I’ve been converting my old Meta5 into something my OH can use, and so far she’s been loving it. Her only grip is the saddle. I won’t go into details but suffice to say that going from a very XC type wedge to something a bit more ‘everyday’ has helped massively but the best thing to do would be to buy something women specific. I’m struggling to find good options so does anyone have any suggestions (with regard to what saddle to buy, that is).

My eldest daughter has been getting on well with the Charge Ladle & that doesn’t break the bank either.

selle italia gel flow diva.

put one on the mrs’ bike and she loves it.

Another Diva here.

Get yourself along to a Specialized Dealership. They do a range of different width BG women’s specific saddles, and will be able to measure up and show you which ones best. Not cheap, but if you’re going to skimp on anything, the saddle isn’t it!

My better half never moans about her BG saddle. And that’s all you can ask for really

My better half never moans about her BG saddle

Surely BinBins, having the pleasure of being in that state of constant contented bliss that comes from her enviable position as your other half, she never has cause to moan about anything?

is there a way of measuring the bummocks for one of the Specialized saddles without visiting a store (we don’t live conveniently close to one)?

Its a good point, well put. When your life is an oasis of blissful satisfaction, any saddle will feel like sitting on clouds 😀

is there a way of measuring the bummocks for one of the Specialized saddles without visiting a store

apparently so….

Another (proxy) vote for Charge Ladle here, my other half now has three, she likes them so much. She also likes the WTB Speed She, sometimes available cheap from CRC. She has tried a bike with that Selle Italia gel flow Diva and finds it ok, but not her favourite.

The measuring things isn’t working for us (tried a camping mat and a laptop sleeve) but it has left the kids asking some questions.

Have the kids nothing you can improvise with?

😀

YES!

Saddles are a really personal thing and what suits one won’t suit another. I really didn’t get on with the spesh BG saddles and that’s a lot of money wasted, I do however have a charge ladle which is cheap and great.

My favourite though is the WTB Deva, got 2 and love them to bits…to the point that one is disintegrating after much wet weather MTB abuse. They are a bit race though (not very padded but very supportive).

I’d go with the ladle if I were you, cheap, comfy and recommended by many!

I use a Specialized Ariel saddle which is really good (so good in fact I have one on all my bikes!) – they come in 3 different widths depending on your sit bones…. Hence the need to go and be measured!

(Unless you’re me, in which case I went for the medium (143) size as the others looked too narrow / fat and I didn’t want my bum measured by a 16 year old) 😉

I have medium and small ones of these sat in my garage waiting to sell. They’re as new. Nice saddles, just didn’t get on with them.

Bonty have measuring system as Spesh do. If you can cope with going into Evans they stock them so should have the bum-measuring-thingy.
Email in profile if you’re interested.

according to my missus there is only one make of saddle worthy of being sat apon. Selle italia. She says she would pay several hundred pounds for the last one in existence.

Another Selle Italia user here – on 3 of my bikes. However, different saddles/brands suit people in different ways, does she have any female riding friends she can borrow one from to try out. Also, good undershorts – I prefer Gore, not cheap but comfy and long lasting.

My OH had a WTB Speed She.. and hated it..

we did the memory foam pillow / bit of foil trick and measured her sit bones and ended up ordering a charge ladle..

which she says is brilliant!

managed to pick up a rockshox suspension seatpost pretty cheap too which has helped as well..

Another vote for the Spesh BG saddles. I measured myself by sitting on a bit of tin foil, which leaves dents that you can then measure. It’s not pretty or dignified, but it works!

Tin foil? Really? We might as well add that to the list of things to try. The better half is liking the look of the Specialized Ariel. She’s new to biking and suggested that womens saddles needed a bit cut out of the middle – when she saw the specialized had just that, it was ‘the one’. Plus I had a mans Specialized BG saddle some years ago and it was fantastic.

I put the tin foil on the stairs and sat down in a roughly bike-riding position, then got up carefully without moving the foil. It’s not very scientific, but it seemed to work.

The better half is liking the look of the Specialized Ariel. She’s new to biking and suggested that womens saddles needed a bit cut out of the middle – when she saw the specialized had just that, it was ‘the one’.

The cut out bits do make a difference. I won’t go into details, but I spend a lot of time on my bike so trust me on this one 😯

I have a cheap selle italia that might be good for sale, if you’re interested my email is in my profile.

I have a Specialized Ariel and it’s much more comfortable than the one my MTB came with. Slight downside is that taking the pressure off the “front bits” puts a bit more on my sit bones, which sometimes gives me a saddle sore, especially if the conditions are really wet and my shorts get damp. I’d rather put up with an occasional saddle sore on my sit bones than drawing blood at the front end. Ouch!!

This thread just goes to show how individual saddles really are, amongst the fairer sex too

Put one of those Gel Flow Selle Italia Diva saddles on my GF’s bike. She hated it with a passion! Was too wide for her and rubbed her up badly. The much narrower men’s saddle that came on her bike suits her better. She does have a particularly narrow bum though to be fair, which will make a big difference. She looked at the Charge Ladle and exclaimed “no way, that’s still too fat”… Gonna try her on one of my 143mm wide Specialized Phenom’s to see if that suits her a bit better. I’ve also been recommended the Fizik Vitesse for slimmer ladies that don’t need such a wide saddle, though my GF has yet to try one.

Another Selle Italia vote, i also have a tri specific Fizik which is about £100 worth but I much prefer the Selle Italia’s I would spend £80 on one for each bike as they are so worth it IMO.

The 3 saddles I use are entirely different, however I prefer models by specialized.
Get her measured on the ‘aresometer’, most good mtbing shops will have one. Or try out a couple from friends.

Really personal choice but I didn’t get on with my ladle really, especially on technical trails where I found it too wide to get off the back of the bike unless the seatpost was dropped. I have finally discovered that the key to comfort for me is a decent cut-out, especially on the road bike. My fave saddle is a spesh ariel equivalent that came with my stumpy, and the OH has bought me a Ruby for Christmas which I’m looking forward to trying.

Another vote for the measuring device and a saddle to suit. My OH has a spesh jett test saddle (yes she bought the test saddle after the test ride). Came from biketreks in Ambleside. They let you borrow one to test.

jo_h, without getting too personal, roughly what size are you? My GF is quite tall (about 5ft 9) and quite slim, and pretty narrow hips for a girl. Just been looking at the Spesh range of ladies saddles this afternoon, wondering if one might suit her better…

WTB also has female specific saddles as well as a test ride program. If there is a WTB dealer near you, they might be worth a look as well.

Edit – and I thought the tinfoil was for hats. 😳 I’ve been wearing it on my head all this time when it should have been on my butt! 🙁

Size 8, 5’4″. i’d like to describe myself as slim and athletic but skinny might be closer to the mark! If you’re anywhere near Preston mBoy your gf is welcome to borrow a ladle, an ariel, or the other one that’s on my road bike but can’t remember the make of!

Benefit of spesh saddles is the different width fittings, but mine are all 143mm despite me being fairly small (most bg ones come in 130, 143 and 155mm widths iirc).

Was too wide for her and rubbed her up badly.

Snigger…

My little lady uses a WTB Rocket V on road and MTB.