I've had my bike three years and the saddle just isn't working for me. Never has. I have tried different shorts, playing with my air pressure, and I've had a bike fitting where they adjusted the saddle position. I am riding on my sit bones but in a very short period of time I feel sore and at the end of a long ride I feel beat up and bruised (I'm not actually bruised but that's how I feel). I can never plan rides two days in a row. I see no alternative at this point other than to purchase a new saddle.

I've looked at saddles online and I see there are cheap saddles and really expensive saddles. I am not and never will be a competitive rider. I'm never going to ride more than an moderate pace but I do enjoy distance. I don't want to break the bank with a new saddle but I suspect going cheap isn't going to help. My worry is that I'll spend a good amount on a saddle that doesn't really alleviate the problem. I do plan to go to MOAB or somewhere for the purchase but am doing online research at the moment. Any tips to avoid making a wrong purchase?

Kelly - I would encourage you to not be afraid to spend money on a saddle - most important things to get right is your shorts, your saddle, and your fit - worth the money -cause if you're not comfortable - you won't ride.

These saddles are my favorite http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/Womens-Endurance. Or search for a Terry Gellissima - that's what I ride now, but I can't seem to find it on the Terry website - but I do see some on Ebay and Amazon. I ride long and short and have raced with it - but prefer my Adamo for racing. But for straight up multi-day touring or century riding - my Terry is the best fit for me.

Terry has a "Ride it. Wear it. Love it or Return it. We're proud of the products we sell and we back them, unconditionally. If for any reason you're not completely satisfied with your Terry purchase, simply return it for an exchange, credit or refund*."

I believe MOAB has the same policy - if it doesn't work for you - return it.

I hope this is helpful, but if you have more questions - or want to see my saddle - let me know.

Sarah

Kelly- be sure you do the seated sit bones measurement at the bike shop first they can make a recommendation based on the width of your sit bones. I have the Specialized saddle that came on my Ruby sitting in my garage you can try it if you want and if you like it you can keep it. After 5 saddles I settled on a hard, skinny saddle with a cutout ($120- not bad really) since I have narrow sit bones it works best.
Spend any amount of money money on your saddle- it should not hurt to ride.

Finding the right saddle can be an arduous task but once you find the right one you'll be much happier. I don't ride anything but a Brooks saddle anymore after years of trying everything else. I have one on my tandem, touring bike and my road bike. Janey has a Terry Butterfly on the back of the tandem and on her road bike. Just shows that everyone has different needs. A good pair of shorts and possibly some padded underwear in addition will go a long way to more comfort. I've used the padded underwear under my regular shorts when riding long miles for several days in a row and it will work wonders. MOAB should be able to hook you up with whatever you need.