Author Topic: Best seat for your butt  (Read 23860 times)

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Offline LexieCali

Best seat for your butt
« on: July 25, 2011, 11:14:22 pm »
Hey Everyone:

Gearing up for a cycling tour, and in need of a uber comfortable bicycle seat. Something that would make my derriere feel like riding on a cloud...
Any recommendations? (Nappy cream and glute lube have been considered and discarded ;))

Thanks and Happy Riding!
Lexie

Offline Tourista829

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2011, 11:38:27 pm »
I recently switched from a Brooks to a Sella Italia Men's Gel with a cut out. So far so good. Comfortable out of the box. I haven't done any long rides yet. I will know after a few 80 mile days. (A saddle that is good for 30 miles may be too soft at higher mileage) I know they make a woman's version. Price around $120. I would try for a minimum 30 day trial period, no matter what saddle you choose.

Offline staehpj1

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2011, 06:41:57 am »
I find that saddle comfort is more a matter of riding form than saddle choice for me.  I ride with low bars, a relaxed upper body, and not much weight on the saddle or my hands.  My weight is mostly carried on my legs.  Given that, all the saddles that came on my bikes are fine and I'd use any of them on a coast to coast trip.  For me a different saddle does usually require a few hundred miles to become completely used to it, but it is acceptable right away.

Offline tonupgilly

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2011, 07:19:44 am »
Hi Lexicalie.

A good and properly fitting saddle is really important for women.  I spent years racing on saddles designed for men because, other than huge bulky padded saddles, nobody made a racing saddle designed for women.  I have to say the discomfort at times was near intolerable.  It was with huge delight that on my return to cycling after a lay-off I discovered "female specific" saddles designed for racing, touring, mountain biking and any other bike you care to ride.  Female saddles do not have as long a nose as those for men, and they do need to be a little wider in the butt.  There are two important factors:  Make sure you get one with a cut away (i.e. not rounded on top), either with a hole straight through the saddle, or a deep depression.  Secondly you need to measure the width between your sit bones (forgive me if you already know this).  These are the two bones you can feel in your butt - the easiest way is to sit on a foam filled chair seat or something similar like memory foam, note where the depressions are when you stand up again - then measure the distance between them. This gives you the size of saddle you need - the bones sitting on the side pads of the saddle.  I use a 155cm saddle.  My racing bike has a lightweight female Selle with hole in middle, my mountain bike has a Bontrager standard female saddle (with depression but no hole) which I could ride on all day, and my Thorn tourer has a standard Thorn female specific saddle with depression, which I can and do ride on all day with absolutely no discomfort.  Saddles with too much bulk and too wide cause your hips to rock side to side when you pedal, which will eventually give you saddle sores and sore hips - so avoid too much padding.   If your saddle is right, your position on the bike, any bike, i.e. on the drops, upright etc will all be accomodated.
Hope this helps  Good luck.

Offline litespeed

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2011, 09:21:52 am »
I use a Terry Liberator Y Gel saddle (Liberator X for women) and wouldn't even consider anything else. I haven't had a sore butt since I got mine many years ago. Also, I've never met anyone, male or female, who has one who isn't totally delighted with theirs. They are extremely durable - last forever. Go to: http://www.terrybicycles.com/ and click on Endurance Saddles.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2011, 01:40:33 pm by litespeed »

Offline rjones35

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2011, 09:39:52 am »
I've ridden a Selle Italia Pro Link for years and thought it was good.  Switched to the newer version two years ago, the Pro Link Lite Gel flow, or something like that.  It was okay.  Just recently bought a Selle SMP Pro, kinda funny looking but super comfy!!  www.theprosstuff.com among others sell them.  They are expensive, but prosstuff has a demo deal which is very cool.  Worth trying!!

Offline L

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2011, 09:51:35 am »
Our long distance cycling holidays used to be limited by the pain in my butt! I now have a Spiderflex which is fantastic! It looks like a pair of doughnuts side by side. Your sit bones go into the two holes, although they act more like depressions. Super comfort. We have just completed a 777 mile tour and no trouble at all.

indyfabz

  • Guest
Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2011, 10:36:19 am »
I use a Terry Liberator Y Gel saddle (Liberator X for women) and wouldn't even consider anything else. I haven't had a sore butt since I got mine many years ago. Also, I've never met anyone, male or female, who has one who isn't totally delighted with theirs. They are exteremely durable - last forever. Go to: http://www.terrybicycles.com/ and click on Endurance Saddles.

+1.  My LHT with my Terry Liberator was stolen.  I replaced the bike but not the saddle since the stock saddle, which is different from the previous LHT stock saddle, felt o.k. on relatrively short rides. Then I went on a 9-day tour at the end of June.  After a few days I was sorely (pun intended) missing my Liberator.

If you can get one from REI, you can return it if you don't like it.

Offline Mark Manley

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2011, 05:22:24 pm »
I have a Brooks that is very comfortable but do know they are inconsistent due to being a natural material and not to everybody's taste, it did take a couple of hundred miles to bed in. On a motorcycle tour of Africa a few years ago I met about 10 cyclist doing a trans-continental trips and around 8 of them had Brooks saddles, all of those I spoke to recommended them.

Offline bogiesan

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2011, 08:43:13 am »
ONe word, three syllables: recumbent.
None of your issues are issues at all with me. When I'm done with a metric century (or  a full 100 miles) I'm as tired as anyone else would be but nothing—allow me to repeat that term, nothing—hurts, not ever.

david boise ID
I play go. I use Macintosh. Of course I ride a recumbent

Offline Tourista829

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2011, 10:31:00 pm »
Bogiesan, it is definately a possible solution to the above. The more I think about it, a recumbent is beginning to make sense. Besides taking the pain out of your butt, it relieves arm and neck pain. I am still concerned about two areas, climbing and riding on the road with cars. I also see there are a number of models. Whether you do it on this thead or start a new one, your input would be much appreciated.

Offline LexieCali

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #11 on: July 28, 2011, 02:56:22 am »
A good and properly fitting saddle is really important for women.  Female saddles do not have as long a nose as those for men, and they do need to be a little wider in the butt.  There are two important factors:  Make sure you get one with a cut away (i.e. not rounded on top), either with a hole straight through the saddle, or a deep depression.  Secondly you need to measure the width between your sit bones (forgive me if you already know this).  These are the two bones you can feel in your butt - the easiest way is to sit on a foam filled chair seat or something similar like memory foam, note where the depressions are when you stand up again - then measure the distance between them.
Hi Tunupgilly
Thank you very much - it is great to have a woman's perspective who is also a serious cyclist. Measuring the depression - this is brilliant - simple and elegant way to figure out the measurements! Never occurred to me - thank for the tip.
Selle is currently at the top of my list thanks to all of the recommendation here with Terre Liberator second, and one recommendation on Spiderflex - will research this, not familiar.
Lexie

Offline LexieCali

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2011, 03:00:35 am »
I recently switched from a Brooks to a Sella Italia Men's Gel with a cut out. So far so good. Comfortable out of the box.
Hi Tourista829
Thank you for the advice and for sharing. Sella sounds like a great saddle. I have heard good thing about it. Yes, there is a woman's version, I checked.
30-day trial period is a sound idea, to be sure. I once got a saddle and had all that padding settled in a a couple of weeks. What a disappointment! :(

Offline LexieCali

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2011, 03:04:29 am »
I find that saddle comfort is more a matter of riding form than saddle choice for me.  I ride with low bars, a relaxed upper body, and not much weight on the saddle or my hands.  Given that, all the saddles that came on my bikes are fine and I'd use any of them on a coast to coast trip. 
You know, I will give lower bars a try. It makes sense - less pressure on the nether regions. I am leaving soon - so swamped by the finals that did not have time to get a new saddle in advance so may have time to break the new one in.
Thanks for the advice.

Offline LexieCali

Re: Best seat for your butt
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2011, 03:08:22 am »
Our long distance cycling holidays used to be limited by the pain in my butt! I now have a Spiderflex which is fantastic! It looks like a pair of doughnuts side by side. Your sit bones go into the two holes, although they act more like depressions. Super comfort. We have just completed a 777 mile tour and no trouble at all.
Hi L
Congratulation on you 777 mile tour - what a lucky number! :)
The spiderflex saddle you used - who is the maker? I would like to research it a little bit.