I'll say the same thing I say in every saddle thread:

The three main contact points between rider and bicycle are highly subject to personal preference. What works for one rider - while entertaining from a anecdotal point of view - should always be taken with a grain of salt.

Those points include the saddle region, crank contact, and bars. This means that all advice given pertaining to - but not limited to - Shorts/bibs, saddles, pedals, cleats, shoes, socks, handlebars, and gloves are to be used at a high level to determine trends, but not a singular indication of what should be your personal solution.

You will, in the end, have to try a bunch out. if you get lucky and find one that works early on then kudos.

With that disclaimer in mind I have seen a lot of feedback in other places as well that indicates to me that many serious (meaning much saddle time) female riders tend to find a lot of luck with the Terry line of saddles. If you hae no other starting points I would recommend starting there.

+1 - this is the premise behind a lot of the "BG" marketing associated with Specialized saddles. It wasn't until I started measuring my sit bone width and measuring saddles that I started finding success.

When measuring be sure that you are measuring when in a normal riding position. As your pelvis rotates forward the parts of bone that present themselves to hold the load are actually closer together. This is why more "racing" saddles - or saddles where you will spend a lot of time in a "bent over" position tend to be narrower.

In order to measure - find a good friend or loved one to lend a hand...you wil get better results and you never know what may come up....

Had a very hard time finding a saddle for my wife. She had lots of rubbing issues with numerous female specific saddles till we tried a Terry Butterfly. The Terry made a huge difference in her cycling comfort

My wife exclusively uses normal Selle Italia SLR saddles on all of her bikes. 2 road bikes, 2 cross bikes, 2 mountain bikes. She loves them.

Saddles are hard to pick and obviously very personal. The Competitive cyclist demo program is nice.... lets you try out a few.

Thanks for all the input. I certainly understand that this will all be personal preference. Frankly, I like the saddle that is currently on my bike. However, it is a used bike and I have no idea what it is aside from a grey saddle that needs to be replaced.

From all the positives I've read about Terry, I may start there...as long as they aren't all pink.

Tips for measuring sit bones? (Aside from finding a good friend to help out.) Is there a website?

Thanks again!

If your LBS is a Specialized dealer, they may have the 'Sit-o-meter'

Otherwise, if you can find your butt with both hands <snicker> you can measure yourself close enough for g'bment work with a tape measure (make sure you sit down to do so).

+1 - sit on your hands in the approximate position you ride in. Feel what parts of your bones you are actually sitting on. Grab a tape measure and measure it.

Might be easier with a flexible tape like one used for sewing. I have a metric one that i picked up for <$1.00 at a hobby/craft/art store that I use for all cycling measurements. Easy to sit on.

....oh geez...the joke potential in this thread alone...

And I truly appreciate the restraint that is being shown since I'm asking with 100% sincerity.

Less words = less comedy material potential. Just sayin.

+1 This had so much potential to be as funny as the "My Balls are Cold" thread

As with most components, saddles should be fitted by a professional with hands on experience. As a professional at grab-assery I'm happy to offer assistance.

My wife finally gave in after years of rec'ing a more roadie looking saddle. Finally got rid of the comfort lycra covered designs. First ride she wondered why she hadn't given in earlier. Specialized Lady's Dolce Gel saddle. $50 at the local shop. She's gone from doing slightly painful 40 milers to 70 and 80 mile rides with harldy any discomfort at all.

Got the cutout similar to the Terry Butterfly but the BF is now $120+..But more cush on the Specilaized!

Watch it there, pal.

Yeah, me again!

Hi honey.

Hi horny

Who are you again?

LOL...And restraint flies out the window. I'm impressed with how long it took, really.

Your offer of assistance requires a road trip. How soon can I look forward to...your help?

Hi. Where ya been, Billy?

I'm in a similar situation, my stock saddle is a Selle Italia men's saddle.

I would find it very easy to believe that many narrower men's saddles could be found to be very confortable for women that tend to have narrower hips (more like a man's in proportion).

Brooks B17 Men's Standard.

Well I'm a guy that uses a Fizik Vitesse saddle and think its just fine and I know other guys that like it as well. The Vitesse is very much an Aliante with a little more width. Anyway find a store with the Specialized sit bone measurer and see how wide your sit bones really are.

I will add that cut outs in saddles just don't work for me and I like more traditional designs.

Anthony

My daughter loves the Bontrager Race Lux that came stock on her Trek 1500. She has one on her track bike also. Works for me, those things are like $6.00 on ebay.

Specialized Ruby

After sitting on several saddles, I decided I liked a thin, harder racing saddle, but the boys' saddles are too narrow at the sit bones. I used the Specialized Jett for a year as a good compromise (a little cushy but wide enough). Unfortunately, it was too wide in the middle and front.

Then they made the Ruby (WSD version of the Toupe), so I got it. It took a while to break in, but it's pretty sweet.

I'm on my second Terry Zero saddle....this time the Zero Y. It's not "women's specific"; I fail to see why it needs to be.

Not much to add really... whatever works best for you.

Beth

My favorite saddle for the last 2 years is the Selle San Marco "Glamour." I have the SSM Glamour "Aspide" on my tandem. I can spend all day (and sometimes do) on those saddles and at the end of the day I'm still a happy camper.

Before that I had a Specialized BG WSD saddle. I put thousands of miles on that saddle with no problems at all. After the SSM saddles I went back; the BG is too cushy. Huh. Who knew?