Looking for good seat
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Find an LBS or online store (Competitive Cyclist comes to mind: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/demo-saddle) that has a seat demo/exchange program. You'll only know which one works best for you by trying them.
My bike came with a Fizik Aliante which I like very well. I recently tried an Arione for a couple of rides and did not like it at all. I have read that the consensus is you either like one or the other and for me it was true.
Demo, demo, demo until you get it right. The difference between total comfort and complete misery are often very small adjustments even for saddles that are right for you. I have no instinct for this. Luckily my LBS has a knowledgeable fitter that did a fitting for me and can adjust any saddle that I want to try to fit me. Otherwise I would be lost. Other folks can do it themselves. I literally do the exact opposite of what I need to. Once my fitter changed my position while I was on a trainer. I felt the exact opposite of what he actually did. He raised and I thought he lowered, or vice versa. Good luck.
Demo, demo, demo until you get it right. The difference between total comfort and complete misery are often very small adjustments even for saddles that are right for you. I have no instinct for this. Luckily my LBS has a knowledgeable fitter that did a fitting for me and can adjust any saddle that I want to try to fit me. Otherwise I would be lost. Other folks can do it themselves. I literally do the exact opposite of what I need to. Once my fitter changed my position while I was on a trainer. I felt the exact opposite of what he actually did. He raised and I thought he lowered, or vice versa. Good luck.
Please describe a good seat
What don't you like about yours? Forget about "high performance" think "comfort" that will keep you on the bike longer. The forum would need more info than you provided to help. I will suggest a Selle San Marco Regal. It is a classic saddle that has been around a long time, not narrow, not wide, not heavy.
What don't you like about yours? Forget about "high performance" think "comfort" that will keep you on the bike longer. The forum would need more info than you provided to help. I will suggest a Selle San Marco Regal. It is a classic saddle that has been around a long time, not narrow, not wide, not heavy.
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2,673 Posts
ahh, the search begins........ first fiqure out if you like flat or rounded top saddles, then fiqure out if the width dimension is a factor, then find a shop or e-store that will let you demo every stinken saddle they sale. try every saddle in their inventory, even the ones that don't fit into the flat/rounded/wide category you narrowed down at the beginning of your search and maybe in about 3 years you will have found one.
Look at the stock seat take down the measurements, contour shape and try to avoid saddle that look like it.
Look at the stock seat take down the measurements, contour shape and try to avoid saddle that look like it.
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520 Posts
i'm a big fan of the E3 form for a really good performing not-too-pricey saddle... actually, i found mine on ebay for something like 20 bucks and after it broke in i liked it better than the fizik i lost.
http://www.performancebike.com/shop...=2047&cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Datafeed-_-null-_-null
http://www.performancebike.com/shop...=2047&cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Datafeed-_-null-_-null
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1,793 Posts
I found I like WTB saddles to best. I always get asked why I ride a MTB saddle on my road bike. To me a saddle is a saddle, if it's comfortable, then ride it.
https://www.wtb.com/products/saddles/racing/rocketv/
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https://www.wtb.com/products/saddles/racing/rocketv/
I second giving the E3 Form a shot. I've got about 400 miles on mine (titanium) and am very happy with it. Don't be turned off because of it's cheap price - it appears to be very well made, leather cover, thoughtful design and light weight.tindrum said:
And speaking of demos- Performance has a satisfaction guarantee, which means you can try saddles until you find one you like. Although I like the E3, I'm thinking of trying a different saddle just to see if I'd like it better. I'll then return whichever one I like least.
I'm not a performance shill (actually, I'm pretty ambivilant about them - sometimes love, sometimes, not so). I think they are something to think about when trying saddles though.
G
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·I use a Selle San Marco SKN Pro Saddle which I found to be very comfortable. This saddle fits my seat bones perfectly. The width is 145 mm. My seat bones are 142 mm wide.
This saddle turned out to be perfect for me. At first I was using a Terry Fly (133 mm width). This is a good saddle too, but has a bit too much cushion for me and was too narrow for my sit bones. You must realize that all the cushion looks and feels good when you push it or mash it with your hands, but when you actually sit on it for a few minutes all that cushion flatens out and irritates the areas around your sit bones. Even more so if the saddle is too narrow for your sit bones. So the most important thing is find a saddle that fits your sit bones and work from there. Forget about how soft or puffy the seat is because that actually means very little after about an hour or so. Get your seat bones measured and work from that point by only looking at saddles that support the width of your seat bones .:thumbsup:
Just for the records, the diffrence between 133 mm and 145 mm is just about a half an inch
or a quarter of an inch wider on both sides of the saddle. At first I could not believe that a half an inch in saddle width would make that much of a diffrence in comfort, but it really does. The measurement is not about how wide your butt is, It's about how wide your sit bones are..
The Link: https://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=23545&subcategory_ID=5210
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This saddle turned out to be perfect for me. At first I was using a Terry Fly (133 mm width). This is a good saddle too, but has a bit too much cushion for me and was too narrow for my sit bones. You must realize that all the cushion looks and feels good when you push it or mash it with your hands, but when you actually sit on it for a few minutes all that cushion flatens out and irritates the areas around your sit bones. Even more so if the saddle is too narrow for your sit bones. So the most important thing is find a saddle that fits your sit bones and work from there. Forget about how soft or puffy the seat is because that actually means very little after about an hour or so. Get your seat bones measured and work from that point by only looking at saddles that support the width of your seat bones .:thumbsup:
Just for the records, the diffrence between 133 mm and 145 mm is just about a half an inch
or a quarter of an inch wider on both sides of the saddle. At first I could not believe that a half an inch in saddle width would make that much of a diffrence in comfort, but it really does. The measurement is not about how wide your butt is, It's about how wide your sit bones are..
The Link: https://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=23545&subcategory_ID=5210
You're correct about the return postage thing. I still think it's a reasonable way to test saddles though.PJ352 said:
You are not correct about the "unused" part though. The only criterion is that you are unsatisfied and ship it back. REI, Cabelas, and many other good retailers I'm familiar with have similar policies. They just sell the used stuff in their bargain corner and such.
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930 Posts
Specialized dealers have a pad that will measure your sit bone width, they are referring to above. It is a good starting point.
+1 E3 Form saddles, they have been very good for me but my sit bone width is 135mm. E3 saddles are frequently discounted online by Nashbar and Performance. I have them on both MTB and road bikes.
+1 E3 Form saddles, they have been very good for me but my sit bone width is 135mm. E3 saddles are frequently discounted online by Nashbar and Performance. I have them on both MTB and road bikes.
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1,469 Posts
Try Selle SMP. Very expensive seat but works well. Angle/tilt of nose-tail is critical. Anywhere from 1-3 degrees nose down (literally) to completely flat nose-tail level works for most (according to my fitter, Steve Hogg). Requires a few weeks of breaking-in because all weight is forced on just the sit-bones so they tend to get a bit sore initially but gradually get better over period of 3-4-5 weeks of continuous riding.
I found decent prices on chainreactioncycles.com for those saddles, much cheaper than in local Australian shops.
I found decent prices on chainreactioncycles.com for those saddles, much cheaper than in local Australian shops.
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