To the cyclists - which saddle ?

shoot6x7,

Saddles are very personal things. What suits one person, doesn't suit another. You just have to try them.

For what it is worth, I love the WTB Rocket V saddle. The whole range of WTB saddles are extremely well made IMO and one of them could suit you. Another good range of saddles, FOR ME, is the range of Allay saddles (Racing 1.1, 2.1, Racing Sport 1.1, 2.1 etc.). Mr. Google can give you some details.

Such a personal thing. Try before you buy is not really an option as it takes a hour or so to decide I reckon. What counts is shape not padding.

Anyway for my MTB and rough roads Selle Italia Flite for me-the original version has proved to be brilliant. Never ever felt uncomfy on it. The newer model should hopefully not have messed with the design.

Fizik road saddles are great in my experience, especially the Arione but I've never tried their more off-road stuff.

Bruce

Fizik Gobi XM (MTB) and Aliante (road bike version) are comfy and fairly weather resistant, I'd worry about a Brooks purely because of the weather. I like the comfort of the Brooks but am not sure how resistant it would be to salt spray kicked up by those Ontario roads when the weather starts to turn inclement. I proof mine a couple of times a season and it is rarely in the real wet.

I got the Fizik Arione CX 3 years ago and haven't stopped laughing since. Superb saddle.

Saddles, the holy grail. Yes a personal preference, and mine is Selle Itialia max flight pro gell and on the Specialized tricross a selle Itialia prolink gel flow. The max flight having the bigger cut out.

A Selle Italia SLR for me. Ridden nothing else for years. The latest has carbon rails and shell. Nice. Light. Comfy. I don't like gel, nor cutouts. I hate soft saddles generally. And I don't get those Fisiks, with the pointy back. Unless you have a tail, no part of you anatomy ever touches it. What is it for? And if I ever buy a Brookes, it is time to give it away altogether.

You're not supposed to get them, you just try them.

I've had a few Selles and they proved to be useless and gimicky.

Ah well, just to be different i couldn't get on with the fizic at all and have used a specialized toupe on my two road bikes for several years now. I think you end up needing a flat saddle or a more rounded one and trying them is the only way to find out which is more comfortable for you unfortunately. And Remember gel is only worth it if that is where your bum is going to be! Which you may discover is not where you think it will be on the saddle. 

There are some myths about one of the all time great saddles - the Brooks B17 - that I have found did not live up to their deleterious reputation.

A leather saddle moulds to the unique shape of the rider's posterior. No synthetic material can do this as far as I know. but the sad thing for the Brooks is that it can seem damned uncomfortable till run in! Thus those who never break one in will never know how nice a Brooks is when it does run in. In my experience mine is still improving after 2000 miles. It is already more comfortable than any saddle that I previously used in including Selle Italia, Selle San Marco, Specialized, and of course in the old days the cheapo plastic Brooks jobs on Elswick and low end Raleigh cycles ...

The sole problem might be for those who require a split type saddle due to ciculatory issues, and in that case a Brooks will never suit for longer journeys.

The Brooks handles the wet better than anything else. You don't end up with a wet backside, as the saddle soaks up the damp, and it requires little effort to clean and proof the saddle to keep it in top condition, for a lifetime's enjoyment in all weathers.

ATB from George

PS: Those looking for minimum weight had better looks elsewhere. The standard steel railed Brooks B17 is more than twice the weight of my former San Marco and Italia saddles, but that difference is still less than a good meal! There are Brooks versions that are lighter and some even have Titanium rails ...

I knew you'd be a Brooks man George :-)  Quintessentially British ....

Dear George, you raise some good points about saddles.

I was in the bike business for fifteen years, and I found that for longer distances, my customers preferred saddles that primarily supported the 'sit bones'. 

That said, their choices were really varied. We sold hundreds of gel seat pads, and a wide variety of styles and brands. Some saddle companies offered money back guaranties, but no one ever brought their saddle back.

I get a kick out of the websites for Selle Italia and Selle San Marco. So many styles, and the prices! Man they charge an arm and a leg for saddles these days. What a great business to be in.

The last time I rode a Brooks saddle, I was thirteen years old and I had it on my 'Mustang' bike in lieu of the banana seat. Ape hangers and a Brooks saddle! Those were the days. By the way, are  you 'healing' okay from your injury?

Dave

I don't get the notion that Selles are gimmicky. Mine is as minimalist as it gets. Nothing superfluous. Very light and very comfy. What more could I want?

I have a Fiszk on my tourer. Comfy enough, but I still don't use the pointy bit at the back.

you should see the fizik curve, it moves as you do, could be a huge 'gimmik'

Dear Dave,

Thanks for the thought. I am improving every day it seems. Still cannot actually run, but I can walk fast now!  Of course on the cycle I can pass for uninjured!

Your comment about the saddle only needing to support the sit bones for longer rides on a cycle is telling in my view. My Brooks has moulded beautifully to the points of contact, and it being a slippy saddle, one can easily move in the saddle to slightly alter the position. I do this without thought, and so never a get any numbness. And the smooth nature of the thing means that there is no tendency to get any friction soreness either. I find that the suede type finish on the San Marco is a much less happy compromise, though without question the saddle's thin layer of foam does seem more comfortable at first. This is quite like the rock hard seats of a Volvo car, but which can be sat on for many hours without aches, while the apparently more comfy seats in a Renault with their all enveloping soft upholstery soon produce a back ache. Any saddle with gel or foam to make it softer tends to mean you have to get right out of the saddle to adjust position with accuracy.

Sometimes these things are counter-intuitive!

ATB from George

Dear Dave,

No medication! Just good ole mother nature doing what she does best in her own time!

I don't like doctors or pills and things at all, and only resort to the doctor if I cannot deal with the pain on my own! Apart from the operation in April, the last time I went to a doctor on a voluntary basis was back in 1994! That was for Shingles, which is not nice!!!

ATB from George

Dave,

What's your opinion on Brooks ?

Currently I'm considering sticking my Rolls back on it or maybe the Regal.  I'm considering a Brooks because of its conforming to my butt approach as opposed to looking for a saddle that happens to fit me.

As for cost, it's about the same as today's decent saddles.

My quandary is that I don't race, i ride for fitness, I don't hover on my saddle and use my legs to drive.  I sit in my saddle a lot.  So I'm not sure whether to get a Brooks which is as narrow as my sport saddles, this is equivalent to their sports lines like Swift and Swallow.  Or go slightly wider with their Team Pro or wider still with their B17.  not sure if chaffing will become an issue on the wider Brooks ....

Thanks for the advice Dave !

I've decided to stick with the Rolls on the new Kona c-cross bike and put the Regal onto the Raleigh SPD roadbike.  The crappy Selle Italia Sphere shall be removed and used as a coat hanger.

I pay full whack for pretty much everything. No-one ever gives me a deal or a significant discount. I don't know what it is, but I know nobody well enough for them to give me a good deal. I have never purchased anything that I thought was a bargain. Buyers remorse is strong with me.

My moto is "there's no harm in asking" ... tonight when I went to pick up my Kona, I asked about shoes, they showed me a pair of Diadora MTB shoes.  In my size and last years model, 20% discount :-D

Remember, this is pretty standard in the bike industry here in Toronto. Most store owners give employees from other shops substantial discounts. I was well known in the industry, and I never had to ask for a 'deal'. It was always just offered to me. I sent a lot of customers to other stores when they were looking for brands I didn't offer. Some store owners just refused to make a profit on you if you were in the industry. It was a pretty nice perk.

Dave

I get that. It just annoys me that I am expected to contribute a disproportionate share of any given business's profits, just because I'm not a "mate".