nancy sv

I know, I know... there are a million and two questions about which saddle on here, but nothing seems to address what I need to know...

I had never really thought about a saddle - just rode with whatever I had. I suppose I tended to buy women's saddles because.. well, I'm a woman. But otherwise, I didn't think much about the choice.

I read sooooo much on here and elsewhere about the wonders of the Brooks saddles so I bought a standard B-17 before we left on this trip. My husband bought one too. Within a week or so, he was in love. I was never totally sold. It wasn't awful, but certainly not wonderful either. It was doable, so I just used it and dealt with whatever discomfort it dealt.

Now, I've been on that saddle for over 11,000 miles and it started getting horribly uncomfortable. Seriously - I was in pain. About a month ago, my tush started really hurting at about 50 or 60 km. By last week, I was in pain after about 15 or 20 km. Then I started getting numbness in my leg..

I figure the saddle is not supporting my sit bones and I'm sitting on the soft tissue and, over time, the pressure has built up. I've now swapped saddles with my son and I'm doing a lot better - but he wants his saddle back eventually. Which means - I need to buy a new saddle.

I will be flying to New York in a few weeks, so plan to buy one there or buy one online and have it shipped there so I am pretty much open to anything. Part of me says the Brooks sounds good - a women's variety this time. On the other hand, what if it doesn't work and I'm stuck with it until Patagonia? Or there are a zillion other women's saddles out there.

So - what do you think? Is the problem that I was sitting on the soft tissue all this time and a saddle that properly supports my sit bones will take care of it? Any particular saddle I should consider?

Thanks for your help!