The Terry team hears the question, “How do I find the right bike seat for me?” a lot, so we took our knack for problem-solving and did something about it. We created our Saddle Selector, an easy-to-use online tool that delivers personalized recommendations based on your unique riding needs. It’s our shortcut to narrowing down the many choices to just the models that are right for you, your butt and your bike by asking six simple questions. So, what are we asking and how does it lead to your saddle soulmate?
Start with your gender.
The perfect saddle for your needs will be determined by your gender, age, and riding position more than any other factors. Those considerations will narrow down the options for width, shape and cushioning by a lot. As you might expect, our Women’s Saddles are generally a little wider, Men’s Saddles are slightly narrower, and Unisex saddles fall in between.
Many manufacturers put a lot of focus on sit bone spacing, often with quite small variations sold as the “right size” for a specific anatomical measurement. We say phooey to that. After matching hundreds of thousands of cyclists to bike saddles that deliver outstanding comfort, we’ve learned a few things, including the important realization that exact measurements of sit bone spacing, are just not that helpful in the “real world” of riding.
Here’s why:
Sit bone spacing is measured as the distance between centers of the ischial tuberosities, AKA the bony bits in your butt that contact whatever you sit on. While your sit bones do indeed support the bulk of your weight, this can only be a starting point, because cycling is dynamic. When you’re riding, you are shifting your posture all the time, moving both forward and backward, and using your torso, which rotates your hips and shifts your weight on and off your sit bones, and can push your soft tissue areas further forward.
During your ride, you might strain on a climb, launch a sprint, position for cornering control on a descent, brace for a headwind, ease off to coast down a hill, navigate tricky turns and obstacles, lean back to catch your breath and so on. In short, you are moving around on your saddle all the time, with different parts of your undercarriage supporting your weight through different contact points the entire time you are riding. It isn’t all about the sit bones, but your soft tissue and general comfort, too.
Our bike saddles are designed with all this in mind. There’s a correct width saddle for most riders, but it’s not based on an exact dimension, rather it’s a scope that gives each individual cyclist the support and relief they need through a range of shifts in position. For this reason, our saddles fall into a few broad groups where a balance of width, profile, shape, and padding all combine to make it really comfortable for a group of riders with common characteristics.
If you already know you need a narrower or wider saddle, or one in between, you can start there. Otherwise, choose the category for your gender and start narrowing down further with the following questions.
What’s your next birthday?
Never ask a gal her age, unless it’s to help her find the right saddle. While it might seem like a cheeky question, your age will affect your saddle choice as you approach or pass your 50th birthday. Our bodies change as we age, and this includes our nethers, with differences in skin thickness, connective tissue, sensitivity, and so on. You may find as you age that a saddle style that was once very comfortable, may no longer be so. Denser foam padding, the addition of gel padding, and a generous cutaway profile can all become very important to the comfort of mature cyclists.
What is your go-to riding position?
Once you have the right width range sorted out, the next consideration is your riding posture and the range of positions you go through on a typical ride.
Generally, a more upright position means less fore and aft movement, more consistent weight on the sit bones, and thus a wider platform is best, and the rear of the saddle plays a bigger part in your overall comfort. Recreational, hybrid riders, e-bikers and commuters are often in this position.
In an aerodynamic position, you reduce wind resistance by lowering your torso. This more aggressive positioning is frequently used by road cyclists as well as others who like to push themselves to ride faster, like gravel cyclists. Cyclists like time trial specialists and triathletes rarely break from an extreme aero position. When riding like this, the hips rotate forward and put less weight on the sit bones and a lot more pressure on your soft tissue, often resting on the middle or even the nose of the saddle.
In between those extremes is the slightly forward position, used by many people who ride for pleasure or endurance. In this position, you have some aero advantage, but you’re not riding for high speed. You will most likely move on the saddle as you transition from one effort to another, so your comfort depends on adequate support toward the rear of the saddle, as well as the profile and padding of the center and nose of the seat.
If you are unsure of your exact positioning, choose the option that’s closest, as all Terry Saddles are designed with the following:
- Narrowing as much as possible through the mid-section to avoid chafing
- Contoured shaping of foam in areas that come in contact with soft tissues
- Wide rear with enough bearing surface for both sit bones; flat rear that won’t cause pressure between sit bones
What kind of terrain and riding do you do most often?
The terrain you tackle most often and the length/frequency of your typical rides go hand in hand. The more bumps and jolts you encounter and the longer you ride, the more cushioning you will require to stay comfortable.
While a paved country road in good condition may give you a bump-free surface to glide along for miles, a different one with potholes, ridges, and fracturing asphalt can be just as bumpy and shocking to your rear as an off-road trail. The only style of riding that guarantees a truly smooth ride every time is indoors. That being said, the kind of surfaces and trails you plan to transverse will determine how much padding and shock absorption you’ll need.
Terrain and the type of riding you do will also affect the silhouette of your saddle. For example, MTB riders who are moving in and out of the saddle frequently, and even move behind it for descents, need a profile that won’t catch on shorts or get in the way of all that moving around.
How long do you ride and how often?
The amount of time you spend in the saddle can have a big impact on the seat padding you need, but not in the way you may expect. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s often the cyclist who rides less frequently and doesn’t go as far who requires the most saddle cushioning. A saddle with a thicker layer of padding can also be ideal for cyclists who ride without a chamois.
If you often ride more than a couple of hours in a day, you may appreciate a thicker layer of padding, or choose to opt for a saddle with a gel layer, which offers an extra level of shock absorption.
What discomfort or saddle struggles are you dealing with now?
Our Saddle Selector was designed to recommend solutions for the struggles and sensitivities our riders frequently face. When it comes to these sensitivities, the areas where discomfort is felt and the type of discomfort being experienced can both come into play. If you are sensitive further forward, in your soft tissue or experience numbness from perineal pressure, a profile with a larger relief channel and lower nose will help. If you feel pain primarily on your sit bones, or sciatic pain, a larger, more padded rear platform will be your savior.
Riders who suffer from chafing on the inner thighs can look for a more ‘T’ shaped saddle with a narrower nose, though they may find more relief by upgrading their bike bottoms. In addition to having a great saddle, it’s important that your cycling clothing fits well and that there isn’t excess fabric or padding bunching through the crotch. A premium chamois that reduces bulk (like Terry’s with their signature soft wings) can help with improved moisture control and a tapered edge profile. Higher compression fabric can also reduce chafing contact between your thighs and saddle. Together these may do more to reduce chafing than the shape of the saddle. Sometimes, it’s not the saddle that’s the problem, but what you’re wearing to ride.
If you’re on the hunt for the ideal bike shorts to pair up with your saddle soulmate, check out our Roundup Of The Best Bike Shorts For Women.
Meet The Families.
Women’s Saddles
Butterfly
Floats on roads and trails like a butterfly, definitely doesn’t sting like a bee. First introduced in 1999, the Butterfly Saddle family has been a go-to for cyclists of multiple disciplines, from gravel enthusiasts to ultra-endurance racers. Wider in the rear than your typical “T-shaped” race saddle, it comfortably supports a woman’s anatomy and is completely cutaway through the nose and mid-section making it flexible against soft tissues, especially when in a slightly forward riding position. The low profile, flat top allows the rider to move around easily and features injection molded foam with enough stiffness to boost the power in your pedaling. We’ve used this best selling silhouette to create 8 models of Butterfly Saddles, with slight variations to align with different riders’ needs.
Best Performance: Butterfly Ti, Butterfly Carbon, Butterfly Ti Gel+ and Butterfly Century.
Butterfly Ti VS Butterfly Carbon
Butterfly Ti Gel + VS Butterfly Century
Best Value: Butterfly Cromoly & Butterfly Cromoly Gel
Best Looking: Butterfly Galactic + & Butterfly LTD
Liberator X
With over 100,000 currently on the road, the Liberator X series for women has earned its reputation as one of the most comfortable saddles for nearly any kind of rider. We recommend it to people who are in a slightly more upright riding position on their bike, have a high degree of saddle sensitivity, ride great distances, tour by bike and are likely to ride daily. The ergonomically-shaped back panel of the Liberator X reduces the points of stitching contact between you and your saddle. Defined by a wider, contoured rear, large cutaway with extended depression off the back, and more padding throughout, Liberators are an excellent option for bike touring or anyone experiencing discomfort in the perineal region. To appease all sorts of riders, we offer this saddle in 5 models, including gel, elite and Italian-made options.
Liberator X VS Liberator X Gel VS Liberator X Elite
Liberator X Italia VS Liberator X Gel Italia
Cite X
If you’re a recreational rider, e-biker, or ride nearly upright and want the closest thing to a pillow, come meet the Cite X. Its completely seamless, heavily contoured top with a large cutaway will hit and miss in all the right places and provides great relief to those who spend half a day or less in the saddle or are experiencing significant lower back pain. Shock-absorbing elastomers molded into the saddle base mirror the effect of springs without the need for any mechanical devices. The Cite X also helps eliminate vibrations from the road or any other surface that ordinarily gets transferred straight to the spine. A durable synthetic top with rear graphics is easy to maintain and will look new for years. Available in 3 models with eye-catching graphics and 2 with an additional layer of gel padding to cushion your tush even further.
Cite X VS Cite X Gel Vs Cite X Gel Italia
Topo
Our Topo mountain bike saddle for women takes everything we’ve learned about saddle comfort and tailors it to the specific needs of female mountain bikers. Made by hand in Italy, it’s a sleek, low profile design with a narrower-shaped, flat rear platform that aids in climbing performance and quick rear dismounts. The center has one of our widest cutaways to increase comfort and eliminate contact with pressure points. And what really defines Topo is the use of durable, Fibra-tek with a debossed topographic map of Vermont’s Kingdom Trails.
Falcon X
The Falcon X is recommended for riders in search of fore/aft comfort and speed, and also has the distinction of being named an Editors’ Choice by the testers at Bicycling Magazine. In addition to having a larger and longer cutaway than the Butterflies or FLX saddles, the Falcon has an inverted v-wing in the rear to provide a greater degree of flexibility and relief to the tailbone. Lightly padded overall with an elevated rear that gives riders a great perch for power climbs, we recommend it for both road and mountain biking.
FLX
Our FLX saddles offers the best in split saddle engineering. Perfected by our saddle partners at Selle Italia in Italy, this novel approach allows the saddle a small degree of additional flexibility in addition to relief channel comfort. If you find the Butterfly Saddles are too wide or too padded, this saddle line is an excellent alternative. We recommend the FLX to elite riders who prefer a lightweight, lightly padded saddle, but with the Terry comfort factor dialed in.
Corta
When designing the Corta, we set out to create an entirely new shape for performance riders whose cycling style has evolved. Maybe you’re more competitive, riding longer distances or have a new bike that you can’t get comfortable on—this snub-nose beauty could be your solution.
We built the Corta to have a shorter overall length and a dropped nose which combine to eliminate excess surface area, prevent chafing and alleviate pressure. We’ve also engineered it with our largest cutaway, creating the greatest relief channel possible. It’s supportive and flat at the rear so you have a good platform for sustained, seated climbs. In a league of its own, the Corta is aesthetically pleasing and streamlined with textural detail and state-of-the-art technology. If you’re ready to take a step up in comfort engineering and high performance design, the Corta was made for you.
“I bikepacked off-road the Highlands of Scotland for two weeks on this saddle and loved it. A sign that a saddle works right for you is you don’t ever think about your tushy. A bit more generous in width without being too wide, a good cutout to protect those private parts and a shape that eliminated friction makes this my favorite of the Terry saddles.” – Sara B.
TERRY FAST FACT: Some of our saddles, like the Liberator and Cite series, come in hers-and-his variations. The Women’s version will be distinguished by an “X” in its name while the Men’s will be a “Y”—just like the chromosomes!
Men’s Saddles
Fly
Originally introduced in 1999, the Italian-made Fly set the standard for men’s saddle comfort. We’ve sold them to everyone from pro riders to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. It’s a favorite of RAAM riders and randonneurs, and has been hailed by journalists as one of the most comfortable saddles for men. The Fly is flat across the top and more padded than your typical euro-style racing saddle with complete cutaway and precision-sculpted foam to relieve pressure against sensitive anatomy. Since it has a cult following, we offer the Fly in 6 performance-level models—one for each of the bikes in your garage.
Best Performance: Fly T, Fly Ti Gel , Fly Century and Fly Carbon
Fly Ti VS Fly Carbon
Best Value: Fly Cromoly & Fly Cromoly Gel
Liberator Y
The dude’s version of the Liberator. It’s one of our best selling series and suits a wide range of riders and comes recommended by folks experiencing a variety of comfort issues. We designed the Liberator Y with a wider rear to be anatomically supportive on lengthy rides or touring where your body position is slightly more upright. Built to deliver a higher degree of comfort, it has a large cutaway through the center and a relief channel of the back for pressure relief and airflow. Additionally, the back panel is shaped to reduce the points of stitching contact between you and your saddle. To satisfy all sorts of riders, we offer the Liberator Y in 5 models, including gel, elite and Italian-made options.
Liberator Y VS Liberator Y Gel VS Liberator Y Elite
Liberator Y Italia VS Liberator Y Gel Italia
Cite Y Gel
The dude’s version of the Cite. Like the original, the Cite Y Gel was designed for recreational riders who spend a half day on the bike or less, ride nearly upright with lots of weight against the saddle, prefer the closest thing to a pillow or has significant lower back pain. Its completely seamless, heavily contoured top features a layer of gel across the top for an additional level of relief and a large cutaway. Shock-absorbing elastomers molded into the saddle base mirror the effect of springs without any mechanical devices. They also help eliminate vibrations from road or surface that ordinarily get transferred straight to the spine.
Falcon Y
Recommended for performance-level riders in search of comfort, the Falcon Y is a great solution for guys who put in lots of miles. In addition to having a larger and longer cutaway than the Fly series, the men’s Falcon has an inverted v-wing in the rear that provides a higher degree of flexibility and relief against sensitive areas. Lightly padded overall and shaped with slight elevation in the rear, it gives you a better perch for power climbing in the saddle. Ride the tarmac or take it off-road, it’s all a comfort from here.
Unisex Saddles
Raven
Our Raven saddles were designed to appeal to both female and male riders and uses the latest in vacuum molding technology. This innovative process allows for a sleek, seam-free contact surface and clean integration with the saddle’s substrate base. The benefit—no chafing, no hot spots. It has a narrow profile with dropped nose shaping in front that helps eliminate pressure, and a flat rear that supports your sit bones and boosts power to your pedaling. We’ve also achieved the ideal balance of foam padding with an ergonomic relief channel, making it a very comfortable option for those looking to minimize bulk. The Raven is a slightly longer saddle that gives you more fore-aft positioning range on the bike and it comes with a smooth and durable synthetic cover and the option to ride with a thin layer of gel padding.
Liberator Race
The Liberator Race is a maverick. Built for both female and male riders, it defies categorization since it falls between performance and touring with more padding than a race saddle but less mass and a narrower mid-section than a touring saddle. It has a higher rear platform and more of a dropped nose than our other saddles so it’s ideal for strong power riders experiencing lots of sensitivity up front. Endurance riders and ultra-racers have raved about this saddle’s particular shape and level of comfort.
Terry Gel Saddle Cover
For use in the gym or on the road, our Gel Saddle Cover can be a lifesaver when dealing with bad exercise bikes and bike rental saddles. It features a gel insert that supports and distributes pressure and a strategically placed center depression for relief in the soft tissue zone. It easily secures over standard saddles with a tie tether, delivering instant comfort to any ride.
Still stumped on saddles?
Reach out to our in-house team of experts! Our Customer Service team has a wealth of knowledge and experience matching riders with our saddles. They are always happy to help if you have particular questions or just can’t seem to find your soulmate. While they can’t offer dating advice, you can give them a ring to chat saddles—call 800-289-8379 10:00am – 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, U.S. Eastern Time. Alternatively, you can send an email to: customerservice@terrybicycle.com
With every saddle, your comfort is guaranteed.
You can try any of our saddles for 30 days, and if it doesn’t suit you as well as it should, you can exchange it for one that will or return it. Our saddle recommendations work really well, but saddle preference is a very personal thing, and sometimes it can take a couple of trials to find your perfect match.
