General Cycling Discussion - Why are womens saddles shorter than mens?

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margoC
10-09-06, 08:46 PM
I have a brooks finese saddle (for women) and just got a B17 for my other bike, not the one for women. The womens one is shorter. All womens saddles are shorter which makes me wonder cause I would think men would have more "junk" to bang into a saddle nose with and want a shorter saddle. I think the longer brooks I got should be more comfortable once I break it in because the nose of the brooks has that hard metal piece and it will be further away from my sensative areas.

I am just wondering if I should have gotten the womens B17 (the finese now only comes with titaniam rails and is prohibatively expensive) instead of the regular model. I've always wondered about why mens saddles are longer and it seemed like a good time to pose the question.

Nermal
10-09-06, 10:04 PM
The most common theory is that the short horn is better adapted to the wearing of skirts - as if I'd seen this in the past decade or more. In other words, tradition.
damnable
10-10-06, 12:28 AM
Hmm, there are many different womens saddles around that I have seen, a lot looking very different from each other. The only general difference I have notived is that they tend to be wider as the back, because of the wider hips women have. Sometimes they may even look shorter when they are really just wider.

Let your butt decide.

8bit
10-10-06, 10:05 AM
I agree that the shortness is probably akin to the lady's bike, adapted to the use of skirts. I prefer the longer saddles, anyway.
margoC
10-10-06, 01:18 PM
I'm hoping the longer B17 will enable me to adjust my postion on the bike if I want. As long as it's as comfortable as my finesse I will be happy, I went on a 35 mile ride today, the longest in months, and it was like a chariotte! I wore shorts instead of my "riding skirt" :o I would have gotten another finesse if the price was reasonable but I don't really need the titanium rails.
stapfam
10-10-06, 01:33 PM
I'm hoping the longer B17 will enable me to adjust my postion on the bike if I want. As long as it's as comfortable as my finesse I will be happy, I went on a 35 mile ride today, the longest in months, and it was like a chariotte! I wore shorts instead of my "riding skirt" :o I would have gotten another finesse if the price was reasonable but I don't really need the titanium rails.

Those titanium rails add to comfort- They flex abit more so it is not just a "Bling" thing. I ride a variety of bikes and I cannot ride a wide saddle. Chaffing between the legs is the problem if it is too wide- EXCEPT for on the Tandem- you sit down more on these things. I actually use a Selle Italia Trans Am saddle- The womens version. Nose is a bit shorter but no wider than a mans saddle but that extra width at the rear of the sadlle does give me a bit of comfort.