Inverse Cycling made me work harder than ever on my Cannondale, which meant I was in the saddle more and, therefore, the parts of my body that touch the saddle were getting a lot of unwanted “attention.”
A discussion with Ride Studio’s Bruce Singleton revealed that I am not alone. Almost all of the women who’ve visited the Ride Studio at Bicycle Ranch since it opened in October report the same thing: soreness in new places.
Bruce, who has a background in chiropractic medicine, explained that the difference between men’s and women’s pelvises contributes to women’s discomfort when riding in saddles that are, essentially, built for men.
This got us wondering: Are there saddles out there specifically engineered for the female pelvis? A quick Google search reveals they exist, but do they make a difference?
One resource I found (http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bicycleseats.html), says choosing the right saddle is like choosing the right pair of shoes: “Your seat must fit your type of riding and your body.”
Here’s another source, from Bicycling magazine’s Loren Mooney: “Even if you end up buying a unisex bike (as I did), you’ll want to ask the shop to switch the saddle to a women’s model (as I did, after a few months of suffering). This is one area where men’s and women’s proportions are undeniably different. Women’s saddles accommodate wider sit bones and relieve pressure in key areas. I do know some women who swear that their men’s saddles are perfectly comfortable, but I don’t believe them.”
Ladies, help us out: Post a comment if you’ve found a dream saddle, share a link to a saddle-maker’s site or join me in griping about soreness “down there.”
Guest Blogger: Noelle Bowman, Scottsdale
Blog UPDATE!
I spoke with Desirae Noonan, a long-time cyclist who works at Bicycle Ranch. She said the best way to find the right seat is through trial and error.
While she would love to tell us all which seat to buy, what works for one tush might not work for yours.
“My friend swears by a specific saddle, and I tried it and didn’t like it at all,” she said.
Trial and error can get costly, as saddles range from $60 to $200, so find a bike shop that will let you test a seat. Desirae says Bicycle Ranch will let riders test saddles, and if they don’t like it they may swap it for another.
Generally, she suggests that women look for seats with a narrow and shorter front to prevent chafing, and a split in the middle to relieve pressure from the soft tissue areas “down there.”
–Noelle Bowman for The Ride Studio