saddle recomendations please

billysan

Hi all,

I just bought my girlfriend a second hand cannondale, its her first decent bike. She really doesnt like the saddle that it came with however so i thought I'd try to find out what is recomended here.

She'll mostly be using the bike for leisure and some mild off road.

Any help appreciated.

sparrowlegs78

I can't fault my Charge Ladle saddle....firm but comfy
Caz xxxx

jane c

i've been using the WTB speed she which i find great

Anonymous

Saddles are a very personal choice, so there's really not much point getting reccomendatios from others, unfortunately.
I've seen plenty of women's arses to know that there's a very wide range of sizes

helen984

Depends on her bum but personally I find the Selle Royal Rio Gel womens one a complete revelation: I lost interest in cycling after my teens as my sit-bones started to kill for days afterwards - even on a short ride I would be in pain & just give up & go home - but this saddle has completely eliminated all pain! Its nice and wide at the back & the gel is really thick. I use my bike predominantly for leisure and some mild off-road riding.

thighsofsteel

I recently bought a Selle Italia Dive Gel saddle and it's the mut's nuts.... you have to get the right width tho for her sit bones or else it totally defeats the object. Also a cut out bit to avoid numb 'lady bits' is a good idea for the longer rides.

ketka82

Is the Diva Gel really that good? I've been trying to get the right combination of shorts and saddle for ages now and generally failing miserably.

I ride the Fizik Vitesse Tri on my mtb, which isn't bad but I feel a bit sore after wearing some of my cheaper shorts with it. On my road bike I got on pretty well with the Fizik Gobi, which I 'borrowed' from my boyfriend's mtb for a while. Not female-specific but it did the job without problems. Now I've given the Gobi back I've got some awful WTB thing, which is giving me Hell! Will definitely now think about getting a discounted Diva and giving it a go!

While we're on the subject, any padded shorts recommendations?

thighsofsteel

I really like my Diva Gel, but i guess saddles are a very personal thing so it's difficult to know if it would be as good for other people...

As for shorts - welcome to my world!! The padding on my current ones (some random Altura ones that came with the baggies) is fine, but the elastic round the waist doubles over on itself and tries to cut me in half even tho they fit well everywhere else. So yes, any recommendations on shorts would be well received!

On a random note, I've just bought a road bike - looks like i'll be getting another Diva Gel for that one too as the saddle it's come with is pretty much a razor blade... ouch!!! Can't believe i'm going over to the "dark side" to become lycra-clad.....

ketka82

Solved my mountain bike saddle problem by fitting a Fizik Gobi - Heaven! It was good on the road bike but on the mtb it's wonderful. Don't know why, but it just 'fits'. Just goes to show that as far as saddles are concerned you just have to try enough of them... When you get the right one, you definitely know!

Moved my Fizik Vitesse to the road bike but still digging in in all the wrong places. Lowering the seat post helped a bit but now I'm losing peddling efficiency... Ah well, the search goes on!

fatgit

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Saddles are a very personal choice, so there's really not much point getting reccomendatios from others, unfortunately.
I've seen plenty of women's arses to know that there's a very wide range of sizes

I think what we really need here is a pic of your backside and the saddle you use then we can compare arse's and choose the saddle that fits .... what do you mean you're not putting a pic of your arse on here?

Anonymous

fatgit wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Saddles are a very personal choice, so there's really not much point getting reccomendatios from others, unfortunately.
I've seen plenty of women's arses to know that there's a very wide range of sizes

I think what we really need here is a pic of your backside and the saddle you use then we can compare ars*'s and choose the saddle that fits .... what do you mean you're not putting a pic of your ars* on here?

You do realise I'm a bloke, right? My arse is probably the ugliest thing you'll never see

fatgit

yeehaamcgee wrote:

fatgit wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Saddles are a very personal choice, so there's really not much point getting reccomendatios from others, unfortunately.
I've seen plenty of women's arses to know that there's a very wide range of sizes

I think what we really need here is a pic of your backside and the saddle you use then we can compare ars*'s and choose the saddle that fits .... what do you mean you're not putting a pic of your ars* on here?

You do realise I'm a bloke, right? My ars* is probably the ugliest thing you'll never see

I didn't mean I wanted to see yours, that was aimed at all the girlies out there!!

Anonymous

GOOD!

Mrs Toast

Any chance of toning it down chaps? A lot of women, particularly newcomers to the board (and mtbing in general), might get a bit put off by the notion that they can't even post in the women's section without blokes turning up and making comments about their arses...

ride_whenever

Mrs Toast, whilst i agree with your sentiments entirely, unfortunately this is the internet...

Thewaylander

welocme to the world of biking, where you are the raeist of things.... a woman who rides a bike you will be idealized and chased after, the life as you knew it is now... over! dum dum duh!

Anonymous

Mrs Toast wrote:

Any chance of toning it down chaps? A lot of women, particularly newcomers to the board (and mtbing in general), might get a bit put off by the notion that they can't even post in the women's section without blokes turning up and making comments about their arses...

Erm. Ok.
I didn't realise I'd said anything offensive. I also thought I'd offered some good advice. :roll:

miss notax

Mrs Toast wrote:

Any chance of toning it down chaps? A lot of women, particularly newcomers to the board (and mtbing in general), might get a bit put off by the notion that they can't even post in the women's section without blokes turning up and making comments about their arses...

Fair enough

Although I think most ladies who are into MTBing or whatever are probably used to a few friendly cheeky comments! Personally I can give as good as I get - but I did spend a good few years in the Navy which helps

Thewaylander

So Notax, you want pictures of all our arses? we can arrange this :P

might have to start a new arse thread

miss notax

Generous offer, but i'll pass thanks. I don't want to be put off my dinner

Mrs Toast

Thewaylander wrote:

So Notax, you want pictures of all our arses? we can arrange this :P

might have to start a new ars* thread

I was going to suggest putting it in the Crudcatcher, but then the concept of an arse photo thread combined with the word 'Crudcatcher' conjured up terrible mental images. I NEED A BRAIN SPONGE, STAT!

And there's nowt wrong with a few cheeky comments from friends, but it can be a bit creepy coming from strangers on t'internet!

I'm fairly used to blokey humour (I work in the games industry and love heavy metal and comics!) but I do know ladies who get a bit put off biking (and gaming) forums. I dunno if they just don't use the internet that much (I don't think they'd last long on 4chan...), or are just used to forums that have more moderation. If we break them in easy, then biking ladies won't be as much as a rarity!

miss notax

Mrs Toast wrote:

If we break them in easy, then biking ladies won't be as much as a rarity!

Here here - it would definitely be a lot nicer to see a few more girls mountain biking

Anonymous

Mrs Toast wrote:

(I don't think they'd last long on 4chan...)

Well, there's the sane world, where people generally get along, and then there's 4chan.
I swear you need to saw the top of your head off and remove your brain before you log on to it.

Oh, and I've been doing my bit, you know, trying to get more women involved in the sport by taking them out on my spare bike - well, invariably on my new bike whilst I ride my spare one. I love the differences in riding approach that men and women have - it's genuinely fascinating after riding with blokes for so long.

fatgit

I apologise if I causes any offence to anyone, it wasn't meant that way, it was merely a joke... maybe a few of these would have helped :?:

foxc_uk

ok, not entirely related...how do you work out what size saddle to get?

currently using a £20 bikehut one which is surprisingly comfy, but been looking to upgrade...

Anonymous

foxc_uk wrote:

ok, not entirely related...how do you work out what size saddle to get?

currently using a £20 bikehut one which is surprisingly comfy, but been looking to upgrade...

Unfortunately, the best I can suggest is hit and miss.
However, I have been contemplating that maybe going to a Specialized bike shop, and getting measured up for a body geometry saddle might give you an idea of saddle sizing - even if you don't neccesarily opt for a Specialized saddle afterwards.

sickboy687

I went for a ride on my wifes full suss the other day, with her saddle and the suss it was like pedaling a sofa up the canal ! 8) She got a Bontrager Sport Crz Saddle for £25 from our LBS and its so comfortable i nearly feel asleep at the bars :oops: . and it states on the box that if its not comfortable enough for you, you can have your cash back !

Hope that helps

foxc_uk

cool, ta both for the tips!
to be fair although the bikehut saddle looks rubbish, it's not too bad at all! will maybe save the pennies for now, a full face helmet is calling...