Description:This saddle was developed specifically for women riders, allowing greater comfort but sacrificing nothing in performance. Design features include a “Specific Soft Tissue Relief” area and extra “Flex Control” padding in all the right places ensuring a genuine high end product that is comfortable to ride.
Submitted by
Edith
a Weekend Warrior
from Miami, OK, USA Date Reviewed: January 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Joplin Singletracks
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$69.00
Purchased At:
Greenfish Adventure Sports
Strengths:
Light, comfortable, durable
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Terry butterfly
Bike Setup:
Rocky mountain vertex
Bottom Line:
Great saddle. I have used it for road riding, then switched to use for mountain biking. It works for both. I have used it consistently for the last year and it has held up great. I can ride for hours comfortably.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lanora P
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz Date Reviewed: March 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
all of them
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
supergo
Strengths:
My first Selle Italia saddle was an Oktavia. I loved the 'flex', but I hated the fit. I was literally, wounded. However, not the saddle's fault, just an incorrect fit. I had been searching for a narrow saddle so that I could easily move to the back, but the Oktavia was so narrow that it did not accommodate my 'sit bones'. After measuring those 'sit bones' on specialized's memory foam butt bone measure thing....I found out that I was indeed putting most pressure on the 'soft-tissue' area and need I say more. Ouch! Moving on, I purchased the Selle Italia's Lady Gel Flow. I love it. I would love it even more if they would offer different widths, as it is still on the wide side for me to get around. That said, it is still an all-round fantastic saddle and even my guy likes it too. I would also suggest that they remove the 'Ldy' off the nose as it looks a little silly. The saddle is a very comfortable ride, no more saddle-soreness, at all. So, my advice, measure your bones and you'll probably find saddle fitting less complicated.
Weaknesses:
"Ldy" stamp cramps its 'style' Still on the wide side for getting around
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Sugar 2
Bottom Line:
I would not hesitate to recommend this saddle. I give it a 5 for overall value and overall a 4.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Olivier
a Cross Country Rider
from Waterloo Date Reviewed: October 4, 2003
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
IMP Meiser in Brussels
Strengths:
Mine has the TRANSAM design. It's probably the 1999 model. The cushioning of the main part of the saddle is gently soft. It's pretty wide. My butt fits nicely on it ;-) (FYI I'm 62kg - 130pds) I bought it originally for my girlfriend. Actually, I'm using it myself and it's very confortable for me.
Weaknesses:
Tiny cracks in the leather after 3 years of use. However, I have to admit that I never paid attention to special care for the saddle. It has "Ldy" printed on it, a strange touch on a man's bike.
Similar Products Used:
No name, standard stuff. WTB.
Bike Setup:
X-CHOX full suspension from the french bike company SUNN.
Bottom Line:
Extremely confortable for men also. I chose the very same model as a saddle for the new addition to my bike line.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Becky
a Cross Country Rider
from Mississippi Date Reviewed: September 28, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$69.00
Purchased At:
cambria
Strengths:
Comfortable, light, great on distance rides on the road bike.
Weaknesses:
Manganese rail on my new gel version that I put on my mountain bike snapped after 4 rides in the woods. Currently SI does not even offer Ti or Cromoly rails for the women's version of the saddle the way they do for the men's.
Similar Products Used:
Terry Sport saddle, Terry Women's Liberator (OUCH), sundry other men's versions
Bar none, this is THE most comfortable saddle I've ever used and I liked it so well on my road bike I ordered the gel version to go on my mountain bike. However, it shouldn't have busted a rail on my mountain bike so easily (I'm 150 pounds with my gear). Looking at the broken rail, it appears to have some impurities in the manganese, resembling red clay mixed in with it, and so I am hoping it's just a dud batch of rails they received from their supplier. I have an e-mail in to SI regarding this, and I hope they honor my request to have a replacement saddle sent out. I have also suggested to them that they rethink the whole Manganese option only for the women's saddles, ad of course hope they offer something more reliable than manganese in the future.
So, even though I love this saddle on my road bike, THIS is MOUNTAIN BIKE REVIEW, so I have to rate it for the trail riders out there, and take some chilis away because a saddle should last for more than a few rides (I've NEVER had a rail snap on me before). Value-wise, I feel it was overpriced at Cambria, and I suggest getting it elsewhere instead.
So, final assessment: I would recommend buying this for a road bike with no hesitation, but for the mountain bike, until they fix the rails, you'd do better looking elsewhere for ti or cromoly rails.
$
Overall Rating:
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