I'm looking for advice on womens saddles for my wife. Curious as to which saddles women find most comfortable or what thier riding. Advice appreciated.

She has to find it for herself. That is to say that there is no norm for women any more than there are for men in regards to saddles. They are intensely personal choices. :blush2:

The LBS should understand this, perhaps they have a demo saddle to try out, or at least have a fair return policy. It can take a couple of rides to really determine if a saddle makes you (and your naughty bits) happy.

As Rollo pointed out it is up to her but some good info in this earlier thread.
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=78649

I understand everyone is different as I've given seats to friends that they love and ride for 8 hours but I could'nt sit on for 15 min.
With that being said I'd like to hear from the girls which saddles thier riding.

With that being said I'd like to hear from the girls which saddles thier riding.

Def check out the thread it's a women specific saddle thread.
Cheers,
Z

Recently I've heard raves about this one. One woman calls it her Magic Saddle.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=22573

I ride a terry butterfly on the roadbike and a WTB saddle on the single speed

Recently I've heard raves about this one. One woman calls it her Magic Saddle.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=22573

I would be afraid of getting pinched.

I ride a Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow saddle on my road bike. On my lugged steel frame Pogliaghi I have an old San Marco Concors saddle from the mid 1980's.

Specialized has some women's specific saddles. They also have this thing you sit on and it leaves a temporary impression. The LBS will then measure it and it will help guide the LBS towards the right saddle for you. If you don't like it, Specialized will take the saddle back and the LBS won't be on the hook for it.

I ride a men's saddle witha unisex cut-out -- Flite Trans AM ... they only make them with gel in today's market, making it a little heavier saddle, but very comfortable if you have the sit bones for it!

Which leads me to ... every rider needs to pick out the saddle that works for them. Women may like a wider women's saddle or a narrower men's saddle. Also, there is cut-out versus no cut-out, gel or no gel, etc., etc. Beg and borrow as many different saddles as you can to help her find what works best!

Specialized saddles have really not been a seller in the women's market. And although as everyone notices, it is different strokes for different folks, I think the best bet is to start with the products that dominate the market for serious recreational women and racers, which are the Terry Butterfly and Terry Zero. The only other manufacturer that approaches the strength of Terry in the women's market is Selle Italia in my experience.

I do think that says something.

I agree with the others that she'll want to try out a few. That said, I have a Fizik Arione on my road bike, a Terry Liberator on the mtb, and a spare Terry Butterfly Tri around in case I need a change. The Fizik is my most recent addition, so it hasn't seen the miles the others have yet. So far, I'm liking it.

I would be afraid of getting pinched.Heck no you wouldn't be pinched. Why would you think that? The edges are soft and you don't even feel them. There is no frame at the cut out like there is with a Terry.

BTW, I didn't coin the term "The Magic Saddle" but I recommended it to the woman who did.:D And it is available in RED!

The Selle An-atomica (http://www.selleanatomica.com/)was based on the Brooks saddle but with many improvements, and is ridden by members of the mixed tandem RAAM team. That couldn't be a higher recommendation to me. I'm finding that a lot of long distance riders like it. I only have it on a singlespeed and have never ridden it more than 2 hours at a time but it is extremely comfortable.

I use the no longer available Avocet Air O2 on all my other road bikes and a WTB on all my mountain bikes.

I use the Selle Italia SLR gel-flow on all my road bikes except the tandem and my indoor trainer bike. It's firm and supportive, narrow in the nose, longer than most women's saddles (which I like so I can move around on it) and has a cut-out. On the tandem, the indoor bike and my mtb I use the men's Terry Fly, which is similar in shape but a little softer. Wide, women's specific saddles just don't work for me, and it took me a while and many saddles to figure that out. I second the advice for your wife to start perhaps with Terry -- great customer service, and if the saddle doesn't work, she can send it back.

I use the Terry Zero X. I've found I prefer a saddle without a lot of padding and it's wide enough to fit my sit bones. The specialized ass-o-meter can help mesure her sit bones. As for the Specialized saddles, I've never used them but there seems to be alot of stitching on them. In my opinion the stitching would just annoy me. I like a smooth saddle!

Sarah

Recently I've heard raves about this one. One woman calls it her Magic Saddle.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=22573
Oh man, I want one! I'm converting my old Pogliaghi to a ss/fixie as we speak. That saddle would be the perfect replacement to my old San Marco Concor!

I want one I want one I want one I want one I want one I want one!!:cryin:

Oh man, I want one! I'm converting my old Pogliaghi to a ss/fixie as we speak. That saddle would be the perfect replacement to my old San Marco Concor!

I want one I want one I want one I want one I want one I want one!!:cryin:

You can get matching bar tape too!:cool:

I found the Terry Butterfly comfy but way too cushy/bouncy once I started racing.
On my racing road bike I use a (non-women's specific) Specialized Alias. I tried the Jett (their women's specific version of the Alias) and wanted to shoot myself in the crotch after a half hour just to cut to the chase.

The SO recently started using the Selle Italia SLK Lady Gel Flow with much success. It took about a week of micro adjustment to get settled, but we regularly do 4 hr rides with no discomfort on her part. Interestingly she is most comfortable with the nose tilted up.

So ladies,

My girlfriend needs a new saddle -- she doesn't want to ride anymore because her butt hurts so much. I don't blame her, it's a saddle that came with the mens Trek 1200.

Do any of you have left over ones you are willing to let go for semi-cheap (up to $60)? We're still in college and cannot afford anything expensive, yet, and used seems to be the best way to go.

I looked in the classifieds and there are no WSD saddles. Send a PM or email if you wish.

Thanks! :)

sounds like a job for eBay! :)

sounds like a job for eBay! :)

Buying personalized stuff from eBay is a little scary. If it's new, its overpriced. If it's used, especially a seat, you really don't know what you're getting into. I figured I could trust the women here more...

*EDIT* Actually, are there any women in the Chicagoland area that will let me borrow a saddle for a day or two to let her try it? That would be cheaper and I wouldn't have to play the buy/return game on eBay or mail-order...

You might also check the Team Estrogen forums - sometimes there are saddles for sale there.

iliveonnitro, do you or GF ride with a club in your area? In the club and groups with whom I ride, we all swap saddles around - male and female.

iliveonnitro, do you or GF ride with a club in your area? In the club and groups with whom I ride, we all swap saddles around - male and female.

I do, but no women ride with us :(

I think I'm just going to order the Nashbar Women’s Comfort Race Saddle and if it doesn't work I will return it for the Aireon Vented Women’s Saddle. If that doesn't work, the LBS has a couple of Trek WSD, but they all look really uncomfortable (too much gel).

Skip the Nashbar Trek saddles. Get something reputable from Performance.com if your LBS doesn't carry decent women's saddles. They also have a generous return policy.