Best women's road bike saddles
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Best women's road bike saddles

The best-selling saddles on the market tried, tested and rated

Phil Hall / Immediate Media Co

Published: March 8, 2021 at 3:30 pm

Finding the best women’s saddle can be a trial and error process, so we’ve tried and tested some of the most popular road saddles on the market.

Comfort, performance, enjoyment: if you spend time on a road bike you’ll know first hand the importance of finding a saddle that fits you, complements your riding style and works with your body.

We’ve looked at weight, size options, a variety of price points and construction materials when testing, and commented on how our tester felt after long hours in the saddle on a variety of terrain.

However, saddle choice is a very personal thing. Everyone’s body is different and unique, and this also applies to the nether regions, so a saddle that may suit one rider — or our testers — may not be right for another.

Good news then that more manufacturers and shops are offering fitting services, demo saddles, trial periods and money-back or exchange programmes if you don’t get on with your new perch. It’s always worth talking to your bike shop to check out what they can offer.

Rear view of female rider and a women's bike saddle
Getting the right saddle is crucial for a comfortable ride. - Phil Hall / Immediate Media Co

Women's-specific road saddles are designed to support the main pressure points of the sit bones, dissipating the pressure over a wide area, but alleviating the pressure on the soft tissue of the external genitalia.

On road bikes, the pelvis of the rider is tilted further forward than on mountain bikes and some hybrid or commuter bikes, which means more of that soft tissue is directly underneath the rider. A central groove or channel, or a cut-out, is often used in women's saddles to alleviate this pressure.

Brands are spending more time and money researching and developing saddles to suit female riders so that women don't end up suffering discomfort or, worse, injury through riding.

The best women’s road bike saddles, as rated by our expert testers

  • Ergon SR Pro: £119 / $130 / €130
  • Specialized Power Expert: £110 / $160 / €130 / AU$180
  • Bontrager Aeolus Elite: £90 / $150 / €100
  • Bontrager Ajna Elite: £90 / $150 / €89 / AU$170
  • Fizik Luce S-Alloy R5: £90 / $100 / €99
  • ISM PN3.1: £140 / $200
  • Prologo Scraton M5: £120 / €135
  • Selle Italia SLR Lady Flow: £129 / $200 / €155

Ergon SR Pro

Best women’s road bike saddles
The carbon composite shell with TiNOX rails keeps the saddle light. - David Caudery / Immediate Media
  • Widths available: 141, 152mm
  • Colours: Black
  • Rails: Titanium
  • Weight: 213g (141mm)
  • Cut-out: Yes
  • Price: £119 / $130 / €130

Designed in collaboration with the Canyon//SRAM pro women’s team, the Ergon SR Pro saddle has a well-thought-out design and features for comfort and performance. Ergonomic padding places support where it’s needed.

Specialized Power Expert

Best women’s road bike saddles
It’s firm enough for the performance-orientated but comfy enough for many hours aboard. Also consider the women's-specific Power Mimic saddle. - David Caudery / Immediate Media
  • Widths available: 143, 155, 168mm
  • Colours: Black
  • Rails: Titanium
  • Weight: 238g (155mm)
  • Cut-out: Yes
  • Price: £110 / $160 / €130 / AU$180

The Specialized Power Expert is a short-nosed saddle with a central pressure-relief that’s proved incredibly popular with male and female riders alike.

There are several iterations of this saddle and the Power Expert is from the core Power range, with carbon-reinforced shell and PU padding.

If you like the Power, you might also want to look at the Power Mimic saddle, which has added foam padding designed to imitate the soft tissue density of women’s genitalia, to provide extra comfort for female riders.

Bontrager Aeolus Elite

Best women’s road bike saddles
The Aeolus Elite is a short saddle designed for competitive male and female riders. - David Caudery / Immediate Media
  • Widths available: 145, 155mm
  • Colours: Black, Red, White
  • Rails: Austenite
  • Weight: 229g (145mm)
  • Cut-out: Yes
  • Price: £90 / $150 / €100

A short-nosed saddle with a long central cut-out, the Aeolus is designed for male and female riders and boasts generous padding for a race-focused seat.

Bontrager Ajna Elite

Best women’s road bike saddles
One of the longest women’s saddles on the market. - Georgina Hinton
  • Widths available: 144, 154, 164mm
  • Colours: Black
  • Rails: Titanium
  • Weight: 243g (154mm)
  • Cut-out: Yes
  • Price: £90 / $150 / €89 / AU$170

A convex-shaped saddle with a long central cut-out, the Elite is the titanium-railed, mid-range version of the Ajna – higher and lower priced models are therefore available.

Fizik Luce S-Alloy R5

Best women’s road bike saddles
The Fizik Luce R5 was developed after extensive research into the needs of female riders. - David Caudery / Immediate Media
  • Widths available: 144, 155mm
  • Colours: Black
  • Rails: Alloy
  • Weight: 259g (144mm)
  • Cut-out: Yes
  • Price: £90 / $100 / €99

Available in two widths, this saddle was developed after extensive research by Fizik and features a narrow nose with flexible wings that are designed to move with you as you pedal. This model comes with alloy rails and a nylon and carbon-reinforced shell.

ISM PN 3.1

Best women’s road bike saddles
The ISM PN 3.1 saddle is certainly distinctive looking. - Immediate Media
  • Widths available: One size (other models available)
  • Colours: Black, white
  • Rails: Chromoly
  • Weight: 296g
  • Cut-out: Yes
  • Price: £140 / $200

ISM’s distinctive saddles with their noseless designs are made for riders who prefer an aggressive on-bike position. The lack of nose and the long cutaway central channel mean that the saddle supports the sit bones without putting pressure on the soft tissue of the genitalia.

ISM produces a range of saddles with different purposes and widths, and the PN3.1 part of the name here refers to it being its Performance Narrow saddle. There are others available across the ISM range.

The look of the saddle may not be to everyone’s tastes, but many riders who’ve struggled to find their perfect saddle rave about it.

Prologo Scratch M5

Best women’s road bike saddles
Despite no pressure-relieving cut-out, this saddle was very comfortable to ride. - David Caudery / Immediate Media
  • Widths available: 140mm
  • Colours: Black, White
  • Rails: Carbon
  • Weight: 199g (140mm)
  • Cut-out: No
  • Price: £120 / €135

A unisex saddle that’s only available in one width, this has a unique five-section design that works and moves with the rider. Our tester found this just as comfy as saddles with a central cut-out.

Selle Italia SLR Lady Flow

Best women’s road bike saddles
The extra wide SuperFlow cut-out is designed to prevent discomfort and numbness in sensitive areas. - Immediate Media
  • Widths available: 131, 145mm
  • Colours: Black
  • Rails: Titanium
  • Weight: 186g (131mm)
  • Cut-out: Yes
  • Price: £129 / $200 / €155

A wide central cut-out and generous padding make this a great choice for women who like a well-padded saddle. That extra-wide cut-out is designed to help women who experience pressure or circulation issues in seats with narrower central cutouts.

How to find the right women’s road bike saddle

A lot of saddle hunting is, unfortunately, trial and error. However, there are a few things you can do to narrow the search:

  • Measure your sit bones: These are bony parts of your lower pelvis that lie beneath the flesh of your bum, and it’s where the weight from your body is concentrated when you sit. You need to ensure the saddle provides support for these and isn’t too narrow or too wide. Most bike shops will be able to measure your sit bones for you – all you need to do is sit on a pressure pad. Once you know this measurement, you'll know which width saddle should best suit you.
  • Decide on your budget: Saddles can vary massively in price, and often a particular design of saddle will have a range of models available, from a cheaper or entry-level model up to a pricy premium version. This means if you find a design you get on with, you should be able to find a saddle within your budget. The more you spend, the lighter weight the parts will likely be, with premium models generally featuring carbon rails and bases.
  • What features do you need? Do you think a central cut-out for relieving pressure on the labia would be useful for you? Do you prefer a shorter shape? Do you find that saddle wings rub on your upper legs? Consider these things then try and look for a saddle with features that work for you. Many women find that women’s0specific saddles work best for them, but others get on fine with unisex or men’s saddles.

Bar a little discomfort as you get used to it, your saddle should not – and we can’t emphasise this enough – hurt you. If it does, check first that it’s not the position of the saddle, which this can affect comfort. If adjusting your saddle height or saddle angle doesn’t help, it’s time to consider trying another design.

Many shops allow you to demo saddles, so you can try it for a few long rides to get a good idea about whether you and the saddle in question are meant to be together.