Help me find a saddle road bike

[Annon12345]

As the title suggests I'd like to try a new road bike saddle as the pain is unbearable. I only cycle about 20 miles at a time, slightly (ahem) overweight at size 16 but I use good quality bib shorts. Today's ride was awful and the pain when I went for a pee when home agony (tmi) I can't afford nothing too extreme but anyone has any recommendations will be very grateful
Thanks

There have been similar questions asked with good advice given within this bit of the forum.

In short saddles are very individual. What works for me, won't necessarily work for you. Eg I find a particular brand/ model torture, but it is incredibly comfortable for a friend. She finds the saddle I use torture. So please do not go off recommendations or reviews. I'm sure people will rock up on this thread and try to advise you on a particular model because it works for them. Ignore it!

So.

First off - bikefit. Get yourself booked in for one. It's entirely feasible your position is all wrong which will cause the type of pain you describe. They will look at crank length, stem length, saddle height and position and bar size and width. Whilst this may not resolve the issue, it should at the very least make it better.

Once your bike is properly fitted, if the bike fitter doesn't have a supply of demo saddles for you to try. Head down to your local bike shop who are likely to have a selection of demo saddles which you can borrow. It'll be a case of trial and error I'm afraid.

There are no quick fixes unfortunately! But. It is entirely possible to resolve the issue with a bit of patience and the correct professional advice.

Good luck!

Do you still want a road bike saddle OP?

If so you could try a Sella Italia saddle. The lady gel flow is pretty cushioned for a road bike saddle.

I use a mimic saddle which I love but it is less cushioned.

Either way you should measure your sit bones to work out the right size. Any good bike shop will have a mat thingy which you sit on to measure.

As others have said, unfortunately there's no easy answer and one person's dream saddle is another person's nightmare. If you are lucky you might find a shop that will let you try a test saddle out first but unfortunately it can be an expensive business. Most cyclists have a cupboard of rejected saddles so its worth looking second hand.
Don't be tempted to assume that big padded saddles are comfier - its often not the case.
The selle Italia saddle mentioned previously is very populat, though personally I would rather dit on a razor blade, it really does depend on the individual. Personally I ride on a Fizik Lucca women's specific saddle that doesn't have a cut out which I find very comfortable, but I agree with all the other advice- get a bike fit, try some different saddles, make sure your shorts and getting worn out, and a decent chamois cream can make a difference too. Oh and the obvious but often over looked thing - you aren't wearing anything under your shorts are you? Good luck!

See I hated the Selle italia diva gel flow or whatever it's called but I know loads of people rate it. I thought a saddle with a cut out would be better but it was worse for me. Others will only use saddles with a cut out.

I've gone on to a Specialized Power Mimic and find that a lot better. You need to make sure you get the right width saddle as well, some bike shops will measure your sit bones.

And do your shorts fit very snuggly? They should be hard to pull on and the pad not move about at all.

Took me a while to find one I really liked. I use a Bontrager Aeolus now and also a Specialized power mimic.

My local shop just kept letting me try one for a few days til I found the best one for me.

To add as there could be potential confusion caused, there isn't really such a thing as a road saddle or a hybrid saddle or a MTB saddle etc! It's all down to what is comfortable dependant on what I mentioned in previous post. I race (Time trial, road, cyclo-cross, mountain bike and crits). Apart from the crit/ road race where I use the same bike - I use a different, specific bike for each discipline. They all have exactly the same brand and model of saddle. All super comfy, no issues. So hopefully that will illustrate you don't need a 'type' of saddle, just a correctly fitted bike and saddle that suits your anatomy/ positioning (and as mentioned well fitting cycling specific shorts or tights with no pants!). Personally I can't stand chamois cream, it actually causes me issues!! Tried multiple brands. I only used it as I thought I 'should' but before I'd not had problems and since, not had problems. I also like super long rides (have done up to 16 hours continuously 😬) with no under carriage issues.