# Specialized saddles for women



## Vanessa (Feb 6, 2007)

Hi - A few days ago I ordered a Jett Specialized saddle... however now I'm a bit confused and not sure of whether I chose the right saddle? Anyone got any advice? Basically I just want a light and comfortable saddle for touring (eg. 100 km a day)... previously my sit-bone region and more more female region hurt after eg. 50 km. ...
but is the Jett the one? I'd sacrifice weight for comfort ... 

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqSection.jsp?sid=EquipD4WSaddles

The blurb on the Jett mentions racing but not padding - the blurb on the Ariel SL mentions "enough cushion for all day riding comfort". Has anyone ridden an Ariel SL? What did you think? Then there's the comfy looking gel Avatar that is not specifically designed for women, but I've had no experience with gel seats...

Does anyone have any advice? I know it also comes down to personal design but ... is the Jett more designed for racing as opposed to comfort over long-distances? Help!


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## MayGirl (May 12, 2006)

the jett is intended for racing, yes. it's the women's version of the alias. these models have very minimal padding (you will/should feel your sit-bones on the saddle) and you should make sure you got the correct size. 
but the lack of padding doesn't necessarily mean it won't be good for you (once you break it in and get used to it). often too much padding causes discomfort.
i tried out a jett -- last year's model -- and hated it. it wound up that they actually found anatomical flaws with it and were (supposively) re-designing it. i wound up being very happy with the alias (143 mm). but i race (road races, crits, TTs) and while i train long distances from time to time i'm not touring, so that's my disclaimer for this advice.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Have you checked out Terry saddles? I'm sort of beating the same drum as always but I do think there is a good reason that they have so much of the market share for women riders ... all the way from the casual to the racer. The Butterfly is a pretty good choice for your kind of riding and they have an excellent return/exchange policy.

Honestly, I don't know any women who are on Specialized saddles so I can't speak to that... but in a way I find that noteworthy as well because I ride with a lot of groups.


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## t-wood (Feb 28, 2005)

My wife rides a Specialized Alias 143 and she really likes it. She races crits TT's and she does training rides of 2-4 hrs every weekend and never complains. Last year after a century she commented how much she loved the seat. I'm not saying that seat would work for you but she seems to like it.

We put a softer seat on the bike when she was pregnant so she could ride it on the trainer (she thought being heavier she would want a softer one) and we ended up switching it back because she hated the softer gel seat....


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*cushioning is seldom the answer*



t-wood said:


> We put a softer seat on the bike when she was pregnant so she could ride it on the trainer (she thought being heavier she would want a softer one) and we ended up switching it back because she hated the softer gel seat....


If a seat fits well the rider won't need much cushioning. If the rider needs a lot of cushioning the seat doesnt fit well.


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## vonteity (Feb 13, 2005)

JayTee said:


> Have you checked out Terry saddles? I'm sort of beating the same drum as always but I do think there is a good reason that they have so much of the market share for women riders ... all the way from the casual to the racer. The Butterfly is a pretty good choice for your kind of riding and they have an excellent return/exchange policy.
> 
> Honestly, I don't know any women who are on Specialized saddles so I can't speak to that... but in a way I find that noteworthy as well because I ride with a lot of groups.


I like the Terry Zero X so much that I have 4, one for each bike that resides in my house.

I have noticed that the padding on the saddle only lasts two years (~15,000 miles). The seat has wrinkles in the leather around the edge from the padding compressing over the years, and my sciatica has curiously begun to act up as of late. I bought a new one and will put the old one on my new track bike.

All this talk of padding makes me feel a little inferior. I know women who race on saddles with zero padding. I have tried, I can't. I need a little sumpin-sumpin. I feel like I SHOULD be racing on a saddle without padding, but I guess the saddle I have works for me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.


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## orbit (Feb 7, 2007)

For something a little different, have a look at these saddles. I am going to test 2 of these models shortly. For me the problem is not about padding but about contact points

http://www.sellesmp.com/en/default.htm


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Wow. That baby is a work of art. If you do try it, please post a review.


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## vonteity (Feb 13, 2005)

If the nose didn't look so ridiculous, I might try it.

My main complaint with saddles (and the reason I need padding plus a cutout) is that you're sittin' on your bits. Chafing isn't an issue, it's my own body weight on the bits that's a problem. Suffice to say, without padding and a cutout, I feel as if I've been repeatedtly kicked in the crotch with a pointy shoe for 50 miles... and that is not a pleasant feeling no matter who you are.


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

I have the women's version - haven't had the chance to try it out yet. A couple people I know love it, others hated it. 

http://www.albabici.com/selle/07-trk-lady/07-trk-lady.htm


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## orbit (Feb 7, 2007)

I prefer to think that the Selles saddle has the style and aerodynamics of the Concorde airplane!

Vonteity, I loved your "pointy shoe" analogy  ! I couldn't agree more about the body weight issue. Thats why for me in this area of bike fit, I care far less about the look of the saddle than being pain free. 

In my search for the perfect saddle, I started out on a fairly padded womens Serfat, with no cut-out, then moved to a more racing style, firm Sella Italia Lady Gel with a cut-out. Better, yet still some days when Im riding hard but not much out of the saddle, my girly bits can kill for hours after due to the constant pressure. 

I'm hoping the size of the Selles cut-out will help address the problem for me.

Snapdragen, would love to hear your input on the saddle once you've tried it.


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## velopup (Jun 2, 2002)

Here's another vote for Terry saddles. I've raced and rode recreationally for 20 years and keep coming back to Terry. I've found their men's racing saddle as comfortable as any of the women-specific.


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## KonaMan (Sep 22, 2004)

My wife has had 2 Terry saddles, the most recent is the zero and she absolutely loves it. I gave them a try and and have an older Fly-ti (which might be due for an upgrade) and a Firefly on my SS (the flames go well with the yellow bar tape).


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## RHRoop (Nov 1, 2006)

*Selle San Marco Glamour Asplide*

Great feedback on seats here. 

My wife recently had a Giant road bike built-up. This is her first real bike (one that didn't have a springy seat and a suspension seat post).

I thought I was splurging on a Glamour Asplide and I sized it correctly based on their sizing chart. It has a wide tail, short nose and cutout. We've had the bike on the trainer for the past few weeks and she says the seat hurts after 10-15 minutes when she has her hands on the bars. If she sits upright with hands off the bars it isn't uncomfortable.

Any advice on the defect with how this seat fits? It is a fairly minimalist seat but I believe that a properly fitted seat shouldn't need padding. The Terry Butterfly mentioned sounds nice. Has anyone bought this to address specific discomfort issues?


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## orbit (Feb 7, 2007)

RHRoop said:


> Great feedback on seats here.
> 
> My wife recently had a Giant road bike built-up. This is her first real bike (one that didn't have a springy seat and a suspension seat post).
> 
> ...


Ah, your poor wife, pain that early aint good. Have you checked the angle of the seat? Sure, its supposed to be dead level, but perhaps try angling it down just a couple of mm's and see if that helps. If that doesn't suit her, best to try another saddle.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

orbit said:


> Ah, your poor wife, pain that early aint good. Have you checked the angle of the seat? Sure, its supposed to be dead level, but perhaps try angling it down just a couple of mm's and see if that helps. If that doesn't suit her, best to try another saddle.


Ditto. Try angling it down. If that doesn't help you might want to try another brand. Different strokes for different folks.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

For whatever reason, I always find the saddle more uncomfortable on the trainer than outside, so she might want to try some outside miles before assuming that the saddle isn't working for her. Just a thought. 

Otherwise, it is really hard to speculate re: what makes it not work, but I personally have never been pleased with shorter-profile women's saddles on the road bike. They are okay on the mt bike. And within reason, firmer is definitely better once those first half-dozen rides (or first 100 miles or so) are logged on the saddle.


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## RHRoop (Nov 1, 2006)

*Angle*

I did try the angle thing...I'll give it another shot whilst a new saddle is on order and angle it down another mm or two.

I think I'll give the Terry Butterfly a shot.

Thanks,
Rob


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## orbit (Feb 7, 2007)

RHRoop said:


> I did try the angle thing...I'll give it another shot whilst a new saddle is on order and angle it down another mm or two.
> 
> I think I'll give the Terry Butterfly a shot.
> 
> ...


Rob, as you set your wife up on the bike, you might find these couple of articles helpful.

http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/

Go to the further reading link and there are 2 articles relating to fitting women and seats called "Sensitive Issues".

Good luck


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## RHRoop (Nov 1, 2006)

*Thank you*

Great articles on fitting for women. Muchas gracias!

We were very excited about getting out for some rides after getting Lore's bike built. I know some of it IS about getting tougher/stronger in the saddle but that should be after hours not minutes on the bike.

I've got a Terry Butterfly on order. We'll see how the change in angle and possibly change in seats affects things.

Rob


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