I've got a Bontrager gel seat and a Planet Bike "'anatomically correct" women's seat with the cut out in the middle. Neither one is what I would call comfortable. Has anyone found a truly comfortable seat? I plan on doing some moderate touring (40 mi/day for 4-5 days) and I can't imagine spending more than an hour or two on either one of the seats I have. Ideally, I'd be looking for something that is about 8" in the back, and has very generous cut outs, is very well padded, but doesn't weight a ton. Does such a thing exist?
I've got a Bontrager gel seat and a Planet Bike "'anatomically correct" women's seat with the cut out in the middle. Neither one is what I would call comfortable. Has anyone found a truly comfortable seat? I plan on doing some moderate touring (40 mi/day for 4-5 days) and I can't imagine spending more than an hour or two on either one of the seats I have. Ideally, I'd be looking for something that is about 8" in the back, and has very generous cut outs, is very well padded, but doesn't weight a ton. Does such a thing exist?
Thanks Maria
I tried about 4 different seats, and found the Selle Italia Lady Gel to be the most comfortable. It does not have a cut out. The seats with cut outs were painful for me.
I've got a Bontrager gel seat and a Planet Bike "'anatomically correct" women's seat with the cut out in the middle. Neither one is what I would call comfortable. Has anyone found a truly comfortable seat? I plan on doing some moderate touring (40 mi/day for 4-5 days) and I can't imagine spending more than an hour or two on either one of the seats I have. Ideally, I'd be looking for something that is about 8" in the back, and has very generous cut outs, is very well padded, but doesn't weight a ton. Does such a thing exist?
I bought myself a women's-specific saddle a couple of years ago and never got comfortable on it. I wasn't riding that many miles a week at the time so never bothered to change it. I've recently bought a new bike (Giant SCR1) which came with a Selle Royal Viper saddle. As it's a bike designed for guys I assumed I would have to change the saddle but in fact it's incredibly comfortable. I'm doing a lot more miles these days and have no complaints about the saddle.
I ride a Specialized Milano, which is a men's saddle - I used to have a Selle Italia Lady Gel but I found that as it got older, my bits were sinking into the gel and getting squished resulting in some very uncomfortable numbness.
Unfortunately saddles are a very individual thing and one person's lounge chair is another's torture rack.
Several years ago, I was having a great deal of difficulty finding a saddle I could ride on for more than a few miles. It was becoming the limiting factor in my riding. At that time, a friend let me borrow his Litespeed Ultimate while he was out of the country. He had a Selle Italia Trans Am mounted on it. I got on the saddle, made a few adjustments for saddle height, and found my solution. Thirty miles later, I knew I had found the saddle for me. This saddle is a men's saddle and has a cutout. It was so comfortable that I have given no thought to saddles since. I began a search to find several Trans Ams and I put them on all of my bikes (mountain, second road bike, couple of classic older bikes, etc.). I dread the day when I wear my current saddles out and need to replace them. I recently bought a used Trans Am with a tear in the surface on eBay. That's how much I like the saddle. I wanted insurance, even though the saddle wasn't in particularly good shape. I never would have discovered my "perfect" saddle had I not tried a bunch of them. You may be able to find your own perfect saddle but don't assume that what works for somebody else will work for you. Take every opportunity to try different saddles. You may have the same kind of luck that I had.
