Search this forum for saddles and you will find many threads with suitable choices. There are about six top saddles, but you ought to find a LBS that will allow you to try them before you buy them.

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DFL > DNF > DNS

There're some online sites that will help you learn more about saddles or even demo programs. Feel free to e-mail me at jcATracewheelrentalDOTcom. I don't know if I can share those sites on a forum and I certainly don't want to cause trouble.

JC

I have tried Specialized Jett and wasn't too impressed. Back on a men's saddle now.

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Tracy M. De Soto
Femme Designer/CFO/Attorney
De Soto Sport

what is the sell san marco saddle you love? I ride a specialized JETT (it comes in three different sizes based on your sit bones) and I like it on my road bike, but not that great on my tri bike. It's a flexible saddle and works "enough" to get by - probably because I am hesitant to keep trying new saddles and the sores that come along with it. I wouldn't mind soreness in the pubic bone, etc. I'm talking folliculitis that is KILLING me. I wish my legs got tired before my "area" started hurting. If you have a saddle you love for triathlon and aero position - please share. Thanks. oh, i have people that swear by FIZIK but I didn't have the best luck with it. Again, road bike set up is ok but not on a tri bike for a few hours in the aero position.

I've tried quite a few saddles over the past year. I love my new Selle SMP Stratos. Very comfortable on longer rides.

that's the one i'm after right now - my specialized velo pronto sl-wz1 is ok, and tolerable now that i've actually got it straight on the bike (was a little twisted to the left for awhile and causing some major issues that nearly had me running to a doc), but i think the stratos may spell the end of my junk problems. too bad i won't be able to afford it until the fall, at least..

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

Yep - it's pricey, but I can tell you it IS definitely worth it!
I had to take 2 months off riding because I developed an infected lymph node from perineal congestion from long rides. No probs now.

i really appreciate your feedback on this - it's a ton of bucks to lay out (even on ebay), i haven't been able to find any of the SMP strike saddles at an LBS to even try out in-store, and you're the first female from whom i've heard a review! the guys love them (except for a very small percentage), but they tend to have different issues with saddlery.

thanks a bunch! :)

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

After trying the Adamo saddle for the second time in two years, I have become a convert.

I am considerably more bike-fit than the first time I sat on it. The wide space in the center relieves soft tissue pain and transfers it to the pubic bone region.

However, I had to spend a loooonnnnngggggg time on a bike getting to this point.

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DFL > DNF > DNS

I've been going through saddle options myself. I rode on an Adamo Race for nearly a year before I grew tired of the infected "something or other" on the right side of my sit bones (sort of where your underwear seem would lay). I think I may be another one of those folks for whom the Adamo is a bit too wide.

I was able to test-ride a SMP Pro at my amazing LBS and enjoyed the ride a bit better than the Adamo, but not enough to purchase one at the time. I may test ride this saddle again once everything is completely healed up "down there".

My most recent test drive was the new Selle San Marco Mantra. I had really high hopes for this saddle. The cut out seemed large enough and it looked more like a traditional saddle (the whole aesthetics thing), but this saddle really did some damage down below (same sort of issues that I have with the Adamo only more severe and on BOTH sides on my crotch). I also still felt pressure on the soft tissues up front which tells me that I need a completely open saddle (like the SMP or the Adamo). After 3 rides on the Mantra, I have decided that it's time to get rid of it.

The search continues... and in the meantime, I'm still riding the Adamo.

In case you think of it, do not go for a Terry Butterfly Tri Gel. You just defined my issues PERFECTLY. I also might recommend against the lower-end Fizik the comes stock (or used to) on the QRs.

SIGH...I think this is only becoming a more expensive endeavor as more people point towards the SMPs. I need something narrower than the Terry, but with enough cush and apparently a cutout for the "stuff" to breathe and rest.

Has anyone tried Cobb's saddles?

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AW

i have a bontrager inform rl wsd and it is nice. i always thought i had to have a cut-out, but this saddle has a nice depression so no pressure there. It also comes in 3 different sizes. I have the 155. I have wide sits bones. i used to ride the adamo ism and could feel them hanging off the edge, but the girly bits didn't hurt so i figured it was a good trade off but once i started doing 4+hr rides i couldn't take it anymore. so i went through several saddles last year before lp and ended up with the selle smp trk on my bike a week before the race and it worked out ok. rode on that for a little while more and then decided it was too soft.

i really like the saddle i have now, but it is not "the one", so i am going to try some others. if you do go to a trek store or buy online they have a 90 day guarantee so if don't like it you can return it.

i would recommend going to a trek store on one who sells specialized and finding out what size saddle you need- it will save you lots of time when trying to find the right saddle.

I had/have the exact same troubles. Tried the adamo for a year and things got worse down there, just like you described, 'infected' something - i think it's lymph nodes that are congested from lack of drainage due to the pressure. Anyways, the Adamo was good for short rides, but anything longer than 2 hours, I had the congestion and 'bumps'. The Selle seems to be doing the trick. My bike dealership fitted the new saddle and the pressure has shifted and it is much more comfortable. I agree that the nose ends of the Adamo are just a bit too wide. I'll let everyone know by the end of the summer how my new Selle works.

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******************
"it's also a personal choice to remain ignorant" - Slowman

Whoops - apparently I was accidentally logged in as my husband!

The Selle I'm using is the Stratos.

You might try an ISM saddle.

http://www.ismseat.com/

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

Hope there's some engineering and marketing people paying attention... three threads on saddles in the top five of "The Womans".

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Jay

Ordered in one of the Bontrager RL saddles...should get in next week or something...will let you know how it goes...

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AW

I hope so as well, as a rider and as a doc. it's a real issue with the different pelvic geometry.

Hey Ladies, I need your help. I'm trying to order a new saddle no later than this weekend & I just cannot decide... I have narrowed down my saddle options to the following 2 (-3) saddles and need input from people who may already have them.

For those that do have them, I have 2 questions: Do you use them on both your Road & Tri bikes? If both, do you still have any pressure / numbness / chafing issues with them on either bike (& did changing the seat position between 1 bike & the other fix that)?

1. Selle Italia SLK Lady Gel Flow
2. Specialized Jett
(3. One of the Selle SMP series, if the first 2 prove not to have enough of a cut-out)

general reply, not specifically addressing your question:

i just spotted yesterday that http://www.theprosstuff.com has selle SMP saddles available for demo for $20 each. the stratos (which is the one i'd like to try) was out on demo when i checked yesterday, and i didn't look at the others, but it might be worth a shot for those considering dropping the bucks on an SMP sight unseen.

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

I just got a Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow for my tri bike (about three weeks ago), and so far it's been good to very good. I first had to recover from the horrible, horrible seat that came with my bike, but once that healed I've been good to go. I've done 5+ hour rides on it with no problem. I sometimes have a little bit of tenderness the rest of the day after a ride, but nothing too terrible or unusual. I have a friend who has the same saddle on her road bike and loves it.

This is the saddle that I got: http://www.qbike.com/...el-Flow-Saddle.shtml

Thanks so much, Ladies.

I ended up with the new 2009 version of the Specialized BG Jett. For some reason, when I got sized up at a couple of NYC LBSs, they all were sure that the best saddle size for me would actually be the 130 (the narrowest of the 3 size options) and not a single one had the SLK, so I just went for it.

I've been out on the Jett for 2 long-ish, hilly rides in the 5 days I've had it & I'm definitely still adjusting. I think this is just because I can actually feel my sit bones for the first time. (I had a Selle San Marco Ischia that came stock with my road bike before, so it was uber-padded, but had no cut-out and I think that is definitely why I was suffering so much.) Anywho, I don't seem to have any residual soreness after the rides, so I guess I just need to get used to it, right? The real test will be a 112ish -mile bike ride I'm doing this weekend (also on the road bike)... I'll try to update this post afterwards & again when I try it out with my Tri bike for the first time or 2.

PS - NYCLauren: I looked at the Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow that looks like a lighter race model of the Diva one you got (but couldn't find any places that carried it anymore). Can you keep me posted on how the Diva works out for your tri bike in case I end up unhappy with/ offloading the Jett? Thanks in advance!

I'll let you know how it goes TriChickLoveRun. Weirdly, after all that raving about the saddle yesterday, I got a little sore from my morning ride. Overall though, it's been great. I have a bunch of long rides and bricks leading up to Timberman in the next couple of weeks, so I'll keep you posted.

Just in case you do want a Selle and are having trouble finding one (and you live in NYC as I am guessing you do by your reference to NYC LBSes), I got mine at Strictly Bicycles (the shop that's in Jersey right over the GW Bridge). If they don't have it in stock, they might be able to order it for you since they carry the Selles. Nelson, the owner, has been very accomodating with me throughout my bike buying process.

Hey all,

Just thought I'd let you know how I'm feeling about the Diva saddle now that I have a few more long rides under my belt. The verdict is that it's OK (and better than my old saddle by far) but not great. I get no butt pain at all, but on the longer rides it can start to be unkind to my lady parts. It's not so bad that I feel that I have to take breaks while I ride or find myself walking funny later in the day - it's more just a noticeable discomfort on any ride longer than an hour and a half. I do feel that it's more comfortable with tri shorts or bike shorts with thin padding than with the very thickly-padded shorts. So if you find something that you absolutely love, let me know! Once I'm over the sticker shock of this saddle, I may try to experiment with another one.