Not so OT: Saddle for a new bike

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As this site has the highest concentration of TS cyclists I know of, this is probably the best place I can ask this.

I'm getting a new road bike (well, technically the Bianchi Volpe is a cyclo-cross bike, but it will function as a road bike), and have to figure out what to do for a saddle. I'm many years post op T2F. I'm looking to ride longer distances than I've been riding, so something I can spend a few hours at a time on would be nice. The bike has a unisex (mens) frame, and with my bone structure, that's fine. Some years back, there was attention payed to soft tissue damage from bike seats, and I know for a time, there were so-called ergonomic seats, mostly that had the centre ridge missing. My old comfort bike has a unisex ergo saddle made by Serfas, and that's been okay for the very upright riding position of that bike, but probably won't work for the leaned forward position on the new bike. The bones in my pelvis are pretty wide, so whatever I get should be wide enough at the back that I don't end up carrying my weight with the nose of the saddle digging into my perineum or labia. My clitoris was made from tissue from the glans of my penis, with the nerve and blood supply preserved, and those nerves run through the prostate gland I still have. I don't want to end up with a numb clitoris and labia after a long ride.

Any suggestions of what to look at or for?

Thanks,
Miranda

Followup added 11 April: I tried the stock saddle that came on the bike for a while, but no matter how I adjusted it, I couldn't get it comfortable. I then got a Serfas saddle with a deep cutout that ran full length, and which seemed nicely padded when doing a thumb test in the store, or sitting still on the bike before a ride. The problem with all that padding was that it was pushing up in to squishy bits, and anything over 20 km would leave me with labial chafe, which wasn't fun. I then looked at Terry, and a couple other padded saddles with cutouts, but memories of the recent problems made me shy away from them. If padding and cutouts are problems, then why not go the opposite direction? I've got a Brooks B17 on the bike, now, and we're working on breaking each other in, but so far, I think it'll work.

Best oak-tanned butts

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I ride Brooks, but that's me, and I always have done. That Terry saddle is one I have on my mountain bike, and what they suffer from is compression under larger riders. As long as you are not too big, they are great.

The Terry was one that I was about to suggest. Remember that they are made for both male and female pelvises. I tried the Spesh BG ones, but they never worked for me.

It feels so good

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... after the calluses form

Cyclist,
I had a friend try to convert me to a leather Brooks touring saddle and he almost succeeded until his wife told me she could *feel* the calluses on his butt!
I went with a nice lady's Selle. It didn't last the lifetime Brooks seemed to promise, and it left a few sore spots while I got used to it, but it didn't force my body to evolve, either. LOL
;-)
Michelle

I'm intrigued by Brooks, but

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I'm intrigued by Brooks, but I'm not sure it'd work for me. My LBS carries them, though, so maybe I'll see if I can test ride one. People that have used them seem to either swear by them, or at them. At least until I get rather more use out of the bike, I'm afraid I'm in the too big category.

I didn't realise Terry made men's saddles, so this was good to know. Digging through their specs page, some of their women's saddles are just smaller all around then the mens-they're narrower in back, which wouldn't be helpful to me. Some are shorter but wider, and some are the same for both. Looking at the pictures, the shape and location of cutouts and such is almost identical though, so I think I can go with either, which is handy.

I've just found Terry for

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I've just found Terry for their plus sized women's cycle wear, so will check out their saddles, thanks.

I have a Tractor Seat.

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I'm not a hard core rider, though I have ridden my Trek 7100 20 or so miles several times. I don't know what your um "front bottom" looks like but when my legs are open, I am exposed right down to my vaginal opening, uretha, and clitty, no covering at all; there are no inner lips. My pelvis is relatively wide, but the bottom of both Pubis bones are quite prominent through my musculature and almost fatless butt, so if anything is going to hurt it is that.

Before I go riding I apply a little vaginal itch creme to the area around my vaginal opening and sometimes to the faux clitty. I still need to mess with my posture, sometimes even tilting the seat forward slightly to avoid irritating my front bottom. I'm 4 years post op, and it is slowly getting better.

So, my seat is this big fat padded seat. I would not dream of a razor seat.

Much peace

Khadijah

My butt might be described

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My butt might be described many ways, but "almost fatless" isn't one of them. No tractor seats will work, though, for this.

Bike Saddles

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I like the Forté T1 Tri Saddle from Performance Bike. I have two of them and Kim, my partner, who's also T2F, has one on her best road bike. It's nicely padded, but doesn't become saggy all that fast. I wear US size 7 panties if that helps.

I also like the Selle Italia Women's Diva Gel Flow Saddle I got from Performance, (with a bike, I didn't pay for it.), but it's 3 times the price and the saddle on either side of the cut-out seems sort of weak; it's getting soft and sagging after only a few months of use.

Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee

Ready for work, 1992. Renee_3.jpg

Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee

It's another data point,

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It's another data point, thanks. It seems most of these have the same basic shapes and cutouts, so it looks like any of them wide enough to sit on, and cut out enough not to push in should do.

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