My Journey to Saddle Comfort.
Happily climbing Emerald Bay.
I can vividly remember my very first rides in 1999. I had signed up to train and ride 100 miles in Lake Tahoe, and my saddle pain seemed insurmountable. Finally, I looked at my coach and said, “I can’t do this, the pain is too intense.” He looked back at me and using his charming French accent said, “go get a saddle with a cutout and I’ll see you next week.”
I hobbled to my bike shop and repeated the words of my coach (without the accent) and, I am happy to report, my shop put a Terry Butterfly on my bike. Best bike upgrade ever!
The rest is history…I rode a very comfortable 100 miles in Lake Tahoe and a few thousand more.
A good bike fit and good, padded, breathable shorts (without your underwear) will also help you achieve saddle comfort. I was very lucky to find a great saddle so quickly and I have great sympathy for those struggling with this endeavor.
The moral of this story is to keep working to find the best saddle for your needs and reach out for assistance if the road gets rough.
Tailwinds,
Lisa Wilkes
About Lisa: If you’ve had the pleasure of talking to a “real person” at Terry, chances are good that it may have been Lisa or one of her team. As a former bike coach and our Customer Service Manager, she’s full of personal inspiration and professional expertise when it comes to getting comfortable with saddles, choosing the right apparel, answering questions about cycling and a few other specialties that are guaranteed to help improve your attitude, if not your ride!
Hi Lisa,
Interesting that this should come right now. I was visiting in Sacramento, California last week and spoke to my sister who is an avid cyclist about the fact that a 20 mile bike ride leaves me whimpering the last couple of miles due to saddle soreness. She also has a Butterfly Saddle and I checked it out. There are a number of them but I couldn’t help but wonder if the saddle on my sister’s road bike should be the same one I need on my “comfort” bike.
What do you think?
Ellen