# New Saddle: Regular or Gel?



## winphoto1 (Aug 29, 2010)

My wife is thinking of getting a new saddle to relieve her female discomfort. Currently using a Specialized Riva. After reading threads in the women's forum, she's thinking of trying a Terry Butterfly. The question we have is, is it best to get a regular saddle or a gel saddle?

We ride 25-30 miles at a time and we're not fast, but we'd like to start riding more and longer. The wife's comfort is very important. We realize that what works for someone may not work for someone else, but does anyone have an opinion?


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

I think you'll find the comfort of any saddle very personal. My wife tried a few women specific models and finds the wider male saddles equally comfortable. One thing to consider is that your position on a saddle differs based on the angle of your torso. If you lean over more, there's more weight on your hands/arms. If you sit more upright, more weight on the touchus. Which requires more padding.
I find gels annoying, and I was never able to get used to them despite giving them a couple weeks at a time. 
I'd recommend ONLY purchasing a saddle from a shop with a strong inventory position in a few brands, with many sizes per model. And ONLY if they have a demo program. I also recommend NOT making the decision based on one ride. 
I actually rode a terry butterfly in the mid nineties and really liked in for the mountain bike. 
good luck Gel vs Regular, I'm not a gel fan.


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## LC (Jan 28, 2004)

I am the opposite on gel, I like it, at least the way Selle Italia does the Gel Flow saddles. It takes out road vibration which is a good thing to me. The downside is that Gel adds a little bit of weight. I have tried gel saddles (I think it was Terry) that overdo the gel, and try to make it like a squishy pillow and that is bad. The saddle still has to feel firm when you press with your fingers into the gel portion.


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## mgringle (May 20, 2011)

I have a men's Terry gel on my commuter and a Specialized Romin on my road. I used to really like the gel seat until my butt got used to the Romin. I tried a lot of saddles for my new ride and settled on the Romin, but it took a few weeks to get that hard seat to feel comfortable. Now I wouldn't trade the Romin for anything else. When I get on my commuter, I have a harder time getting comfortable now on that gel seat. My butt sinks in a little and it seems to put pressure on different areas that I'm not used to. (I ride the road bike much more) 

Thick vs. thin chamois is also a consideration. Used to like thin, but now like thinner chamois. The thick ones seems to just chafe more, bunch up at times, and just seem to get in the way of my pedal stroke compared to the thinner chammois models.

In my experience, the more saddle time I had, the less padding I liked. And I have no 'natural' butt padding, but am a clydesdale at 220lbs. But as has been said, YMMV.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

I have no experience with gel saddles. In general, with saddles squishy isn't good. So too much gel can let you sink into the seat and cause pressure and chaffing on the "goodies" (male or female). 
OTOH, I have cycling shorts with gel pads and love them. Just the right amount of gel.

I've used the Terry Fly on my MTB for about 10 years now. It's getting a bit torn up (from many crashes) but still very comfy. I love it. 

Saddle preference is really a personal choice. Everyone's butt and inner thighs are different. Comfy for one is misery for another.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Saddle comfort*



winphoto1 said:


> My wife is thinking of getting a new saddle to relieve her female discomfort. Currently using a Specialized Riva. After reading threads in the women's forum, she's thinking of trying a Terry Butterfly. The question we have is, is it best to get a regular saddle or a gel saddle?
> 
> We ride 25-30 miles at a time and we're not fast, but we'd like to start riding more and longer. The wife's comfort is very important. We realize that what works for someone may not work for someone else, but does anyone have an opinion?


Before you buy a new saddle, consider these factors for saddle comfort and adjustment:

There are 7 factors in preventing saddle numbness and pain:

1) saddle adjustment - tilt angle is very important

2) sitting properly - a lot of people ride too far forward on the saddle. Your "sit bones" should be perched on the rear, wide part of the saddle

3) standing up - you should never let things go numb or get painful. At the first sign of any lack of feeling or pain, pedal standing up for a short distance and repeat as necessary to bring the feeling back and prevent further numbness

4) easing up - you want to lift your rear end off the saddle any time you are going to hit a bump or sharp edge. It's easier on your anatomy, your wheels, your tires, and the rest of your bike.

5) bike fit: in addition to saddle height and tilt, there is fore/aft adjustment, reach and drop to the bars, and cleat position.

6) tires: proper width with the right PSI for your weight and roads so you don't feel every single road imperfection.

7) saddle - there are some people who can ride most any saddle if it is properly adjusted (see #1) and there are some people who have problems with nearly any saddle. It's hard to predict which type you are. Work on 1-6 and if that doesn't help, THEN consider a new saddle. 

When choosing a new saddle, width is important but so are a number of other things and it really is not possible to recommend a saddle that works based on width alone. The shape of the saddle butt, width of the nose, thickness and density of padding, etc. all factor in.


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## TBarnaby (Mar 1, 2012)

My wife was sold on gel seats, then she took a ride with my Selle An-anatomica. She can now do medium distance side sans padded shorts with the An-atomica. Most comfortable seat either she or I have ever ridden on.


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## Joeallen312 (May 12, 2012)

Gel saddles seem to feel good for the first 20 miles them hurt after that. Almost to much give in them.


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## BRider (May 14, 2012)

I use the Specialized Toupe with gel and love it. 

I had the standard Toupe at first but after my backside was measured I realized that the width was too small. When I bought the wider Toupe I noticed the gel option. The weight was only slightly more and it is not a thick gel so I thought I'd give it a try. It has been a great fit for me.

Be sure to have her measured at a bike shop so that you buy the right size saddle- this impacts comfort a lot. Also inquire about going out on test runs with gel vs non gel saddles so she can get a feel for herself


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

tlg said:


> I have no experience with gel saddles. In general, with saddles squishy isn't good. So too much gel can let you sink into the seat and cause pressure and chaffing on the "goodies" (male or female).
> OTOH, I have cycling shorts with gel pads and love them. Just the right amount of gel.
> 
> I've used the Terry Fly on my MTB for about 10 years now. It's getting a bit torn up (from many crashes) but still very comfy. I love it.
> ...


This is my experience too...A harder saddle supports the sit bones and keeps the pressure off the sensitive bits.......soft saddle, and the bits sink down and cause pressure


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## Joeallen312 (May 12, 2012)

I guess a thinner gel would be nice. Im going to look into this. Thanks!


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## Guest (May 14, 2012)

regular


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## Dunbar (Aug 8, 2010)

I hate the gel saddles that feel jello-y like Dr. Scholl's gel shoe inserts. I have found some saddles that advertise being gel (like certain Specialized BGS seats) don't feel any different to foam padding to me. It's pretty easy to tell just by feeling them with my hands which ones I'll hate.


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## CircaRigel (Dec 13, 2009)

I love my Selle Italia Lady gel flow. I think the main difference between gel and foam is that gel doesn't tend to break down as quickly as foam might. All I know is the Selle Italia saddle I have (women's specific) has never caused me any difficulty, once my anatomy adjusted to the new saddle (that has to happen with ANY saddle).

I've never had ANY discomfort in the nether regions with this saddle.

Probably more important than gel or foam is fit. It's important to get ANY new saddle fitted right. That's the best way of preventing those sores and hotspots that can be so uncomfortable. FYI, most people have the fewest issues when the saddle is level, but it's important to adjust things regularly at first, until that "sweet spot" position is found. When I first began riding again, I tended to have my saddle nose angled down, and I had HORRIBLE discomfort. I played around with it a bit, and once I found the proper angle, no more soreness!


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## MisterMike (Aug 12, 2004)

Kerry Irons said:


> Before you buy a new saddle, consider these factors for saddle comfort and adjustment:
> 
> There are 7 factors in preventing saddle numbness and pain:
> 
> ...


+1 Well said. If there was a "Saddles" section this would be a sticky


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## jiznake (Jan 24, 2012)

I just got the Selle Italia Gel Flow Max on Friday, and after doing a couple 2 hour rides this weekend, I would say it pretty awesome. My old saddle (Specialized Riva) would start hurting within 20 minutes, and by 2 hours I was mediating real hard on rule #5. The Selle one there was almost zero discomfort after 2 hours. I also got my wife the Selle Italia Diva, also a gel seat, and she really likes it too.


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