Saddle for beginner female?

A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

So, any suggestions? Brooks and the like are out, this entire project
is on a super tight budget. Still, I have a feeling she'll be saddle
shopping within a couple weeks, so if I can have a little knowledge
for when she starts asking that'd be grand.

Thanks,

Dan

A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

So, any suggestions? Brooks and the like are out, this entire project
is on a super tight budget. Still, I have a feeling she'll be saddle
shopping within a couple weeks, so if I can have a little knowledge
for when she starts asking that'd be grand.

Don't assume from reviews that a saddle is bad, especially from a review of
a bike. Saddle comfort can be greatly affected by the relative position of
the handlebars, *minor* changes in the tilt of the saddle, and what someone
is wearing. And the same saddle reviewed on a cheaper bike might get much
less favorable reviews than when it's on a more-expensive model, because
people are giving it the "thumb test" and if it feels soft to their thumb
they think GREAT! not realizing that means it's going to sag in the middle
when they sit on it, causing the front end to essentially rise up and cause
issues.

Having said all that, the go-to saddle for women with issues remains the
Terry Butterfly. But here's the thing. Don't change the saddle right off,
even if you want to. She'll perceive the Terry saddle as being even
more-better if she's comparing it to something she doesn't like (the stock
seat).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


wrote in message
...
A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

So, any suggestions? Brooks and the like are out, this entire project
is on a super tight budget. Still, I have a feeling she'll be saddle
shopping within a couple weeks, so if I can have a little knowledge
for when she starts asking that'd be grand.

Thanks,

Dan

On Feb 6, 11:35*am, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. *I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. *She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. *Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

So, any suggestions? *Brooks and the like are out, this entire project
is on a super tight budget. *Still, I have a feeling she'll be saddle
shopping within a couple weeks, so if I can have a little knowledge
for when she starts asking that'd be grand.

Don't assume from reviews that a saddle is bad, especially from a review of
a bike. Saddle comfort can be greatly affected by the relative position of
the handlebars, *minor* changes in the tilt of the saddle, and what someone
is wearing. And the same saddle reviewed on a cheaper bike might get much
less favorable reviews than when it's on a more-expensive model, because
people are giving it the "thumb test" and if it feels soft to their thumb
they think GREAT! not realizing that means it's going to sag in the middle
when they sit on it, causing the front end to essentially rise up and cause
issues.

Having said all that, the go-to saddle for women with issues remains the
Terry Butterfly. But here's the thing. Don't change the saddle right off,
even if you want to. She'll perceive the Terry saddle as being even
more-better if she's comparing it to something she doesn't like (the stock
seat).

--Mike-- * * Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com

wrote in message

...



A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. *I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. *She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. *Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

So, any suggestions? *Brooks and the like are out, this entire project
is on a super tight budget. *Still, I have a feeling she'll be saddle
shopping within a couple weeks, so if I can have a little knowledge
for when she starts asking that'd be grand.

Thanks,

Dan- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks Mike. I think one of my fellow patrollers rides with one of
those, the name certainly rings a bell.

I for sure won't encourage her to change it right off. Personally, I
have been able to get used to every saddle that's come on any bike
I've owned. She's a touch cookie, she may just get used to it. I
just wanted to have an idea what to say if it comes up, since she's
already mentioned it and isn't even picking up the bike until
tomorrow. Good call on the adjustments, I'll make sure plenty of time
is spent on that before any money is spent.

On Feb 6, 10:20 am, " wrote:
A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

WTB Speed V She is a good basic shape and pretty affordable, running
around $40. It's a bit overly squishy for some tastes, but for mtbing,
where you stand a lot, that shouldn't matter.

On Feb 6, 8:53*am, landotter wrote:
On Feb 6, 10:20 am, " wrote:

A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. *I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. *She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. *Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

WTB Speed V She is a good basic shape and pretty affordable, running
around $40. It's a bit overly squishy for some tastes, but for mtbing,
where you stand a lot, that shouldn't matter.

My sister-in-law's sister got one of those a couple of years back, and
liked it quite a bit. Her husband is about the same height, and
they'll often share bikes, and he liked it too, and got one for his
own bike. He's confident enough in his masculinity to not be put off
by the "Speed She" label.

I'm still riding Brooks on all of my bikes.

On Feb 6, 12:11*pm, Hank wrote:
On Feb 6, 8:53*am, landotter wrote:





On Feb 6, 10:20 am, " wrote:

A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. *I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. *She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. *Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle..
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

WTB Speed V She is a good basic shape and pretty affordable, running
around $40. It's a bit overly squishy for some tastes, but for mtbing,
where you stand a lot, that shouldn't matter.

My sister-in-law's sister got one of those a couple of years back, and
liked it quite a bit. Her husband is about the same height, and
they'll often share bikes, and he liked it *too, and got one for his
own bike. He's confident enough in his masculinity to not be put off
by the "Speed She" label.

I'm still riding Brooks on all of my bikes. - Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Cool, now we've got 2 possibilities for if it needs to be changed.
Thanks again.

On Feb 6, 1:45*pm, "Bill Sornson" wrote:
wrote:
A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. *I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. *She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. *Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

So, any suggestions? *Brooks and the like are out, this entire project
is on a super tight budget. *Still, I have a feeling she'll be saddle
shopping within a couple weeks, so if I can have a little knowledge
for when she starts asking that'd be grand.

ANY saddle is going to be tortuous to a new rider. *Let her ride this bike a
while -- adjusting things like saddle height, tilt and fore-aft position; as
well as handlebar orientation (stem length, stack height, etc.) --

I forget about things like this. I do not believe I have gone a
single month without riding a bike since I was a child, probably 8-10
years old. It makes sense that someone who has not been on a bike
since they were a kid is going to have some conditioning and getting
used to to do - she probably won't be as comfortable even on "the
right saddle" as someone else who has the same "right saddle" but has
been riding for years. Thanks for pointing this out. I'm going to
have to do my homework on adjustment, to this day saddle adjustment to
me isn't much more than a 3 step process.
1) Set to "that looks right"
2) Ride for a while. If any issues arise, re-examine and make
adjustment
3) Ride.
I have seen threads & articles about doing the 1/2mm adjustments on
and on forever, but never found it necessary. Up until a few years
back I was riding BMX on BMX saddles, and the extent of adjustment was
hitting it with something to readjust from the last crash - sorta
close was always close enough.


and if
she takes to mountain biking, then she can search out the "right" saddle
herself.

She will be finding the right saddle herself if and when the time
comes, I just know I'll be the default person she goes to with
questions if she starts that search.


If you have a Performance store nearby, they will accept returns on saddles,
so she can try a few until happy. *She might even LIKE this initial saddle,
by the way; people have a way of adjusting to what they're given.

No performances even kinda close. We do have REI, which may do the
same thing for her. I don't think my LBS would, although she might be
able to sweet talk them into a day trial. The initial plan will be to
try to get her to grow into the original saddle with proper
adjustments, and direct her to this thread if she wants something
better down the road. I already feel as though I'm a little more
qualified for the conversation when it comes.


Hope it works out for the two of you! *(In a strictly cycling sense, of
course ;-)

Can't slide that wink by me! I appreciate your good thoughts, but
this is one of those instances where it truly is just about
friendship, riding bikes and spending time with childhood friends. To
say I'm not her type would be an understatement.

" wrote:
A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. *I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. *She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. *Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.


Are you saying she hasn't actually ridden this bike yet? If so, I
wouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe her past "saddle problems" were
due to improper bike fit or setup. It's also good to get out of the
saddle once in a while when riding.

Art Harris

On Feb 6, 3:23*pm, Art Harris wrote:
" wrote:
A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. *I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. *She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. *Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

Are you saying she hasn't actually ridden this bike yet? If so, I
wouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe her past "saddle problems" were
due to improper bike fit or setup. It's also good to get out of the
saddle once in a while when riding.

Art Harris

Correct, she has not ridden the bike. I'm not writing this saddle off
altogether, just getting knowledge about saddles and saddle setup to
be prepared when/if it comes up. There's no question her previous
bikes all sucked, this one has a MSRP of like $600ish new and will be
a whole new category of bike for her.

I'll be her primary riding partner, and she wants to ride the trails I
do. She'll be out of the sattle a whole lot more than once in a while.

On Feb 6, 3:02 pm, " wrote:
On Feb 6, 3:23 pm, Art Harris wrote:



" wrote:
A lady friend of mine has recently taken an interest in mountain
biking. I'm excited about this, since it'll give me anther partner in
my favorite sport and give us a chance to hang out more often. She
has never had a "real" bike before, but her primary recollection of
any problems from cycling in the past has always been soreness from
the saddle.

I managed to find her a legit entry-level bike used for real short
money. Reading the reviews, the #1 complaint seems to be the saddle.
I don't want to recommend saddles I like, because, well, I'm not a
female.

Are you saying she hasn't actually ridden this bike yet? If so, I
wouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe her past "saddle problems" were
due to improper bike fit or setup. It's also good to get out of the
saddle once in a while when riding.

Art Harris

Correct, she has not ridden the bike. I'm not writing this saddle off
altogether, just getting knowledge about saddles and saddle setup to
be prepared when/if it comes up. There's no question her previous
bikes all sucked, this one has a MSRP of like $600ish new and will be
a whole new category of bike for her.

If it doesn't come with a women's specific saddle she'll probably be
happiest with it being replaced right away. But she might as well test
ride it and see. A lot of bikes come with OEM saddles made by Velo
these days, and they make very comfortable basic saddles.