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Yes, whateveronfire, I think saddles deserve their own thread! :thumbsup:

What about saddles? What saddles do you ride? I broke (dork move) the Terry Liberator that I have on my mtb. I replaced it with a Specialized Jett WSD which I think I loathe.

I like the San Marco Atola Gelaround (it's unisex) I have on my LeMond ok, but was thinking of going to a Brooks or getting another Terry.

Try the Terry Butterfly. A little more race with less padding than the Liberator, but if you ride even 50 miles a week during the "season" it will be a kindness. Less friction and saddle breakdown, lighter weight.

I test rode a few saddles last month. My old Selle Italia Lady's flite literally gave up the ghost and started coming apart at the seams after 6 faithfull years.

I went to the LBS and tried a Terry Butterfly. It wasn't for me. I felt like I couldn't lean forward without getting sore at my "mommy parts". I was hoping to try a Terry Zero or something but none of the LBS's had one.

Then I tried a WTB Rocket V (I think that was what it was called). It was pretty good but I don't know, not the greatest. It felt like if I went on a long ride, things might start to get numb "down there". And I don't know, it just did not feel very sturdy.

I finally wound up ordering the modern version of my old saddle. A Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow. What can I say, I like it.

Ahh, saddles. When I first started out, I tried a lot of saddles. I tried various Selle Italia, Selle San Marco, and WTB saddles, some women's specific and some not. Some flat, some narrow, some with a groove, some with a cutout, some $35, some $100. From five second rides to one hour rides. All of them were a pain in the you-know-what.

Finally, several months and saddles later, I tried an Aireon Vented Women's Saddle. It had a huge cutout right at the edge of the nose. It was a dream come true. No pain from the moment I sat down to the moment I stood up. Even on 5 hour rides it comes through for me!

The best part is that it was only $15 on sale at Performance. Regular price was $40. I bought two! :D

EDIT: Hmm, perhaps it was on sale because they don't carry it anymore! But I found it on Nashbar here (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=5241&sku=16442&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=).

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Yes, whateveronfire, I think saddles deserve their own thread! :thumbsup:

I've settled on the Terry Zero X (women's model). I've tried a few other saddles, but I really, really like the Zero. I have three of them at the moment. One on my road bike, one on each of my two cross bikes, and I will be buying another to put on the Lemond Fillmore I just bought. That's how much I like it. :)

My significant other just got herself the Serfas Terazzo Select (Women's) and she is quite happy with it. Could be worth considering.

Ref: http://www.serfas.com/performance_saddles/TRCW.shtml

My shop has a huge emphasis on women, and we average two bike fits per day for women, so I thought I'd chime in on this one since it's such a huge priorty getting the right saddle under our ladies. During bike fits, we swap out saddles while the bike is on a stationary trainer. I've found that if a saddle is comfortable on a trainer, where all sensations are magnified, then it will be great during actual riding.

Unfortunately, there's no one saddle that works for everyone, it's a very individual thing, and your personal build really dictates what saddle may work, as well as the type & length of riding you do. Having said that, I've noted the following:

The Lady Gel Flow is very popular, but the price sometimes makes newer riders wince. Serfas has a Terry Butterfly take-off, the Niva, which we refer to as the "wonder saddle' because it provides instant relief on the "front of the saddle" - it's softer than the butterfly, so that might be the reason women choose it so often. Still, it's a bit big and heavy. One surprisingly popular saddle is the Felt Fit Woman seat made by Velo - it's very popular with newer riders, but perhaps a bit too soft for more experienced riders who put more miles in and need better support.

One saddle we're going to test for more advanced riders is the Selle SMP Strike series, which look quite odd, but have received some outstanding reviews from the women who've tried them. If there's interest, I can post our findings.

One of the most important things I've learned about saddle comfort for women is how different the pelvic bones are shaped for women as opposed to men, and why it makes a difference when fitting a bike. A woman's pelvic bones are shaped in such a way that the body's weight is driven/directed right to the middle of the saddle, or what my four-year-old refers to as your "pirates" (you know, instead of privates, stay with me here). A man's pelvic bones spread the weight out a bit over the saddle (sorry ladies), so men are naturally more comfortable on a bike seat. A proper bike fit is crucial to saddle comfort - especially when it comes to the reach to, and height of, the handlebars. Most women reach too far to the bars, and this places undue pressure on the front of the saddle and, therefore, your "pirates" - not a good thing no matter what seat you have under you. Something to keep in mind. Hope this helps.

It is amazing how many women (yes, men too) who are putting in big miles and not racing end up on Brooks saddles. Miss M uses both the Finesse and B-17's. She hasn't complained about bottom pain since she switched from Terry Butterflys to the Brooks several years ago.

It is amazing how many women (yes, men too) who are putting in big miles and not racing end up on Brooks saddles. Miss M uses both the Finesse and B-17's. She hasn't complained about bottom pain since she switched from Terry Butterflys to the Brooks several years ago.

"Bottom pain" is not the issue if you catch my drift. It's all about the girly bits! MUST... HAVE... CUTOUT...!

"Bottom pain" is not the issue if you catch my drift. It's all about the girly bits! MUST... HAVE... CUTOUT...!

I'm trying to be delicate here, ok?

BTW when Miss M first started riding a Brooks she kept commenting about how "Rock Hard" it was and that the thing had no padding. A month or two later she got on one of her bikes that still had a padded saddle on it-after 20 miles of that she was a Brooks convert for good.

Great post, jm3. I would like to add that the type of bike also comes in to play. If someone is on a leisure or run-around-town kinda bike, they would want a saddle made for a more upright position. A road/road racing bike rider would demand a saddle made for the lower, hands on bar positions.