I found this article on
bicycling.com. Read it ladies. Oh the joys of finding the perfect bike seat.
Evelyn Stevens finds her perfect (prototype) saddle.
By JEN SEE
U.S. national time-trial champion
Evelyn Stevens tried out no fewer than six
women’s saddles this off-season before she found
the one.
“I was like
The Princess and the Pea up there,” Stevens said of her trip to Specialized, one of the sponsors of her new
Specialized-lululemon team.
“I don’t know if it’s that I’m new to the sport and my ‘stuff’ just
isn’t that tough, but I’m very particular,” Stevens confided to
Bicycling.
In its search for the holy grail of a comfortable saddle, Specialized uses
pressure mapping
to uncover how each rider sits on the bike. It offers women’s saddles
in a variety of widths, but Stevens still didn’t quite fit the company’s
existing products.
“It turns out I’m wide,” she said. “They’re like, ‘That doesn’t mean you’re big.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m OK with that.’
“I just have wide sit bones,” Stevens said. “I have deemed [my new saddle] ‘the Evie.’”
The saddle is a wider version of the Oura, and Specialized plans to
make it available this coming summer (photos and further information are
not yet available). “It’s not exactly a brand-new top-secret saddle,
but the one Evie’s on is a prototype,” said Kimberly Hughes, PR
coordinator at Specialized. “The saddle she’s on is a new width.”
That wider width accommodates a more aggressive riding position, which some riders prefer.
“When a rider is in a less-upright position, like they would be when
they roll their hips a bit forward when riding, their sit bones will
spread a little,” Hughes said.
Stevens advises new riders to keep trying saddles until they find one that works.
“If you’re on that first ride and that saddle’s really uncomfortable, don’t give up,” she said. “Try a different saddle.
“Send me a message on Twitter @evelyn_stevens. I’ll advise you on my saddle. I’m all things saddle!
“I want to create a saddle company and I’m going to call it the Happy
Pink Taco,” Stevens said. “Say good-bye to your angry red tacos. Say
hello to a happy pink taco!”
Hard to beat that.
….
Related:
Women’s Saddles
Women’s Bikes, Then and Now
How to Choose a Saddle
A Look at Trek’s Women’s Specific Design Bikes
Tags:
Women's Cycling
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