BUYER'S GUIDE

Best women's saddles

Best women's bike saddles 2024 — get comfortable and support for your riding with a women-specific seat

We've rounded up the best women's bike saddles to help you find better comfort on the bike

by Suvi Loponen

Mon, Jun 03, 2024 17:12

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Out of all the touchpoints on your bike, the saddle arguably has the greatest responsibility for your overall cycling comfort. While there is not necessarily a need for a women-specific saddle, they might be a great option if you struggle to get comfortable on unisex saddles or to help narrow down your search. Comfort is subjective, but our women testers have racked up thousands of hours of riding in pursuit of the best women's bike saddle you can buy.

Best overall women's saddle: Selle Italia Diva Gel SuperFlow saddle
- Buy now for £75.99 from Amazon
- Find out more
Best curved women's saddle: Specialized Women’s Romin Evo Pro With MIMIC saddle
- Buy now for £84.99 from Tredz
- Find out more
Best saddle for racers or recreational riders: ISM PR 1.0 saddle
- Buy now for £99 from Tweeks Cycles
- Find out more
Best classic saddle: Brooks B17 S saddle
- Buy now for £84.99 from Condor Cycles
- Find out more

Whether you're a casual rider or a seasoned racer, there is something for everyone. Saddles vary in price, width and shape, and features like cutouts, and the ones listed below have scored well in all - or most - aspects.

It's not a necessity for women to get a women-specific saddle and in fact, it is well worth looking at our general best saddles guide because many of those will work well across genders.

How we review saddles

The saddles we've listed here have all been tested by women reviewers and thus, have deserved a spot as ones we would recommend for women cyclists.

Beyond just a single outing, road.cc reviewers use products for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works ensuring that the saddles undergo extensive wear to gauge their performance, durability and comfort.

It's important to note that saddle comfort is entirely subjective, so it's worth testing a few saddles before making any purchasing decisions.

Why you can trust us

When it comes to road.cc buyer's guides, we will only ever recommend products that fared well in reviews. All the saddles featured here scored 4 out of 5 stars or more overall from our reviewers, indicating very good or excellent quality according to our reviewers' opinions.

Our reviewers are all experienced cyclists, and so are the road.cc team members who put these guides together. That means you can be sure the product selections are our genuine top picks, not just a round-up of things we can make a commission from.

While it's very unlikely a ten-year old bike would appear in our best road bikes guide, when it comes to saddles, the classics often don't change. Therefore, we've dug a bit deeper into our review archives to bring you our list of the very best women's bike saddle we'd recommend.

You'll find our overall top picks first, followed by plenty more recommendations, and finally, the frequently asked questions section at the bottom of this guide.

Best women's bike saddles: our top picks

Selle Italia Diva Gel SuperFlow saddle

Best overall women's saddle

Buy now for £75.99 from Amazon

Comfortable

Flexible

Light

The Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow saddle is one of the most widely rider-recommended women's saddles and has been for years. It features plenty of padding, making it comfortable to sit on long rides, and the long middle cutout helps to relieve pressure from the soft tissue.

The top is made from full-grain leather and is finished with a little more feminine design that perhaps some other saddles out there. This saddle is 152mm wide, and those looking for a narrower option might want to investigate Selle Italia's SLR Lady Flow instead (also featured in this guide).

Read our review of the Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow saddle

Specialized Women’s Romin Evo Pro With MIMIC saddle

Best curved women's saddle

Buy now for £84.99 from Tredz

Excellent support and comfort from MIMIC in place of a cutout

Light

Might be too firm for some

This Specialized's Women's Romin Evo Pro with MIMIC technology is a performance-orientated saddle. It's a great women-specific option for those that liked the Specialized Oura - and doesn't feature a short nose that is nowadays quite dominant on the best saddles out there.

So, the Romin Evo Pro is the first women-specific long-nosed saddle to adopt the technology, and it features a curved profile meaning that the back of the saddle swoops up slightly. This can help when you are doing seated climbs and is also a little more forgiving for maintaining a good cycling position without super good core strength.

Read our review of the Specialized Women’s Romin Evo Pro With MIMIC saddle

ISM PR 1.0 saddle

Best saddle for racers or recreational riders

Buy now for £99 from Tweeks Cycles

Very comfortable

Excellent support

Good quality

Good pressure relief design

On the heavy side

The shape won't be for everyone

The ISM PR 1.0 saddle is an unusual shape with its split nose and a wide rear platform, but don't let that put you off. It's very comfortable under the sit bones and reduces pressure on the soft tissue in the perineal area. The split nose design creates two separate sections to support the sit bones independently, reducing pressure on the soft tissue in the perineal area and ensuring maximal blood flow. This could be a good saddle if you experience discomfort or numbness in these regions while riding.

The PR in the name stands for Performance Recreation and this saddle is ideal for both racers and recreational cyclists, offering high quality. The ISM PR 1.0 saddle is by no means light at 327g on the road.cc scales of truth, and the steel rails don't help there – though the satin finish looks good and the quality seems high.

It's worth noting that ISM recommends you build up the distance slowly when changing to this saddle, simply because it's so different to most.

Read our review of the ISM PR 1.0 saddle

Brooks B17 S saddle

Best classic saddle

Buy now for £84.99 from Condor Cycles

Exceptionally high quality

Sleek

Takes some getting used to

While the modern, super lightweight and fancy carbon shell saddles have their place, sometimes the best saddle for you is one that has been around for decades. The Brooks B17 S is the women’s version of one of the longest-running and best-selling Brooks designs, the B17. Designed for women and smaller riders, the B17 S comes with a shorter nose and is 7mm broader in the rear and 35mm shorter overall.

In our review of the saddle, Lara found that the shiny leather upper of this saddle takes some getting used to, but does help to reduce friction where it matters, and the saddle is well crafted and shaped. It is a bit heavier than modern saddles but boasts some neat details, such as eyelets for attaching a traditional saddle bag, as well.

Read our review of the Brooks B17 S saddle

The best of the rest: more of our top saddle recommendations

Selle Italia SLR Boost Lady Superflow

Buy now for £142.75 from Fawkes Cycles

Lightweight

Sleek

Good pressure relief channel

On the firm side

At just 197g, the Selle Italia SLR Lady Superflow Saddle is a seriously lightweight option aimed at female riders looking for high performance, which it delivers alongside decent levels of comfort despite its overtly firm character.

The Selle Italia Lady has long been a go-to saddle for bike shops helping solve women's bike comfort problems and still represents arguably the best combination of features, though as you can see, it has considerably more competition than when it first appeared.

The key with Selle Italia's women's saddles is the large, pressure-relieving cut-out down the centre. The brand calls this the 'Flow' because the idea is it lets blood flow easily to the soft tissues that get squashed by most saddles. Under the synthetic leather cover, there's gel padding for support, and the Lady Gel Flow is available in two widths: 135mm (S2) and 160mm (L2) so using Selle Italia's ID-match system you should be able to get one that fits your sit-bone spacing.

Read our review of the Selle Italia SLR Boost Lady Superflow

Ergon SR Pro Carbon Women saddle

Buy now for £135.99 from Sprockets Cycles

Very good for faster riding

Minimal padding won't suit all

Expensive

The Ergon SR Pro Carbon Women's Saddle provides plenty of comfort through its cutout channel that goes right into the nose of the saddle, but because of the minimal padding, it might not be the first choice for very long rides. However, if you're looking for a lightweight, flat-profile race saddle, this is one to check out.

The padding, although minimal, is still there, in the form of 'Orthopedic AirCell Foam with OrthoCell Pads'. This specific model comes with a light and comfy carbon composite shell and rails, dropping the weight to a mere 166g on the road.cc scales.

Read our review of the Ergon SR Pro Carbon Women saddle

Fizik Luce S-Alloy Womens Saddle

Buy now for £75.99 from

Narrow nose

Not too squashy

Comfortable for long distances

Could be too firm for some

The Fizik Luce S-Alloy Women's Saddle is a light and firm performance saddle with some extensive research behind it. The Luce S-Alloy is built with a 'specially designed elongated pressure relief cut out', to offer some comfortable freedom for your soft tissue. It's 1cm wide, narrower than that of the Diva which is 3cm at its widest and 1cm at its narrowest.

Although the look is of a performance saddle, the Luce can be ridden for long miles and provides all-day comfort. Tester Sarah says that it's firm but comfortable and definitely worth a try for women who are getting a few long rides in each week.

The saddle is made from a strong light shell formed of three separate sections: a carbon reinforced nylon spine with two very flexible wing panels, and is available in two widths, regular (144mm) and large (155mm).

Read our review of the Fizik Luce S-Alloy Womens Saddle

Specialized S-Works Power with Mimic Women’s saddle

Buy now for £255 from Certini

Light

Good quality

Groove isn't long enough for all

Rails limit what you can attach

The Specialized S-Works Power with Mimic women's saddle is a very comfortable saddle under the sit bones, and this S-Works model also features super lightweight construction with FACT carbon shell and rails.

The Specialized Power Mimic is some of the most popular women's saddle models, and we've had a couple of reviews of the saddle since it launched in 2019. Rachael loved the 143mm model she tested, describing it as an 'epiphany' as she was very happy with the sit bone area and the Mimic foam on the nose, while Emma could see the potential in the slightly wider 155mm model.

The feature making this saddle women-specific is the soft middle part that was designed to mimic women's soft tissue, supporting the rider and alleviating pressure, numbness and discomfort – specifically, the problem of pressure on the labia of women cyclists. While it might not work for all, and you don't necessarily need the carbon rails that this S-Works model has, this is a saddle to consider for all women cyclists.

Read our review of the Specialized S-Works Power with Mimic Women’s saddle

Ergon SR Sport Gel Women’s

Buy now for £80.95 from Biketart

Comfort for sensitive areas when in a racy riding position

Not as hard as some saddles

Curved rear won't suit all

Dirt can collect in micro holes

The Ergon SR Sport Gel Women's Saddle will be a hit with many female road riders. The wide cutout of the Ergon is designed to relieve pressure on the soft tissue between the pelvic bone and the saddle and tester Emma found that it really does help remove pressure from the most sensitive parts.

With its chunky front end and shorter-than-average nose length, the saddle doesn't look like most 'racy' designs but this saddle was designed in collaboration with the Canyon//SRAM Women's Team. Tester Emma said that all of the technology that went into this saddle is particularly noticeable when adopting a racing position.

"I had absolutely no issue with discomfort around the sensitive bits during testing, which is pretty unusual for any initial change of saddle. The saddle itself is nowhere near as hard as many out there, Ergon has this element spot on (for me, anyway)", she writes.

Read our review of the Ergon SR Sport Gel Women’s

How to choose the best women's saddle?

Do I need a women-specific bike saddle?

The short answer to this is: no. Many saddle manufacturers are actually no longer offering "women-specific" saddles because of multiple reasons. Every individual's anatomy is different regardless of their gender, and what works for one doesn't for another. That is not the full story, though. Saddles that have used women testers and been developed specifically for women's anatomical needs tend to suit women riders better.

Women have statistically wider sit bones - but again, this doesn't apply to all women. In general, saddles with wider cutout channels suit women cyclists best - but again, there is no one size or model that fits all - but looking at women's specific saddles is definitely an easier place to start with than going through the hundreds of unisex saddles out there.

What is the difference between men's and women's bike saddles?

In general, women's saddles are wider because women statistically have wider sit bones than men. They also tend to be shorter as a shorter nose helps relieve pressure on soft tissue areas. Additionally, women's saddles often feature cut-outs to reduce pressure on sensitive areas and these types of saddles tend to suit women cyclists best, but there's no one size that fits all.

What is the right saddle width for me?

Saddles come in nearly as many widths as they come in shapes and colours. Determining the right width for your sit bones is crucial in order to get a saddle that supports your bum but doesn't cause chafing by being overly wide.

A way to do this at home is to sit on a piece of cardboard - you do need to sit for a few minutes - and then measure the distance between the two dents. Many bike shops also have dedicated benches for this purpose, featuring a gel-like pad that you sit on to perform the procedure. Usually, no one is opposed to you using one without actually buying a saddle, so don't hesitate to utilise this option - and also it offers you a chance to look at the shop's saddle selection.

What shape saddle should I get?

The saddle's shape is a little less complicated matter than the width. Generally, saddles can be split into two rough categories: flat and waved. The benefit of a waved saddle is the added support, making it an ideal choice if you are a beginner and might not have developed great stability - and core strength - yet. Pro riders prefer flat and stiff saddles with thin padding, as these offer a greater power transfer. Flat saddles require more core strength to maintain the right position, so if you do go for a flat design, make sure you keep up your core training.

When looking from above, saddles can be called T or V-shaped. A T-shaped saddle has a more pronounced difference between the nose and the seating area of the saddle, giving more space for thighs. A V-shaped saddle has a gradual shift in the width towards the nose of the saddle, meaning you can shift sitting further back or front easily.

And talking about saddle noses, there are many different lengths available - the common trend is to steer towards a short nose saddle but these really only came about because of UCI rules, so as long as the width and the shape of the saddle suit you, the length of the nose should not be much of an issue.

Do I need a cutout saddle?

Not necessarily. Although cut-outs can help with issues to do with numbness and pressure, there are others who say it alters the way the rider's weight distributes around it. Cutouts are not all the same so if you don't get along with one, don't rule out them all.

Specialized's MIMIC technology doesn't have a "hole in the middle of the saddle" kind of cutout but instead utilises a lot of softer material (which mimics the soft tissue) around the traditional cutout area and at the nose of the saddle. When we interviewed experts on women's saddles, they agreed that a cutout is not necessarily "better" by default. Many riders still prefer the more traditional, solid saddle.

What material should the saddle rails be?

The saddle rails can be made out of a bunch of materials, including steel, Chromoly, titanium and carbon. Usually, this defines the price point of the saddle, but the different materials do offer certain benefits, as well.

Carbon-railed saddles are the lightest and stiffest, and titanium rails provide medium flex while remaining lightweight and durable. Chromoly rails offer increased rail flex for added comfort and steel is known for its durability and wallet-friendly price point.

What makes a saddle comfortable?

As mentioned multiple times before, a saddle that is comfortable for one doesn't fit another. And although it might take a little while for your bum to get used to a new saddle, you should never tolerate numbness or pain when cycling. If you do, try out another saddle and preferably, consult an expert for advice if the issues persist.

The saddle alone is not fully responsible for your saddle comfort, but getting your saddle height right, wearing a comfortable pair of bib shorts and applying plenty of chamois creams are all nearly as important as the saddle itself.

That said, saddle padding does impact how comfortable you are and the type of riding you do affects what works best for you. Fast racing is easier on a firmer saddle, but more relaxed rides are the comfiest on a padded saddle. How aggressive your riding position is and how strong your core is impacting how much weight you put on the different areas of the saddle which again affects which saddles suits you best. One with a soft nose, flat profile and a cutout is better for an aggressive position, whereas, on a hybrid bike that you use for commuting, something much softer overall can work great - especially if you don't wear padded cycling shorts.

Related to women's saddle comfort is also grooming - the recommendation is to not shave down there.

women's saddles

Best women's bike saddles 2024 — get comfortable and support for your riding with a women-specific seat

How we review saddles

Why you can trust us