Girly Saddles

[Danny Colyer]

Catherine fancies trying a different saddle. I'm reluctant to ask for
recommendations or to look up reviews, because saddle choice is so
personal. But I remember reading about a shop that ran a mail order
saddle club. They'd send a saddle, the customer could try it for a week
or two and then either send it back and get another one to try, or buy it.

Does anyone know who it was? I've a feeling that it was Swallow
Tandems, and ISTR they went out of business a few years ago.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Mark Thompson]

> Catherine

Catherine?

<snippity>

> Does anyone know who it was? I've a feeling that it was Swallow
> Tandems, and ISTR they went out of business a few years ago.

D'oh.

There's another shop/chain of shops that's still in business and has a
special **** measuring machine that works out what size saddle will be
best. Can't remember what its name is, but it sounds like a good idea.
Anyone know?

 

[Pete Biggs]

Danny Colyer wrote:
> Catherine fancies trying a different saddle. I'm reluctant to ask for
> recommendations or to look up reviews, because saddle choice is so
> personal. But I remember reading about a shop that ran a mail order
> saddle club. They'd send a saddle, the customer could try it for a
> week or two and then either send it back and get another one to try,
> or buy it.
>
> Does anyone know who it was? I've a feeling that it was Swallow
> Tandems, and ISTR they went out of business a few years ago.

Gearshift (formerly Freewheel) used to offer something similar, sending
out boxes of various saddles, but sadly discontinued the service when it
became too popular. Hopefully this is /not/ the shop you're thinking of.

~PB

 

[Steve W]

"Orbit or Gearshift used to offer such a service.

SW


>
> Does anyone know who it was? I've a feeling that it was Swallow
> Tandems, and ISTR they went out of business a few years ago.
>
> --
> Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
> <URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
> "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Brian G]

Mark Thompson wrote:
>
> There's another shop/chain of shops that's still in business and has a
> special **** measuring machine that works out what size saddle will be
> best. Can't remember what its name is, but it sounds like a good idea.
> Anyone know?

Any main Specialized retailer will have their system for locating the
"sit bones" accurately to help with saddle choice.
--
Brian G

 

[davek]

Mark Thompson wrote:
> special **** measuring machine

<wipes coffee off monitor>

I've got to see this.

d.

 

[Velvet]

Danny Colyer wrote:
> Catherine fancies trying a different saddle. I'm reluctant to ask for
> recommendations or to look up reviews, because saddle choice is so
> personal. But I remember reading about a shop that ran a mail order
> saddle club. They'd send a saddle, the customer could try it for a week
> or two and then either send it back and get another one to try, or buy it.
>
> Does anyone know who it was? I've a feeling that it was Swallow
> Tandems, and ISTR they went out of business a few years ago.
>

There's one that does it, but I'm not 100% sure who. It might have been
the CTC shop, or (if this wasn't the pre-evans CTC shop) gearwheel?
gearshift?

Have a google, it's come up in the past on here, and I know I posted the
info on who it was who ran the scheme the last time around.

--


Velvet

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Mark
Thompson ('[email protected]') wrote:

>> Catherine
>
> Catherine?
>
> <snippity>
>
>> Does anyone know who it was? I've a feeling that it was Swallow
>> Tandems, and ISTR they went out of business a few years ago.
>
> D'oh.
>
> There's another shop/chain of shops that's still in business and has a
> special **** measuring machine that works out what size saddle will be
> best.

It's not a chain of shops, it's a saddle manufacturer, and it's
Specialized. All Specialized dealers should now have the ****-measuring
pad (it has a fancier name). I've had my **** measured but I've
forgotten what the measurement was - all my saddles fit me anyway.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Iraq war: it's time for regime change...
... go now, Tony, while you can still go with dignity.
[update 18 months after this .sig was written: it's still relevant]

 

[David Hansen]

On 12 Apr 2005 01:34:36 -0700 someone who may be "davek"
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>> special **** measuring machine
>
>I've got to see this.

I'm sure male hands can do just as good a job as any machine


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[Danny Colyer]

Velvet wrote:
> Have a google, it's come up in the past on here, and I know I posted the
> info on who it was who ran the scheme the last time around.

I tried Googling before, but couldn't seem to come up with the right
combination of search words to narrow it down. Knowing the author to
look for helped - you're right, it was Gearshift.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. If Pete says that Gearshift have
discontinued the service then he's probably right, but I'll check
Gearshift and Orbit anyway.

The **** measuring machine sounds interesting. The triathlon shop in
Bath sells a lot of Specialized kit, so they might have one.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Velvet]

Danny Colyer wrote:
> Velvet wrote:
>
>> Have a google, it's come up in the past on here, and I know I posted
>> the info on who it was who ran the scheme the last time around.
>
>
> I tried Googling before, but couldn't seem to come up with the right
> combination of search words to narrow it down. Knowing the author to
> look for helped - you're right, it was Gearshift.
>
> Thanks for the replies, everyone. If Pete says that Gearshift have
> discontinued the service then he's probably right, but I'll check
> Gearshift and Orbit anyway.
>
> The **** measuring machine sounds interesting. The triathlon shop in
> Bath sells a lot of Specialized kit, so they might have one.
>

If they don't, then you could try to get a rough idea using something
like a layer of bluetak, with clingfilm over the top to protect clothes,
on a board or something. If not that, then anything that will retain a
dent! I've a feeling a sheet of paper over a cushion might also have
been a suggested method of measuring bottoms

If you get her to sit on it (and she's not *too* well padded) with a
little gentle wiggling you may find it'll show up the position of the
sit-bones, and make it easy to tape-measure them to check against other
saddles.

I can recommend the oktavia ldy - I think it's a selle italia but could
be wrong. It's narrow, which matches my (surprisingly) narrow sitbones,
and fairly hard, but for all that it's really comfortable.

If she has a saddle that she's used for a bit already, have a look at
that, too. You may find it has little dips in it where her sit bones
rest, to give you some idea of sizing.

IMO most women specific saddles are, for the most part, overstuffed
oversized bits of spongy ****, but everyone's posterior is different. I
was very surprised to find my preference was the harder narrower sort
that'll pass for a bloke's saddle with a quick glance.


--


Velvet