Classic & Vintage - "C&V Appropriate" Saddle For Women?

What are some saddles suitable for women that would look right on a C&V bicycle, in this case my daughter's UO8?

The VO "Swallow" copy is uncomfortable for her, ahem, private bits. We've tried adjusting it nose-down and fore-and-aft. Now people are telling me it was silly to buy a narrow saddle for a girl. Well, what did I know. It was used and only $50, I'll use it on another bike someday.

I know nothing about women's saddles. I see that Terry makes saddles specifically for women with a 30 day refund/exchange policy, so that's possible, but they hardly look C or V, and most would cost more than I paid for the bike.

(Not that I don't expect to double or triple my initial outlay on daughter-san's around-town bike, by the time we add fenders, lights, bell, rack, seat, tires, etc. I'm just hoping to not quadruple it. This bike will be U-locked and left unattended all day at school etc . . . )

What saddles do you suggest we try? Ideally on the economical side, or a costlier piece that I might find used, let's say under $100?

Possibly the Colt (http://www.brooksengland.com/catalogue-and-shop/saddles/Road%20&%20MTB/Colt/)?

My bride rides Raleigh Colts and uses the regular B66 saddles. We tried a B18 (http://www.brooksengland.com/catalogue-and-shop/saddles/city+%26+heavy+duty/B18+Lady/) but it wasn't as comfortable for her, so back to the B66. FWIW I have been giving her my B66's that are already broken in.

They also make Flyers which might be a tad more comfortable on a drop bar bike. Then again she may be on of those people that just cannot get comfortable on a Brooks. Note that they make a "S" model of many of their saddles, that is a shorter saddle, supposedly for women so they don't catch their skirts on the nose of the saddle.

Aaron :)

Selle Italia Anatomic

My wife will ride nothing other than an Avocet WII Touring saddle, fwiw. All of her bikes are C&V.

There's a "Lady" model Turbo saddle frim the 80's I believe.
They pop up once in a while at ebay....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Selle-Italia-white-Lady-Turbo-saddle-wider-1-only-/280799964330?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4160fb6caa
This NOS one's priced quite high, maybe because they are quite rare, but I've also seen them for much less in good used condition...

Chombi

That's the trouble with getting a good deal on a used bike,you can find yourself saying..
'it cost more than the bike'.. a lot .

I'd say drop by your local bike shop and see if they have any Take-off saddles,
that is.. customer wanted a new different saddle than the original build up
one that was in the new bike shipping list, in the carton.

You can find near new saddles that way.. + you are in bike shop saturated Portland,
so there Must be something the Tush likes.

School rack , leather is going to suffer.
& there are Brooks saddles taken, because Ebay is the universal 'Fence'..

My wife loves her 'sprung' Brooks B67. And she had told me I'd better get her the fattest, plushest gel saddle. Which I really didn't want to do, esp as it was to go on a Bob Jackson mixte. Fortunately the Brooks did the trick, saved the bike build, possibly the marriage.

Upon reflection, I think I'm going to be more relaxed about the look of this saddle. A modern saddle will be okay as long as it is basic black.

This bike is almost her re-introduction to cycling. She only rode around the neighborhood before, several blocks to the park with her little brother etc, and never had a "real bike", it was a purple Stingray and then a random folder, and she has hardly ridden for the past few years. Now she's old enough that she can really use a bike to get to school, the record store, the darkroom, the other places she goes, and she's also interested in exercising, eating right, etc. So if she likes this bike and gets comfortable riding, then I can get all vintage-picky, or even get her a different bike. For now, it's just important that she be comfortable on the UO8.

When she first got on the bike, everything was scary. The seat is so high. The toe clips are confusing. What do you mean, "shift"? How can I reach the brake levers way down there? I'm scared to take my hand off the bars to do the shifty thing.

It didn't take long, though. After one afternoon she was doing pretty well, feet in the (loose) clips, (gingerly) choosing gears, braking from the hoods, still a bit wobbly but not bad at all. A good start. I'm not going to let a painful seat ruin it. I'll look for a nice vintage saddle, but in the meantime, a modern ladies' saddle is going on there pronto.

Heck, this evening I installed a turkey lever on the front Mafac lever. Yah it hurt a bit, but I decided it was more important that she be able to brake from the tops, than for the bike to look right to me.

I have a seventies something women's Avocet saddle. They are wider than the normal issue Avocet, which should match the lady's fit a bit better.

Thanks, I didn't know they made ladies' saddles that far back. I'm going to look for something like that. The bike is mid-70s, so a '70s saddle would be ideal.

I would also consider the possibilities (a) that the offending saddle is set at the wrong angle and (b) that the rider's discomfort is due more to her unfamiliarity with this style of bike, and specifically this riding posture, than the saddle.

A rider who is used to a padded saddle may feel that padding is necessary, but it will in fact mean more pressure on soft tissues rather than less, since the sit bones will sink down into the padding. The padding will rub, chafe, and cut off circulation without doing anything to support the rider's weight, which is not good.

So, try setting the saddle more nose-down?

So, try setting the saddle more nose-down?

Maybe. It's hard to say. My point is only that if you change something, something will be different; try it and see if it's better that way, that's all.

I'm a great believer in leather saddles, but have no experience with the VO ones. Is the leather still firm, or has it started to sag? Older saddles can take a hammock shape that will cause pressure in the wrong places....

I like my B17 S - it has a shorter nose than the Swallow. I agree with what RHM said about making small adjustments to the tilt of the saddle. Additionally, if the seat post height is even a little bit too low, it can cause quite a bit of discomfort. A new leather saddle also takes some time to adjust to if one is not used to it.

My wife really likes the women's Terry Liberator Gel, FWIW. Not the most C&V looking, but I think comfort comes first.

my tandem stoker position has a late '70s Avocet womans touring II, but they had been around a while before I bought one. They started selling them soon after they started selling saddles

So, try setting the saddle more nose-down?

On a woman's bike, never set the nose lower than the tail, initially. Usually (it will depend on the particular saddle involved, among other things, however) a women's saddle tends to work best with the nose higher than the tail.

I have and can vouch for the Terry Butterfly. I have the cromoly version, which comes in a plain, black vinyl. Not exactly C&V but an excellent women's saddle. Bonus points for not being as attractive to thieves as, say, a Brooks might be. :)

Note that they make a "S" model of many of their saddles, that is a shorter saddle, supposedly for women so they don't catch their skirts on the nose of the saddle.

As the owner of an "S" Brooks, I think the only real benefit is that they wouldn't catch on a skirt. I think having a little more leather to "give" over bumps would make it more comfortable overall.

- Scott

Maybe I'll get a Terry and put rivets in it . . .

As the owner of an "S" Brooks, I think the only real benefit is that they wouldn't catch on a skirt. I think having a little more leather to "give" over bumps would make it more comfortable overall.

- Scott

The "S" is actually a little shorter and wider than the gent's model. Has to do with the ladies' sit bones being further apart. I just bought this Professional S for my wife's next C&V bike:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/GroteFoto-AMEKMTTX.jpg

Avocet Women's touring or Touring II

selle italia ANATOMICA !

My wife will ride nothing other than an Avocet WII Touring saddle, fwiw. All of her bikes are C&V.


I have a seventies something women's Avocet saddle. They are wider than the normal issue Avocet, which should match the lady's fit a bit better.

I have an Avocet Racing WII saddle, their special 'women's' model, likely from the seventies as well. I'm looking to include it in a build for my girlfriend. No ride report yet, but they're not terribly hard to come by - I pulled one down off ebay for $20 or $25, and it not only looks vintage, but is (and matches the Racing II on my Nishiki, which I rather like). Much wider rear portion, shorter 'nose', and the rails are designed such that the seat tends towards a 'forward' position when mounted (cutting top-tube length, which makes sense for a women's saddle, I think). Might be worth a try, as it meets your 'basic black' requirement and could likely be re-sold or traded if it's not to the rider's liking.

...either that or the 'Touring' WII model (which seems to come highly recommended), that is.

My wife loves her 'sprung' Brooks B67. And she had told me I'd better get her the fattest, plushest gel saddle. Which I really didn't want to do, esp as it was to go on a Bob Jackson mixte. Fortunately the Brooks did the trick, saved the bike build, possibly the marriage.

My wife told me the same thing, then hated the gel/cushy saddle when it went on the bike. I bought her the sprung B67, and she loved it. Now she's got two of them.

The "S" is actually a little shorter and wider than the gent's model. Has to do with the ladies' sit bones being further apart. I just bought this Professional S for my wife's next C&V bike...

That's true for a lot of them. I was thinking of the B17S, which is only 1mm wider than the men's model.

Bought a Terry Titanium Butterfly, used, $20. We'll see how she likes it, and I'll keep my eye out for something more vintage.

This saddle has the open center part. Hmm, so rain is going to fall right through the saddle and into the open top of the seatpost (old steel post with Ideale seat clamp). I can see the bike turning into a mass of rust. So I took a random bar end plug and capped the post.

Period correct? One of the Avocet "Women's" models or maybe this (Ideale mod.92 D "Dame"):

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/ideale92a.jpg

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/ideale92b.jpg

The Ideale is gorgeous but too nice for a teenage girl's around-town bike. Alas.

Love my B18 Lady. You can't put a price on that area of comfort.