I have been painfully shifting in my seat, reading these tales of women riding on the nose of their saddle, and men commenting, seemingly puzzled, why his wife didn't like the fizik arione. Before you, the woman cyclist, buys a saddle, it might be best to start with an anatomy lesson.
see
http://www2.merriam-webster.com/mw/art/med/pelvis.htm
Before scrolling to the bottom and reading the caption, look at these images. Take a wild guess as to which one represents the female pelvis and which one the male. Anyone can notice a marked difference here. In particular, note the difference in the width between the sit bones. (Sit bone = ischium)
Then ask yourself the question, where would you rather put your body weight-- on your sit bones, or your soft tissue? In an ideal world, someone would create a saddle that will put the appropriate amount of padding under our sit bones. (Keep in mind, this is the same Ideal World where creepy men do not hit on you on the weekly group ride).
Now ask yourself, is the space between my sit bones identical to the space between every other woman's sit bones? As you know, woman's bodies are different, largely due to bone structure, genetics, exercise and athletic background. You can lose 10 pounds, but you can't shrink your sit bone width. More importantly, you can't assume that any given saddle company will make a saddle that will fit your sit bones!
When you hear a woman raving about a saddle, don't be fooled. Unless you have the same pelvis, there is no proof that it'll work for you. Of course, some will be better and more popular than others. They will be especially popular, I have found, if they are emblazoned with a cute pink butterfly, or swirly purple flower design. Don't be fooled by the "women's specific" marketing strategies either! It's a harsh world out there, full of pink and purple and butterflies.
Men don't make it any better either. The marketing strategies for men are basically aimed to sell the lightest saddle possible. "Dude, it's less than 100 grams." "You gotta get Ti rails man." So while your husband/boyfriend/best friend/riding partner comes home thrilled with his new saddle - basically a flat piece of carbon with a thin veneer of fake leather stretched over it, do NOT listen to him when he raves about it and suggests you get one too. That's a terrible idea. Instead, ask him if he plans to get pregnant and birth a child through his pelvis.
I think the best road saddle on the market for women right now is the Specialized Ruby. Why? It comes in three widths. It is pretty light. It is not magenta. Some bike shops that carry Specialized will also have a mold- you sit on it, and it'll leave behind two impressions of where your sit bones are, and handy enough, the contraption comes with a ruler. If you are lucky enough to fit into a widthy category of 130, 143, or 155mm, you will likely be happy with a Specialized. However, there are many other saddles that work well for women out there too. I have tried many (Terry, Selle San Marco, Selle Italia, Fizik and WTB) but the Specialized Ruby and Jett come out on top every time.
And finally, if you find yourself inching up toward the nose of your saddle while in your aerobars, first try physically moving your saddle forward on its seatpost before you decide your saddle is uncomfortable. Maybe your aero fit needs some modification!
The bottom line is, be pushy. Ask to try everything. Don't settle for anything that someone else decides for you.
see
http://www2.merriam-webster.com/mw/art/med/pelvis.htm
Before scrolling to the bottom and reading the caption, look at these images. Take a wild guess as to which one represents the female pelvis and which one the male. Anyone can notice a marked difference here. In particular, note the difference in the width between the sit bones. (Sit bone = ischium)
Then ask yourself the question, where would you rather put your body weight-- on your sit bones, or your soft tissue? In an ideal world, someone would create a saddle that will put the appropriate amount of padding under our sit bones. (Keep in mind, this is the same Ideal World where creepy men do not hit on you on the weekly group ride).
Now ask yourself, is the space between my sit bones identical to the space between every other woman's sit bones? As you know, woman's bodies are different, largely due to bone structure, genetics, exercise and athletic background. You can lose 10 pounds, but you can't shrink your sit bone width. More importantly, you can't assume that any given saddle company will make a saddle that will fit your sit bones!
When you hear a woman raving about a saddle, don't be fooled. Unless you have the same pelvis, there is no proof that it'll work for you. Of course, some will be better and more popular than others. They will be especially popular, I have found, if they are emblazoned with a cute pink butterfly, or swirly purple flower design. Don't be fooled by the "women's specific" marketing strategies either! It's a harsh world out there, full of pink and purple and butterflies.
Men don't make it any better either. The marketing strategies for men are basically aimed to sell the lightest saddle possible. "Dude, it's less than 100 grams." "You gotta get Ti rails man." So while your husband/boyfriend/best friend/riding partner comes home thrilled with his new saddle - basically a flat piece of carbon with a thin veneer of fake leather stretched over it, do NOT listen to him when he raves about it and suggests you get one too. That's a terrible idea. Instead, ask him if he plans to get pregnant and birth a child through his pelvis.
I think the best road saddle on the market for women right now is the Specialized Ruby. Why? It comes in three widths. It is pretty light. It is not magenta. Some bike shops that carry Specialized will also have a mold- you sit on it, and it'll leave behind two impressions of where your sit bones are, and handy enough, the contraption comes with a ruler. If you are lucky enough to fit into a widthy category of 130, 143, or 155mm, you will likely be happy with a Specialized. However, there are many other saddles that work well for women out there too. I have tried many (Terry, Selle San Marco, Selle Italia, Fizik and WTB) but the Specialized Ruby and Jett come out on top every time.
And finally, if you find yourself inching up toward the nose of your saddle while in your aerobars, first try physically moving your saddle forward on its seatpost before you decide your saddle is uncomfortable. Maybe your aero fit needs some modification!
The bottom line is, be pushy. Ask to try everything. Don't settle for anything that someone else decides for you.