I am sure you are going to get the gambit of this worked for me...bla bla bla, but the reality of the situation is every woman/man is made differently. There is not going to be a suggestion from someone that has never seen you or fit you on a bike that will work for you. Sorry. Especially if you have already tested and gone through $2000 of equipment in your search.

My suggestion is to get a measurement of your sit bones while in a sitting position or in a riding position. Take that measurement to a bike fitter and have him/her find you a saddle that will appropriately fit you.

I HATE my local trek store, but they did have this plank with white gel in it that "dissipated" in the right spots when you sat on it (your sit bones sink in and you measure the indentations ~ distance between sit bones). I am a curvy gal and I thought I needed a wide saddle b/c of my "curves" but come to find out I was wrong. Goes to show you "sizing" a person up is not the way to fit them on a saddle. You have to find their sit bones and MEASURE them. Something else to think about -- the saddle could fit correctly for your sit bones, but then the nose is turned up too high and rubs your soft tissue. Or the nose is turned down too low and you "fall" off and your soft tissue is pulled or stretched. The fore and aft of the saddle needs to be just right as well. If you find yourself scootching back to find the "sweet" spot or sitting on the nose to feel "over" your pedals...more problems.

Also, every saddle will fit you differently on different bikes. Again different fits. Sorta a no brainer, but some people will ONLY ride an Adamo. I can't ride and Adamo on a road bike, but on a tri-bike=glorious.

BIKE FIT. Best solution.

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Heather Sweet
http://thesweetsadventure.blogspot.com/

"gamut"

Gambit is a chess word!

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Dude here (sorry) - but I have spent a lot of time on bike seats.

First, let's just get one thing out of the way - bicycle saddles are uncomfortable. You've likely heard/read about so many people raving about "how comfortable xyz saddle is"; but it isn't - it's "relatively comfortable" given what it is. It's still a bike seat, and no-one would pick their most favourite bike seat over a sofa. They're just not that comfortable.

Having said that, it shouldn't "hurt" you either. It sounds like you've already spent a pile of time and money trying out lots of different saddles - are you certain that it's the saddle?

The first thing I'd question given how long you've been working on this is your bike position. A bad bike position can make any combination of saddle/shorts hell. Likewise, a great position can make jeans and a plastic bmx saddle tolerable. How's your bike position, and has it changed at all over the years?

What about your shorts? I've spoken with many women who prefer the minimal padding of a pair of tri shorts (just a bit of fleece, really) over the "proper" chamois of standard bicycle shorts. I have no idea why this might be, and can't explain it - but it's something that many women have found, and is worth trying if you haven't. Also, the shorts themselves can be radically different. Now I'm not telling you run out and spend $350 on a pair of Assos, but you should try a few different brands and chamois types. Check the chamois to see if there are any seams - and what kind of seams. Some are completely seamless. Others have a "flat lock" seam that is supposed to be unnoticeable (but you might notice it). Some have "baseball" style stitching and others have weird impression moulded features. You'll probably find that you hate some, and love others. Try to find the similarities between the ones you like, and remember those details. As products "evolve" over the years your "go to" short might change into something you don't like so much (just like running shoes). If you remember that you need a seam-free chamois with no contours and that you prefer just a wee bit of fleece over a lot of padding, you'll be able to find new shorts much easier.

Finally, chamois cream. Get some. I personally love Assos, and find it to be the very best of the best - but some women don't like the tingle from the witchhazel. You'll have to figure that one out for yourself. Regardless of which one you use, remember to apply it twice - first rubbed into the chamois on your shorts, and again on your undercarriage - focusing especially on the areas that get the most chafing.

Hopefully, if you address the issues of fit, shorts and chamois cream, you'll be in a position to re-examine some of the saddles that you've tried in the past. If you have a Specialized store nearby (or a store that carries a lot of their stock) check out their "seat width measuring tool" as well. It's a gel pad that you sit on, and your ischia (sit bones) make an impression in the gel. Based on the spacing between your ischia, there will be a range of saddles designed to fit appropriately. Too narrow or too wide will be less comfortable.

One last thing, just in case - you are wearing the shorts next to skin, right? If you've been wearing underwear under your bike shorts, ditch it.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?

Thanks ;-) Always in need of a docjeff...

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Heather Sweet
http://thesweetsadventure.blogspot.com/

Search this forum for "saddle" and there have been many threads on this. But...what works for one butt can be torture for another.

And, listen to what Khai said, and I'd add...a very close trim is usually better.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

unhappy w stock bontrager. Very happy w my new Terry Fly.

Suspect, shorts, pad (incl the coverage vs your seat & the seat), creams and not too many miles too soon is also part of the answer. Best

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Such a Bad Runner

I'm assuming that when you are in aero position, given your anatomy, you are more or less sitting on your MOST sensitive girlie part. Not fun! I had the same issue, and like someone said, the first thing that helped was to have less chamois. This works because then there is less pressure on that area. Another crucial thing is to make sure you get seamless shorts. For both of those things, my De Soto tri shorts work seamlessly (hah!). Sorry, couldn't resist.

The next thing that worked was to find a saddle with a cut-out, but also a short nose- because if the nose is too long, I would just end up sitting on it and not using the cut-out. Terry saddles didn't work for me, in aero position, but worked in a roadie position. I ended up finding a stock Felt saddle that is perfect- but I can't find a picture. It looks a lot like this:
http://www.rei.com/product/736827
For me, I needed thin rails around the cut out, and a large hole, short nose. I knew when I saw my saddle that it was what I was looking for, and for whatever reason, there aren't many seats that look like mine. I don't think the Adamo or Cobb would work for me, because those are both wide saddles (relatively), and I have narrow hips. Anyways, once I eliminated contact with my girlie-part, I was a happy cyclist! Now I have zero issues with her, and we are both much happier.

Does the x-men use of the word have anything to do with the chess definition of it? (to sacrifice a piece)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I've also got issues with saddles. I use the SMP Stratos but I'm waiting for the SMP Glider to be installed by my wrench husband. So far, so good. My sit bones are relatively close together and my hips only measure 35 inches.

Another thing that helps for me is to have very very minimal padding. It's counterintuitive, but the more I have stuffed in there, the worse the tearing.

I also got a professional fitting for my overall bike position. I *think* that helped.

Here's a thread I started in Team Estrogen.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=38097

It references a little table I have of people's favourite saddles.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/...b1E&hl=en.#gid=0

Of course one person's favourite saddle is another person's nightmare.

Definately don't ask guys for advice on this one. I had a lot of saddle issues until I bought a Fizik Arione. I recommended that saddle to my wife and she absolutely hated it.

I have the Selle Italia SLC road saddle on my tri bike and it works pretty well for me. It is a split saddle so the two sides move independently of one another. I tried many saddles before I found this one.

I too find that shorts with less padding rather than more work better for me, and lots and lots of chamois butt'r. Not to be too graphic, but you just have to spread everything open and slather the cream in there.

Lots of good advice in here. See if you can get a bike fit, with sitz bone measurements and saddle fitting.

For a long time I only bought saddles/from companies with generous return policies, never quite found one that worked, esp. for distance cycling.

I've finally settled down with the Adamo Typhoon ... people laugh, but it is COMFY, split-saddle, and is perfect for me. Just a thought.

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Yanti Ardie of Y Tri Multisport & Majick Juice for lasting critter defense & skin soothing
~ World Open Water Swimming Association Coach & Official
~ IRONMAN Certified Coach (Founding Member)
~ Triathlon Australia Professional Development Coach
~ 3 by the Sea: my Journey from death to ...

Definitely the Adamo saddle!!

X3

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DFL > DNF > DNS

Having your bike sized can help a lot. I had an insert added to raise my handle bars 1/4 inch and it made a world of difference combined with playing around with the angle of my seat.

After giving up and just assuming that riding a bike was misery, I tried the john cobb v-flow max. It works really well in the aero position, and is by far the best I have found. I agree with some of the others - "comfort" is all relative when it comes to aero position on a bike. The only trouble i have had with it is on long rides when I sit on the basebars a lot, since the back of it is too narrow for my sitbones. The cutout seems to be a blessing for a lot of women, provided you place the saddle correctly through bike fit so that you actually sit over the cutout.

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"What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass for six hours a day. What are YOU on?" - Lance Armstrong

Sorry, guy here but hopefully useful.

Although the "mechanics" of seat comfort are different it is something that affect both guys and girls and if you can get past the embarrassment of talking about it you may get some help.

A good friend of mine (a seriously fit triathlete who can kick my butt any day of the week) just blurted out about a similar problem when we met up at the cycle show in London this year. Once we both stopped giggling like children and I'd evened the score by telling her about the "doo-dah nerve" issue I had previously, we got to talking over the different options.

The skeletal mechanics can vary a lot so as the other posters have said, sit bone spacing can make a big difference in additional to the more personal aspects.

Something we did find out was that most seat manufacturers have a "testing fleet" of saddles that are supplied to bike shops to try and address the "comfort" issues related to different anatomy and riding positions.

Lots of bike shops will have these saddles but may not always be so open about letting you know (not all, but some) so it may be worth looking up the distributor of something you'd like to try without buying and ask them who in your area has test models available.

On personal level as a guy, I found that the Selle Italia C2 Gel flow worked for me in that although not a tri specific saddle, it had a dip and space just where I needed. It went onto my friend's list to look up in the ladies version. She also booked a test with the Adamo which is getting really good reports from both the male and female viewpoint although you have to make sure that you set it up correctly otherwise it apparently hurts like hell.

Best of luck as no-one should suffer like that with all the modern tech that is available to us now.

Another thing I found can make a great deal of difference is the tires and the wheels. I can ride for ages on my TriArione if I'm on good rubber (Vittoria Corsa Evos/opens for example) and even longer if I'm on my carbon wheels with tubulars. But that same saddle will kill me after 2-3 hrs if I'm on my Rolf Al wheels with something like Conti 3000 rubber.

Us chicks tend to not be gearheads - I am admittedly one, I like wrenching - but I could not believe the difference in ride quality and thus the correlated taintal annoyance/pain.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Good call on the wheels and tyres. my 808's with tubs are so nice to ride on that they get far too much use and I often conveniently forget to "train heavy and race light".

My buddy Nicole who had the saddle woes is slowly becoming a gadget and goodie junkie with bits for her bike. Dumb on my part really as if I get her to take much more weight off the bike and improve the reliability she'll just woop me even more than she can already. . . . D'oh!

Yeah I have the Reynolds 66s and love them. Super smooth and waaaaay less road chatter on me taint!

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

try changing shorts too! I went through 4 saddles before I realized that it was the damn shorts that were causing me pain, seams in the wrong spot. Replaced all my shorts and I'm feeling so much better.

Agree with what the last poster said... In my previous post I mentioned less padding. I meant less padding in the bike shorts, not the seat. Most women's shorts are just overstuffed with chamois padding the size of a maxi pad. Just ridiculous.