Saddle cutouts ?
 

How many of you women riders use woman specific saddles with cutouts vs a comfortable saddle with no cutouts?

Find what saddle is comfortable for YOU. Gender, age, whatever doesn't matter a saddle must be comfortable for you. It could be the greatest saddle in the world for someone else but if you don't like it, it won't matter. However the first thing is to make sure the saddle position is properly adjusted first that is frequently why people have pain downstairs.

My wife uses a women's saddle with a cutout. She tried about 10 saddles, and thought it was the most comfortable.

My wife also uses a saddle with a cut-out and finds it comfortable. I (male) also find a saddle with a cut-out to work for me. I recall in the past she has had a saddle with a center relief "channel" (not a cut-out) that she liked also.

I have been struggling to find just the right saddle to allow me to ride for several hours without pain. It seems I either have to deal with "soft tissue" pain, or pain in the sit bones (ischial tuberocity). So far the best compromise I've found is the Bontrager Aeolus Comp, and then I have put a DeSoto seat cover on it. On long rides, I end up with pain in both places but it's more mild than either place specifically.

I know a lot of my discomfort stems from riding and preferring a tri bike over a road bike. If I do ride a road bike at a more relaxed pace, I don't have as much discomfort. But I'm a triathlete so it all comes down to the 'why' you ride.

The wife is a Selle Anatomica devotee.

Same for me, wife and I both are devotees and at times I think it is the only thing we agree on. We keep the tension at the narrowest part of the cut out at 1/4" and I have several on any bikes
I typically would ride for more than 20 miles. Hers is a step through.

I use a Selle Italia Diva gel saddle. It is a very comfortable saddle for me. It does not have a cutout. (The saddle perfectly accommodates my riding position in which my back is straight, my torso is bent forward at the hips, and the primary saddle contact is the pelvic bone area.)

This site reviewed female bike saddles: https://www.femmecyclist.com/road-bike-saddles-ladies/

They are not a fake reviewer site beholding to various manufacturers. My wife likes the Terry cutout seats.

I am another fan of the Terry saddles, but i also fit pretty well on various brooks and Idéale leather saddles with no channels or cutouts.

My wife rides a Serfas RX saddle that has a cutout and also flexes. It seems to have too much padding and is quite heavy for riding distances. But it has eliminated numbness for her.

That said, the Selle SMP Well seems to have a very similar cutout and flex design without the excessive padding and weight. I’ve ended up with one, but my wife, who rides fewer miles, is happy with the Serfas.

John

I understand why people post about saddles and comfort. But, I always end up in the same place: no one can tell someone else if a saddle will work for them. I've done all the professional fit things and I only find the right saddle by trial and error.

Thank y'all for continuing the thread while I was dealing with Beryl. Bruce I understand what you are saying, we are all individuals and fit different. That goes for bikes as well as saddles. But I find real value in hearing what other people like in both bikes and saddles, and if people, when asked, keep on mentioning a handful of saddle brands with their approval, while it is no guarantee those brands would be (to me) worth looking into.

Thank you Rsbob and I bookmarked the site, I like their review style.

I’m doing great with a Brooks Cambium C15 on my drop bar bike. It’s the cutout version. I haven’t tried the plain version. This is the narrower one, which works well for me on a drop bar bike with a low bar position. I have not fared well with the padding over a plastic frame type of saddle.

Otto

Interesting, I didn't know that the Seller Italia Diva was available without a cutout. The Selle Italia website lists only the cutout version, the Diva Gel Superflow. This is the model that Mrs tm has used for about 20 years, without complaints.

Mrs. Road Fan has a Brooks B-17 Honey Select, with the thicker or just “more select” leather and no cutout. From new, she loved it from initial sit. More with setback, tilt, and height adjusted, now she wouldn’t go with anything else, after about 10 years. Plus it’s softening nicely!

You are welcome. GCN also has a YouTube video which specifically addresses female cycling issues. Mannon LLoyd is the presenter and they interview an expert

quality bike shorts can also make a difference

mrs t2p rides a terry butterfly ti *** - agrees with her - but she has also been wearing better bike shorts

( *** terry butterfly ti has a cutout )

I'll mention Selle SMP, too. If the saddle fits, it supports the rider at the sit-bones and pubic rami. With split and the shape, the soft tissues aren't supported so they're protected from pain. They have their patent app online someplace. if you can find it, you'll see what I mean. Other approaches that have fans include ISM (ismseat.com, which didn't work for me), Cobb, Rido (which is next on my list if the SMP starts making me numb), and a few others.

Selle Italia bike shop dealers offer demo seats to ride. You can try several and see which one works best. Get your sit bones measured if you haven’t already. Bike shops can do that or you can find how to measure on the interweb.

My saddle is somewhat old so it probably predates the version with the cutout. My point was that one doesn't necessarily need a cutout - it all depends on one's natural riding position and sensitivity.

It occurred to me that I should probably define better, what I was trying to say. Some people have mentioned 'channels' as well as 'cutouts' so I was looking for opinions on both.

OK, so at least my novice understanding is a "channel" is simply a low point down the long, center of the seat to relieve "soft tissue" pressure. A "cutout" is similar but rather than it simply being low down the center, there is actually a hole. On both, you support your weight on the raised portion on the outside of the channel or cut out.

My wife uses an SQ-lab, which does have a cutout.