bought a new pair designed by NZ cyclist Sarah Ulmer and had the same problem.

Please help as I'm desperate to have a ride without the discomfort that I'm having presently. It doesn't matter how long/short I ride for, the result is always pain "up there".

I look forward to your suggestions/comments. I also like the idea of your saddle library and if I lived closer I would definitely be a member!!

Keep up the good work and look forward to reading more comments/feedback from you all.

Karen

Karen you need a saddle that supports your sit bones, this will help take the pressure off those sensitive bits....
Specialized do a range of women saddles in different widths. If you can find a local Specialized dealer and see if you can do the 'arseometer' test. Basically it's a piece of neoprene that you sit on that measures the width of your sit bones thus helping to determine which saddles would be best for you.
You might find that you're better suited to a narrow saddle or alternatively you may find you need something a bit wider.
If you can't find a local Specialized dealer with that niffty pice of neoprene, then basically find a dealer you will happily let you test saddles. Failing that try to get together with some other girlies and see if you can try out there choice of saddle. Don't go for something with huge amount of gel as all this does is shape itself to your shape but doesn'ty give you any support.
Lots of girls are finding the saddles with cutouts very useful.
Brands to check out, Specialized women's range, Terry's, Fizik vitesse. There are many more but these are ones that I've found suit me ( I now just use Specialized).
Hope this helps!

Hi Karen

I had the same problem. I used the dread going to the toilet after a ride - any longer than an hour on the bike was so painful.

I wasn't too keen on the looks of the saddles with the holes but I thought I couldn't go on any longer. I tried a Specialized Jett and never looked back. It's so comfortable - no more sore bits.

It was a bit weird a first but you soon get used to it. Most of Specialized women's bikes come with a version of that saddle - is there anywhere local to you that stocks Specialized that you could try?

Second getting your sit bones measured. They need to be on the saddle in the correct place to give you proper support. When your sitbones are supported it'll feel fantastic! (They might feel a little sore to start with when you actually start sitting on them - I know mine did!)

I have quite narrow sitbones, which was news to me after trying lots of "women's specific" saddles that were too wide and short (why do they make some women's saddles so damn short????). I like a cutout as well and get on really well with a Men's Flite Gelflow (not the Lady one, that's Satan's work that) - its 143mm wide and nice and long and I have it on 3 out of my 4 bikes. A friend of mine was also told she had narrow sitbones and got the 130mm Jett which she likes. I liked the width of it as well (still a little short for me) but I would go for the men's version but can't justify buying yet another saddle!

I've spent a fortune on saddles because I couldn't really find anywhere to test them before buying.

Hi Karen,

definitely agree with all the others about trying lots of dif saddles if possible and get one that supports your sitbones properly. However, one thing you also mentioned is the angle of the saddle. What do you have it like now? That can make a huge difference so try playing around with that too. It sounds like you do need a new saddle, but you might find that a differnt angle helps a bit. I found that after people tried our bikes (we have a demo centre) and maybe moved the saddle angle a bit I'd suddenly have pain or discomfort, when they'd found it uncomfortable how I liked it. All very strange....but then we're just all different!

However you do want to keep it levelish as if it's pointing down loads then you won't be able to sit on it properly and will slide forwards.

Good luck - you will get there eventually!

Hi there

Thanks for all your wonderful comments/suggestions.

Unfortunately over here there are no bike shops that have the "saddle library" so I suppose it will be up to me to approach my local bike shop and see if they are interested in starting one!!

I have tried the "arseometer" about 18 months ago and the saddle that I ended up with gave me the same sensation - or should I say pain!! I might dig it out and put it back on again, it could be that it just needs to be broken in.

I will keep watching and submitting my comments - which are very limited in experience - and once again thanks for your help.

Definately tilt the saddle nose down lots, check it's far enough back and try and figure out what you need from a saddle. Is it too soft and rubbing over a large area? Or does it feel very hard so you feel every bump? Are you getting bruised around your sit bones because it's too narrow?

I've got a Selle Italia Ladies Trans Am which has a hole in it and it comfy - but only when I point the nose down. I also have a Fizik Vitesse - the back is a bit wide for MTBing - it's got clear gel down the centre rather than a hole but is nice and comfy.

It's hard to suggest saddles without knowing what you have now - is it a mens saddle? Different people prefer different saddles too. Have you got a friend who can lend you a different kind of saddle or let you try out theirs?

I've been using a Selle Italia saddle with cut out section for the last six months or so and have found a real difference - much more comfy. Hubby and me tend to do some pretty long rides so I'm often in the saddle for 4 hours or more (with lunch stop around the 2 hour mark.) The cut out section has made quite a difference in the comfort stakes! I also find using a chamois creme - Nature's Kiss Chafe Ease for example works wonders too. I think it's actually made in NZ so you might find it easier to get than I do. Hope this helps.

Well ladies, I rode down to the bike shop this morning to try a new saddle and to get my bike fitted properly.

On the way down the hill where I live - riding my bike, minding my own business - I felt a car go past me and the next thing I knew it was "fish-tailing" in front of me!! I think that he took the corner too wide only to find me sitting on the bend and he had nowhere to go. Luckily we did not connect but it gave me one hell of a fright.

Anyway, when I got to the bike shop I tried the Selle Italia Trans Am Ldy saddle and it felt so much better - that's the one that I have ended up getting, he also changed the stem on the bike and is going to change my bars to women specific ones - so all in all once these changes have been done my trusty Giant OCR3 will be adapted to fit me rather than me having to adapt to fit it!!

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and look forward to chatting with you all again on another topic.