Last year at around this time, we used to do a lot of cycling, having got ourselves a couple of cheap second hand bikes.

My wife had a pink one with sturdy tyres and a thick frame. Mine was an older bike - the racing sort with skinny little tyres and a thin saddle that threatened at times to part one butt cheek permanently from the other - not a good look... or feel (although......NO! - stop before you start, Bellroyd!). That coupled with the fact that it was set a bit high for me and had rusted on at that height meant that I needed to look at some solutions.

At first the trusty WD40 wouldn't do the trick and loosen the saddle to allow me to drop it down a bit. I was a bit miffed - it has never let me down before. I finally managed it and it did feel slightly more comfortable to ride. However, there was still a degree of discomfort there and I went off cycling for a short while. Bike use was occasional rather than frequent over the winter - somehow the motivation wasn't there.

Just last month though, when it started to get a bit warmer, my wife came back from the town one day with one of these Raleigh Gel saddles. When she told me that she had bought one, I was slightly annoyed. I had seen these before and they were huge - designed for ladies who are broad of beam. I thought I would look stupid with one of these clamped onto a gent's racing bike.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when Ermentrude showed it to me because it was nicely streamlined and just looked like a better padded and more streamlined version of the one I was having problems with.

It's nice and narrow at the front which suits the male anatomy for reasons which you can readily imagine and it's nicely sprung. It really does feel good under your bum - which is a phrase I seldom use. It was easy to fit and having given it the once over, I was impressed by the stitching and general finishing. It certainly looked the part and being black it suited the bike. It has a nice grey flash on it and some branding - which I could have done without really but that's the way of the world.

It has a firm but yielding gel inner which feels good to prod and which is obviously the part that makes for a comfortable ride - together with the substantial springs to help you ride out the bounce. Boing! Boing! Boing! A ride around the lanes now is much more pleasant and you don't get the jarring that you used to get when you encounter the holes in the road. It also resists water penetration which the old foam inner saddle it replaced failed to satisfactorily do.

It cost Ermentrude over £20 from a local sports store and that was supposedly on offer - I paid less than that for the bike when I bought it! Now I see that it has been reduced on Amazon to only £13.88 including free delivery! Damn and blast!

If your backside is as big as a small country and large sections of it flop over the side whilst you are riding, then this saddle could be your salvation. Not just you fat bottomed girls, either. Some of us blokes could do with being a bit more streamlined as well. (Note to self!)

Time for bed!