My experience with saddles - wisdom the painful way

BUICK

Just thought I'd share. I have two bikes in regular use. One had a very comfortable saddle and the other looked very similar in shape, but was technically better and should have been more comfortable, and yet very much wasn't. So I bought a new saddle the same as on the other bike and installed it. And it felt awful. So I swapped the saddles over so that the one that was definitely comfortable was on the other bike - and it was still awful. Then I realised that the saddle on one bike had been at a slightly different angle - this (very) small difference made ALL the difference. Moving it slightly further forward as I've continued experimenting has made it even more comfortable when riding for longer periods and I seem to be able to put out more power (I had shunted it as far back as possible to increase the reach on a compact frame in the vain belief I knew what I was doing). Moving it further forward also seems to have relieved some issues I was having with my back after long rides - fingers crossed

Jamey

Oh god, I'm never going to find a comfy saddle, there are just too many variables

BUICK

Haha! My point is you might already have the saddle that is just right. Have a play with how you've got it positioned - that charge spoon might be perfect tilted a little differently - even if just a small amount, or moved a bit where the rails join to the seatpost, forward or back. Try a little in one direction and see what difference it makes. It might be you'll have the same experience and eventually finetune the position to perfection

Jamey

Heh. You may well be right there. But part of me says that you should find the best possible starting point from which to invest that time spent fine-tuning.

BUICK

You could well be right - it's a very individual issue. I just find it amusing that after throwing a couple of hundred pounds at the 'problem' with my saddle (the story I outlined earlier is an *ahem* abridged version to save me some dignity!), I've now gone back to the original saddle - which, in the right position IS indeed better on that bike as I use it, than the replacements I had purchased.