Brooks swallow q'n.

[2ez]

As a female rider i have the following q'n about a brooks swallow (or possibly a swift). I prefer the swallow as due to the lack of skirts it must be less stiff for my butt. Also my weight is around 60kg.

When you look at the brooks swallow from the side is horizontal/flat. This means that my female parts have a gap between the leather when riding on my racing bike.

Now when my seat bones create dimples in the saddle and my but gets lowered in the brooks leather than the gap between my female parts and the leather gets minimized or they make contact with the leather (painful i think). Is it normal that the female area gets into contact with the leather or not and is it part of the game that a painful female erea is just part of it.

How do i break in the female parts area of the brooks ..... is that going to be lots of miles and painful moments of is the dimples created in the brooks so minor that the above is no issue.

I never ride shorter rides than 50miles and my regular rides are around 70/80 miles. This is just to say that i really need a good comfortable saddle for making miles and not just a short ride.

I realize that the seat can be lowered, but doesn't that mean that i constantly slide forward ....

Forgive my explanation as uk is not my home language.

I hope the above makes sense.

Please share your thoughts and/or experiences.

[palincss]

Lowering the saddle doesn't make you slide forward. Tilting the saddle forward makes you slide forward.

You're making assumptions about how the saddle will feel. That's dangerous. Asking others how a saddle will feel is dangerous, too: what is paradise for one may be hell for another. There's only one way to know what will or won't work for you, and that is to try it. There are places where you can buy a saddle and return it with no penalty if it doesn't work out for you. Wallingford ( http://walbiike.com ) is one, and it's highly recommended.

It is possible that a Swallow may not be the right saddle for you. You're assuming it will be less stiff because the sides are cut away, but that may be incorrect. My sole experience with one was a brief ride around a parking lot. Although the owner of the bike loves that saddle, it didn't suit me at all and it didn't feel even slightly soft. But then, the Swallow is a very narrow saddle and I need something wider. Team Professional and B.17 Brooks are a far better fit for me.

I know several women who are extremely happy with the Selle AnAtomica. It's actually quite popular with long distance riders. I've tried it around a parking lot, too, and didn't like it because it was far too saggy for me -- but that is exactly what my friends who own them prefer.

[CNY rider]

I don't have female parts but I do ride Brooks saddles. :)
As noted above, the shape of another saddle like the Team Pro may be a better fit for you. It certainly is for me.
I've ridden several thousand miles a year, for the last 3 years on a Team Pro, which is now my most comfy saddle. I weigh under 65 kg and while the saddle now has dimples they are not very deep. The leather is quite stiff on a Team Pro and won't deform that deeply, so I don't think you would end up with your delicates smushed into the front of the saddle.
There are some very knowledgeable women cyclists on this board, once they wake up I think you will get even better answers.

[Velosmith]

My wife settled on Selle Anatomica. There is a cut away for the female parts. You can search on this forum and get loads of advice on them. I believe Brooks makes an Imperial for this purpose as well.

For her it made long distance riding fun again. She road 65 miles yesterday and came back with a big smile. No need to suffer with the correct saddle. Wouldn't work for me but she loves them.

I guess that's why they make so many different types of saddles. There one for everyone that's just right.