Have a word @tjagain. Have you actually tried that? Surely it would put the saddle in such an uncomfortable position as to be unrideable. I know that having my saddle tipped forward just slides me forward, it doesn't make me balance on my sit bones more!
No I haven't tried it. I'm a bloke and I agree with you for me - however thats what cured the issue for Mrs TJ. Saddle right forward and nose slightly down. Mens and womens bits a pelvises are different shapes. I know other women thats worked for.
My wife will now only ride a bike that has a selle italia diva fitted. Same complaints as the op and completely fixed now. She has a bought a spare to keep in stock just in case they stop making them!
If anyone fancies doing a swap, please send me a message.
We've got a Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow saddle that hasn't been a success for MrsB. Would consider a swap for one of the saddles mentioned in this thread as having been successful for some.
Hi @Kip I occasionally get asked for nose down on our hire bike saddles by our female clients, some weird chaps also ask for nose up! It's a rare request though only once or twice a year for the last 10.
I bought my other half a Zefal saddle (wasn't expensive) with a long cutout. She won't ride a bike without it now!
https://www.amazon.com/Zefal-5628-Journey-Seat/dp/B00FN4N9EC
The closest I can find to it (looks better quality) is this BBB saddle https://bbbcycling.com/uk_en/bsd-13-multidensity
Well @tjagain and @sandwich you live and learn. I have short arms and a tilted forward saddle slides me forward and places all my weight on my hands and wrists. However I am a shorty with a wrecked neck so my bars are pretty much level with my seat anyway regardless of the bike I ride.
As far as I've found over the years, it's the cutout that makes the difference. If it's a full one like the Spesh then it's way better than a covered one like the Charge.
If @40mpg is local to Devon then their lady is welcome to try a variety of the ones I have on my bikes.
We went through this process, bought loads of saddles and nothing felt comfortable for my wife. In the end, I saw a rather substantial muddy fox saddle on sale for not much so tried that and it’s been perfect, day long rides with no real issues. It’s like sitting on an arm chair 🙂
My daughter (7 yo) was having similar issues, getting very sore, often accompanied by bleeding. All the usual high quality kids brands didn’t help at all, in the end I got her a Royal Gel from Selle Royal. From the moment it was fitted, soreness has not been mentioned again, and she does about 35 miles a week on the trails, sometimes a fair bit more.
Note she’s a very occasional cyclist so has the saddle too low so she can put her feet down, takes all her weight through the saddle rather than through the legs on bumps etc – I know but she’s not going to do what I suggest!
The trouble is she’s not going to progress and gain confidence to get a better position or be more confident without riding more, and won’t ride more because of discomfort.
Few of us take instruction from partners well - but it sounds like a coaching session or two (perhaps with a female coach?) would make quite a difference - and if they are used to dealing with beginners will probably help her set up the bike too. Even just the confidence to lift the weight off whilst riding for a minute makes a bad saddle bearable (keep in mind that if she’s knackered keeping up with you, that just having the energy to standup on the peddles is exhausting!).
Pain comes in different forms: You said she has padded shorts - she doesn’t wear pants under them does she? It appears to me women are more inclined to - and I think that is counter productive. Similarly I think many treat chamois cream like foundation rather than butter icing! There was some research that BC women’s team did which was suggesting that hair removal may be bad for protection/comfort.
https://www.philburtinnovation.co.uk/saddle-health-assessment/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI_g8N3Ll_E
Actual woman here, who does a reasonable amount of both MTB and road biking 😊
I find the Specialized women-specific saddles really suit me, plus decent padded shorts and pointing the nose of the saddle down. By “pointing down”, I mean slightly off horizontal, not a massive slope. Whenever I’ve had a go on a man’s bike I feel like the saddle is sloping backwards. Saddle position often needs to be significantly different for a woman.
If it’s a particularly long ride, then I wear two pairs of padded shorts!
Plus, getting a professional bike fit is well worth it.
