Bicycle saddles

[untonuggan]

"It has always been an idea of mine that the right saddle is to be found. I said, 'You give up that idea. This is an imperfect world, a world of joy and sorrow mingled. There may be a Better Land where bicycle saddles are made out of rainbow, stuffed with cloud. In this world, the simplest thing is to get used to something hard.'"

- Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on Wheels, 1900

quoted in The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling by Edmund R. Burke and Ed. Pavelka, 2000

 I've been having some pain in my, um, lady bits...the really important ones with all the nerve endings. My sit bones are fine with the saddle I have so far, but I think I either need to angle it down or get something different if I want to go on longer rides. (It's a stock Trek/Bontrager WSD saddle.)

FYI, I know for sure I don't want to get a wide, heavy saddle, for a variety of reasons.

So, this may be a fruitless question, but does anyone have any experience with Terry women's saddles? Thoughts?

Comments

[untonuggan]

Excellent. If I may ask, do you suggest one over the other for someone who is (1) mostly doing road/trail cycling; (2) occasionally doing off-road (like gravel tow-paths); (3) is currently riding 30-45 mins at a time but hopes to bump it up to 2+ hours; (4) currently is a "clydesdale" rider (i.e. heavier).

I don't have drops or aero bars on my bike, just the flat handlebars, but I've been considering investing in aero bars at some point if it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of long rides.

[ell]

While I am also considering a Brooks, the expense is pretty big for something that might not work. So, I'm sticking with what I've got for now. As for the difference, on my road bike, since I'm leaning forward and not sitting up, my relatively hard, flat, narrow saddle is absolutely perfect. I never get sore with it, only tired after 4 or 5 hours, the same way my feet get tired from really long runs. I would definitely go with the Terry, if I were you - BUT if at all possible, head over to the LBS and see if they can help fit you with the right width seat, etc. My partner did that and she is also on the heavier side with a touring bike with flat bars and she has a saddle that is excellent for her. It's a WSD with the channel and gel, but it's a German brand (we live there) so I'm not sure you could find that specific one. So, best advice is to try a few if at all possible. In the past I had a series of uncomfortable seats, and really started to truly enjoy cycling when I started getting saddles that fit me. Good luck!

[untonuggan]

Most of my LBS don't carry Terry saddles (which is just not cool) except for one that I don't particularly like. REI carries Terry saddles, but I think mostly just the Liberator, which (as someone pointed out below) might be too wide.

Le sigh.

Thanks for the input though. What is the German brand, by the way? The internet is a wonderful thing...

[zingerella]

I would not recommend the Liberator if your are hoping to do longer rides: the more saddle you have, the worse the chafing gets.

However, if you're keeping your rides under, say, four hours (YMMV, obvs), then the Liberator may be fine.

I'm currently riding a Damselfly, on my touring/commuting/everything bike, and loving it. I should note that I'm 5 foot 3 inches and weigh in at about 130 lbs, a lot of that below the waist, and I ride a touring bike with drop handlebars (so I'm not sitting upright on my saddle).

[untonuggan]

Well longer rides may have to wait for awhile as I'm recovering from Chronic Lyme disease. However, I prefer narrower saddles anyway to the wide/heavy/soft variety.

Currently considering either the Butterfly or the FLX Gel.

[daedala]

Wide does not have to mean soft or puffy. Definitely avoid soft, puffy saddles. But if your sitz bones are wide, you need a wide one.