Part:2 Buying the saddle "Making a male road bike fit a female body"

Saddle sore?

Saddles shouldn't hurt you, full stop. 

This is when you DO need something female specific. We are fundamentally different from men down there, so getting something designed just for us is essential. Most saddle makers have researched the female riders anatomy and offer saddles with cut outs in them, specific padding, curvature etc.

If you go to a good bike shop they should have a way to measure your sit bones which will determine the width of the saddle. Essentially you will sit on a gel pad, and your sit bones will leave an impression which can then be measured. Whatever your measurement is, you will need 1cm on either side to get the perfect fit. If your saddle is too wide, it will rub your inner thighs. If your saddle is too narrow, your sit bones won't be sitting on it and it will cause you a lot of pain. It's tempting to opt for a nice thick squishy saddle with lots of padding, but more padding doesn't always mean comfort, and can actually end up rubbing more on the sensitive bits. 

Once you've got your measurement and you're in the female saddle section, you can start narrowing it down. The biggest factor that helped me was price. I didn't have much of a budget, and the shop I was looking in had saddles ranging from £20-£120. The assistant was really helpful and said that they can be quite trial and error, comfort doesn't necessarily get better with the price increase, you've got to just give it a go! Most shops will offer a 30 day return policy so long as you return the saddle in good condition.

A higher price normally means more expensive materials have been used, and the saddle will be ultra light for racing etc. 

Some brands of saddle makers have tools which can help you select the right saddle according to the type of bike, sex, riding position & desired padding level. So long as you remember your saddle size, you should be hunky dory getting a bit of advice in this way. Some good links I've found are;

Specialized have done a lot of research which has fed into their Body Geometry range, they help you choose your saddle here.

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/ftb/saddle-finder#

Fizik have a great spine/posture analyser on their site, unfortunately this fit hasn't yet diffused into their female saddles. 

http://www.fizik.com/spineconcept/

When trying out your new saddle, remember the following points;

- your saddle should be at the correct height. Your knee should have a little bit of a bend in it on the down stroke. 

- your saddle should be level

- wear good quality padded shorts for your rides

If all of the above are in order, and it's still not comfortable after giving it a good go (test it out for about 40-60 miles before making your final decision) it's time to take it back and try out another.

The good thing about finding your perfect saddle is that it's really easy to fit it to another bike if you upgrade your frame in the future!

Happy hunting! 

Have you got any hint or tips you've come across to find your perfect saddle?