Should I get Female Saddle??

alloy_on_insulin

Hi,

I've bought a new racer. It's a blokes model, and so comes with a guy's saddle, and I'm not sure if I should be changing it to a girls one... :?:

Time trails & an ironman are my main focus this year, so comfort factor will be important given the number of miles I'm doing, but the speed gain / loss factor is a consideration (even if the effect is just psychological!)

I'd be greatful of any opinons

Thank you!!

lucan

alloy_on_insulin wrote:

Hi,
I've bought a new racer. It's a blokes model, and so comes with a guy's saddle, and I'm not sure if I should be changing it to a girls one... :?:

Only if you're a girl
8)

alloy_on_insulin

ha, thanks Lucan
Yes, I am a girl

The lad in the bike shop said I shouldn't bother getting a girls saddle & instead try using the blokes one for a few weeks
Prior to this I just thought us girls had girls saddles

upperoilcan

Was there a reason as to why you bought a gents bike rather than one specifically made for a lady ?

alloy_on_insulin

I've had a guys Bianchi for the past 5 odd years & no complaints with it, so didn't feel I needed to specifically look at girls bikes.

Also a big lack of stock / options for girls bikes

Tried quite a few bikes & I'm pretty happy that this fits me ok

tri-sexual

never been convinced about WSD performance bikes
always thought that it was a way of marketing to a female market
i know what they say about women's body being different to that of a mans ie longer legs, shorter bodies, narrower in width, smaller hands etc but majority of the most successful women, or simply very good female riders i know/ come across tend to ride "men's" bikes (i know there are exceptions)
this is especially true with tri bikes
one area where men and women are very different is in the saddle dept :oops:
and for this reason you should try a womens specific saddle, they tend to be wider, better padded and shorter than men's saddles.
so use your current saddle but if you dont get on with it then buy a girlie one, it should suit you better

proto

My daughter uses Selle Italia SLK Lady saddles and reckons they suit her fine. Managed 120 miles on her LEJOG no problem.

On occasion she has borrowed one of my bikes, fitted with Fizik Arione or Selle Italia Flite. She manages about 5 miles before she has to quit, just too painful

So, her advice would be , yes, get a women specific saddle.

However, she's also tried a Specialized Jet (women's) saddle before now and didn't get on with that either. So, see if you can test ride a few, but SLK Lady highly recommended!

BTW, she's never had a women specific bike, currently rides a BMC Pro Machine, but we took care in setting it up for her, She's about the same height as me, 5ft 8ins, but has narrower bars and slightly shorter stem than me. And a girlie saddle.

Garry H

Why don't you just use the same saddle that you had on the Bianchi?

alloy_on_insulin

Proto & tir-sexual... thanks.......confirmed what i'd thought....will get the bike shop to order one

Garry H... pure laziness - I want to keep using the Bianchi for training & going out when the weather's rubbish - I'm too lazy to faff with changing the saddle from one bike to the next when I've decided to head out & making sure it's set up right etc

Garry H

alloy_on_insulin wrote:

Proto & tir-sexual... thanks.......confirmed what i'd thought....will get the bike shop to order one

Garry H... pure laziness - I want to keep using the Bianchi for training & going out when the weather's rubbish - I'm too lazy to faff with changing the saddle from one bike to the next when I've decided to head out & making sure it's set up right etc

Can you just not buy the same saddle, or are they discontinued or something?