# Wife needs saddle, preferably Terry



## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

My wife has a used bike with a Terry men's saddle. She likes the idea of the Terry company, that it is started by a woman.

She wants to get a woman's saddle thinking it's going to give her greater comfort. My idea is whether or not it's a man's or woman's saddle doesn't matter. If it's comfortable it's comfortable, if it's uncomfortable, it's uncomfortable. Just because it's made for a woman doesn't automatically make it comfortable.

Does she have a greater chance of getting a comfortable saddle by buying a woman's saddle rather than a man's saddle?

Does she have a greater chance of getting a comfortable saddle by buying a Terry woman's saddle?

What Terry saddle would you Terry users be recommending? She seems kinda of mind set on Terry.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

I would say yes, she has a better chance of being happy with a women's saddle. Don't be surprised if she has to try a few out before finding something she likes. 

Terry saddles did not work out for me but many women love them. Good luck and happy saddle shopping.


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## kermit (Dec 7, 2004)

*Love Terry*

I have a Terry Zero X saddle and I love it. I tried many brands and models, mens and womens, before settling on this one. I happened to be at the bike shop when a guy came in with the mens zero Y. I asked him to try it and thats how that went. Tell her she needs to decide on padded vs. flat, and cutout vs. not. The problem I found with some womens specific was there are very wide in the seat bone. Specialized also makes a good selection of saddles. Happy hunting.


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## StreamerT10 (Oct 6, 2007)

My wife complained of "crotch burn" after 20 mile rides, so we decided to do something about it. We ended up with the Selle An-Atomica Titanico and it works for her really well. She really seems to like the cutout (I haven't ridden it myself, although I must admit I'm mildly curious.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

StreamerT10 said:


> My wife complained of "crotch burn" after 20 mile rides, so we decided to do something about it. We ended up with the Selle An-Atomica Titanico and it works for her really well. She really seems to like the cutout (I haven't ridden it myself, although I must admit I'm mildly curious.


Ooh, those are beautiful saddles! :thumbsup:


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## indysteel (Jul 21, 2006)

Terry isn't a bad place to start, in part because they have a generous return policy. Your wife might looks here or on Team Estrogen's forums (there are more threads on saddles there than you can shake a stick at) for some advice on how to measure her sit bones. That might help her narrow down her choices. One of the reasons that men's saddles don't always work for women is that our sit bones tend to be wider, but that's just a generalization. Also, the cut outs sometimes work and are sometimes torture. It often depends on how much soft tissue you have (the more you have, the more a cut out coudl prove helpful). I personally use a Terry Butterfly Tri-Gel saddle, but I lucked out in that it was the first saddle I tried after taking the stock Bianchi saddle off my bike. My only complaint with it is that it has to be replaced fairly often. Considering how much time I spend on my bike though, I don't lose much sleep over it.


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Fit, Shorts*

Does the bike fit her (height & reach, fore/aft) and is it set up properly?

Is she wearing womens shorts with a good chamois that works well with her individual body?

If these two items are not done yet the saddle search could be a long one. My wife is petite and women specific saddles are too wide for her body. Also remember that if there is too much padding the sit bones sink in and the extra padding just gets pushed up into soft spots. My wife likes the Selle Italia Flite Gel saddle and did not care for the couple of Terry saddles she tried. YMMV.


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## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

*she's wide in the ....*

1) The bike fits her well, no pressure/weight on her hands or arms, right length, pedal position correct

2) She wears a good pair of shorts, same brand and model as I wear but I wear men's bibs she wears woman's shorts, nice chamois

3) She's not petite. She's wider in the .... but not huge but not petite. Normal. She doesn't want a gel saddle, without trying one, she says the gel breaks down and moves around.


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## GaCyclist (Feb 24, 2008)

I am new to cycling and new to this forum but when I read the post about "crotch burn" I just had to respond. That is Exactly how I explained it to my husband. I told him I might as well be riding with two matchsticks between my legs. I had to keep stopping..it was sooo uncomfortable! I came here to do some investigating and see what types of saddles were being used. I am using the one that came with my bike a Selle Italia Flite and it's SOOOO painful! I was thinking of trying a Terry or this other one I saw Aireon not a name brand but looks good. My hubby just bought me a used Steelman which I ABSOLUTELY love and to find a good saddle to go with it would be the ultimate!


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## StreamerT10 (Oct 6, 2007)

GaCyclist said:


> I am new to cycling and new to this forum but when I read the post about "crotch burn" I just had to respond. That is Exactly how I explained it to my husband. I told him I might as well be riding with two matchsticks between my legs. I had to keep stopping..it was sooo uncomfortable! I came here to do some investigating and see what types of saddles were being used. I am using the one that came with my bike a Selle Italia Flite and it's SOOOO painful! I was thinking of trying a Terry or this other one I saw Aireon not a name brand but looks good. My hubby just bought me a used Steelman which I ABSOLUTELY love and to find a good saddle to go with it would be the ultimate!


I hear ya. Whenever we took a quick water stop she would always get completely off the bike, and make the most painful faces. At this point I'd recommend the an-atomica as a first shot. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it big and heavy? Yes. Has the crotch burn stopped? Yes. I bought it from team estrogen, and wrapped the rails in electrical tape when I mounted it. If it didn't work out I think they take them back. Since that first mounting, it's never been removed - still on there with the electrical tape and everything...


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## whateveronfire (Sep 27, 2005)

I like Terry saddles. I've used a Liberator and a Butterfly. Both are nice, though the Butterfly is a little better. I switched to a Fizik Aliante, because I actually prefer no cut-out. Terry's a great company and do have a nice return policy. You can often find Terrys on sale at Performance, though, so it's worth keeping an eye out.

I agree with the Team Estrogen forum recommendation. There's a lot of saddle talk over there, much of it focused on Brooks.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

The Terry Butterfly has a huge chunk of the women's rec market, and I think for a reason. It works for a LOT of women. Certainly the Liberator is an option, but is a larger, squishier saddle that IMO is not as well suited for longer distance road riding.


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## whateveronfire (Sep 27, 2005)

JayTee said:


> The Terry Butterfly has a huge chunk of the women's rec market, and I think for a reason. It works for a LOT of women. Certainly the Liberator is an option, but is a larger, squishier saddle that IMO is not as well suited for longer distance road riding.


I agree with JayTee. The Liberator is great for hybrids and on shorter rides, but doesn't work well on road bikes. The Butterfly is a really nice saddle. She should tyr the Aliante, too. I know it doesn't have the feel-good Terry thing, but I know several women (including me), who really like it.


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## CyreneSong (Aug 10, 2005)

I just got a new Terry Zero X and it is fantastic. 
It's completely solved my saddle issues.

I bought mine at Estrogen.com due to the return policy, but I'm keeping this one.


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## Cato (Oct 13, 2005)

*I need some help too...*

I've had the Terry Butterfly on both my mountain and road bikes. Lately the one on the road bike has been causing problems on long rides. Seems it's rubbing what I call the leg pits...not the soft tissue but the area on the very innermost top inside of my legs, and causes bumps and pain. The bike set up is correct, and I wear PI Microsensor shorts with a high quality chamois. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!!


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## velogirl (Oct 14, 2005)

Cato said:


> I've had the Terry Butterfly on both my mountain and road bikes. Lately the one on the road bike has been causing problems on long rides. Seems it's rubbing what I call the leg pits...not the soft tissue but the area on the very innermost top inside of my legs, and causes bumps and pain. The bike set up is correct, and I wear PI Microsensor shorts with a high quality chamois. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!!



Cato, how old is your saddle? It's likely the saddle has borken down and "spread." so you might consider getting a new one to replace it.

Lorri


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## Cato (Oct 13, 2005)

I think I've had it for about 1200 miles...is it dead yet?


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## jorgy (Oct 21, 2005)

Used to happen to me on rides over about 40 miles; was using the Terry Zero X. I've since switched to the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour. It has a very abrupt transition from the seat to nose. The nose is skinny and doesn't rub the top of my thighs. I do try to make ensure I'm riding with my butt on the seat and that I don't slide forward.

I've also found I do better with moderately padded shorts, lately been using Zoots. My expensive pearls ended up bunching up and causing chafing.



Cato said:


> I've had the Terry Butterfly on both my mountain and road bikes. Lately the one on the road bike has been causing problems on long rides. Seems it's rubbing what I call the leg pits...not the soft tissue but the area on the very innermost top inside of my legs, and causes bumps and pain. The bike set up is correct, and I wear PI Microsensor shorts with a high quality chamois. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!!


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## velogirl (Oct 14, 2005)

the life of a saddle with depend on a number of variables. if you ride or store your bike in rain or now (or even travel with it on your car in rain or snow), it will break down sooner. the weight of the rider will contribute to break-down as well. the softer and more cushion a saddle has o begin with, the more it will break down. 

if you are suddenly unhappy with a saddle that used to make you happy, and nothing else has changed (bike fit, shorts, body weight, riding style), then it sure wouldn't hurt to try replacing your saddle.


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## Cato (Oct 13, 2005)

*Saddle problem solved!*

As a follow up to my last post, I went for a complete bike fitting two weeks ago to try to find out what the problem was. The seat was fine (not worn out according to the fitter) but the stem I had on the bike was too long and flat, laying me out in a bad position and making my inner thighs rub on the seat. We also discovered that my left leg is just a bit longer than the right and moved the cleat back slightly. The next day I rode 45 miles with no seat issues, and last weekend I did a century with a very happy butt )

Sometimes problems can be attributed to the saddle, and they can also be resolved with a proper bike fit. It's worth the investment.


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