my comfy saddle

I spent all of last year riding my Raleigh Venture hybrid, with its original saddle. Since I was (am?) a slow rider, with a heavy bike, we used to spend 9 hours in the saddle easily when we went out for our weekend rides. I never had too much of a problem with that saddle; my butt would be a bit sore at the end of the day, but I never got saddle sores.

Then, I bought my Boardman. It was great in every way, except for the saddle. The saddle was awful! It looked good--white, smooth leather that really looked like it belonged with the rest of the bike, but it hurt my lady bits quite a lot! There was no groove or hole in the middle like most road saddles out there, and not much padding either. We cycled about 30km in Richmond one weekend and I vowed never to get on it again!

I did extensive research on saddles because I really wanted to find the right one. I read the reviews for every women's saddle on Wiggle! The one that was hands down the most well reviewed was the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow. Actually, the Selle Italia Lady Diva Gel Flow was equally well reviewed, but it was £20 more expensive and the only main benefits seemed to be weight and a more sleek appearance.

I bought the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow without trying it out, and I don't regret it at all! It's been immensely comfortable. Even on the 100 mile ride we did two weeks ago, my butt really wasn't that sore! I did have one ride of soreness, in the Peak District, but I think it was due to the warm weather (hence sweating) rather than the saddle itself. I'll be waiting to see if it behaves the same way next time we go on a ride in hot weather (that is, if it ever warms up again!!).

PS: In case it isn't obvious, we don't get paid for our reviews and we only review products we have bought ourselves unless otherwise stated!