On behalf of my wife - Ladies saddles / saddle adjustment

[Black Sheep]

Hello,

My wife has a fairly soft saddle with a cut-away in it on her mountain bike which she finds much more comfortable than her slightly firmer saddle on her road bike which rubs where her legs meet her lady-bits.

is it just a matter of adjusting the saddle? if so what adjustment needs to be made?
or should we be looking for another saddle like the one on her mountain bike?

she's tried padded cycling shorts but doesn't like wearing them if she's going to be off the bike for a while, so wearing them to cycle into town isn't an option.

any ideas please

 

[lulubel]

I get exactly the same discomfort on my saddle if I wear my old shorts, which are padded cycling shorts, but the elastic has gone on the bottom of the legs, so they "ride up" after a while, and I think the fabric bulks up there and puts pressure on exactly the point where your wife is uncomfortable. I don't have the problem with my newer shorts.

There are probably small adjustments she could make to the saddle position that would ease the problem, but if it's caused by the same as mine, a different pair of shorts is probably the only real solution. Alternatively, it might be that the saddle isn't the right size/shape for her. I posted a thread a while ago here about ladies saddles, and I got some useful replies. Bear in mind that she will be sitting in a more upright position on the mountain bike, so her weight is further back where her sit bones are further apart. On the road bike, her weight will be further forward, so the saddle needs to be narrower to fit comfortably.

 

[Black Sheep]

Thanks Lulubel,

she has a similar riding position on both bikes as the top tube length is a bit longer than ideal for her on the mountain bike,

I'll have a look at the saddle toppic,

thanks