Recommend a womens seat for beginners

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Phalophalot

Likes Dirt
Hi girls,

I am trying to get my wife interested in riding her bike.
Although the seat on her bike is a good quallity womens seat she complains that it is too hard and narrow and therefore shy's away from riding at all.

I do a lot of riding and can say it is the type of seat you would expect to see on a descent mtn bike but
she hasn't done much excersice after having our two children and is still of the mind set of a seat should be large wide and fluffy.

Can somebody lend a suggestion on what I could get her on that may suit someone who's back side may not be as used to sitting on the standard seat as we know it.

I have purchased her a set of nicks that should help but at the end of the day she is still complaining.

Would appreciate your thoughts.
 
cleeshoy

cleeshoy

Eats Squid
Specialized have a program where you can "test" a saddle (they have "test saddles"), where your wife can work out what is most comfortable by trying a variety of saddles without the financial commitment. Once she has figured out what fits her best, she can then buy knowing she has given it a good trial run.

re: the knicks, are they the right size, etc? Does she need chamois cream to reduce anything rubbing? Happiness is a comfy pairs of knicks and a good saddle :)
 
M

monc

Likes Dirt
+1 for Specialized test program. I think a couple of the Italian brands also do tests (Selle SMP and Selle Italia?)

It's really important to work out the correct width of the saddle to match her sit bones, and wider is not always better. If it's too wide, it gets more difficult to move around, i.e. getting back on it after being behind it on a descent.

Specialized dealers usually have a measuring pad made out of memory foam that you sit on to work this out, and then you can chose from the range of saddles, and they should be able to give you some tips on saddle angle (flat is usually a good starting point).

Don't go too squishy either - this will cause all sorts of chafing issues on longer rides. If it's the right width and she's sitting in the correct way it shouldn't need to be really soft, although it may take a few regular rides to get used to. This goes for knicks too - I generally find thinner chamois to be more comfortable than thicker ones, as they don't bunch as much or hold as much sweat.

Saddles with cut-outs work for some people but not others.
 
L

Liberty555

Likes Bikes
Saddle recommendation

Hi folks,

I know saddle recommendations are fraught with issues and as one riding friend said "one persons perch is another's ar$e hatchet" but one saddle which I have and share with my finer half seems to suit us both. She is a lightweight race whippet and I'm a Clydesdale but still suits us both...

Its the Charge Scoop saddle. Its cheap, very comfortable, durable and attractive. Light weight too. Can't fault it at all.

I've tried about 6 saddles over the last 3 years and its far and away the most comfortable and costs about 1/5th of a stupidly expensive Fizik I bought out of desperation and wish I didn't.

The Charge Spoon is also a popular choice but for my the Scoop is the winner.

For the price you really can't go wrong.
 
Cypher

Cypher

Likes Dirt
Having had two children myself (and associated birth injuries) I can understand some of the problems! For a while no seat was comfortable. I have found (after 20 years of riding) that it is not so much the seat as getting used to sitting on a bike seat - aka breaking your bum in. Within reason of course (some seats are truely terrible!). I would suggest that if your wife is really interested that she see a women's physiotherapist or gyno because if she is having troubles sitting on a bike seat, there are probably some other issues as well. After that it is just time on the bike

My second thought is that the old "seat hurts" chestnut is just a polite way of saying "I'm just not that into riding but I don't want to hurt your feelings".

I have seen many guys trying to get their girlfriends or wives to ride with them - to no success. You need to ask you and her if that is what she really wants to do (you can lead a horse to water...) No one really appreciates doing something that they're not that into.

Do a venn diagram: figure out the sports/exercises you like and what she likes and do the overlap. You and your wife will be much happier
 
pharmaboy

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Cypher said:
Having had two children myself (and associated birth injuries) I can understand some of the problems! For a while no seat was comfortable. I have found (after 20 years of riding) that it is not so much the seat as getting used to sitting on a bike seat - aka breaking your bum in. Within reason of course (some seats are truely terrible!). I would suggest that if your wife is really interested that she see a women's physiotherapist or gyno because if she is having troubles sitting on a bike seat, there are probably some other issues as well. After that it is just time on the bike

My second thought is that the old "seat hurts" chestnut is just a polite way of saying "I'm just not that into riding but I don't want to hurt your feelings".

I have seen many guys trying to get their girlfriends or wives to ride with them - to no success. You need to ask you and her if that is what she really wants to do (you can lead a horse to water...) No one really appreciates doing something that they're not that into.

Do a venn diagram: figure out the sports/exercises you like and what she likes and do the overlap. You and your wife will be much happier
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, but Cypher has the whole issue worked out - any of the above.

If you do need a seat to change the confidence, then Terry saddles for women seem to get the tick of approval from occasional female riders. But make sure if you go through that process that you lower her expectations to comfort and definately don't allow her to ride for an hour for the first time - the discomfort will be remembered. 10 minute 15 minute rides, slowly increasing over a few weeks so her butt gets used to cycling.

A seat can help, but mostly it's in a psychological way ( which is equally important).
 
S

safire

Likes Dirt
If she really is keen to give riding a go then its definitely worth getting her sit bones measured on the specialized ass-o-meter. I have had the displeasure of trying a saddle that was a tad too narrow and my sit bones were right near the edge. It got painful very quickly. However, I ended up buying the wider version of the exact same saddle and its been happy days ever since.

I like some of the specailized saddles, the bontrager ones look like they'd be good too. I prefer something that is quite flat in profile with a good womens shaped cut-out down the centre. Saddle angle flat or even tilted down the tiniest amount. All that said, its still a matter of your bum getting used to being on a bike most of all.
 
A

Asterope

Likes Dirt
I'm with Cypher and Pharmaboy here - you could buy the cushiest, fluffiest, squishiest couch of a saddle for you wife and have it fitted to the bike but if she is not used to sitting on a bike saddle for any length of time, it's still going to hurt. Only time in the saddle and developing the butt callous fixes that!

Though the first sentence of your post is really telling:
I am trying to get my wife interested in riding her bike.
Click to expand...
This makes me think she really isn't that interested in riding her bike :(

If it's a case of you wanting to get out into the bush, back to nature and doing something together with the kids - hiking is always good!
 
redbruce

redbruce

Eats Squid
Liberty555 said:
Hi folks,

I know saddle recommendations are fraught with issues and as one riding friend said "one persons perch is another's ar$e hatchet" but one saddle which I have and share with my finer half seems to suit us both. She is a lightweight race whippet and I'm a Clydesdale but still suits us both...

Its the Charge Scoop saddle. Its cheap, very comfortable, durable and attractive. Light weight too. Can't fault it at all.

I've tried about 6 saddles over the last 3 years and its far and away the most comfortable and costs about 1/5th of a stupidly expensive Fizik I bought out of desperation and wish I didn't.

The Charge Spoon is also a popular choice but for my the Scoop is the winner.

For the price you really can't go wrong.
Click to expand...
Charge Ladle is the womens version of the Spoon. A bit shorter, a bit wider, different foam padding.
 
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