What saddle?

medicineman

I know a saddle is a very individual thing but hw the hell do you find this out without spending thousands of pounds? Can't see the LBS been too keen on lending out hundreds of saddles so if some one could point me in the right direction?
188cm (6ft 2) 72kg (approx 11 1/2 stone) - riding a Scott Spark 30 mainly XC and some technical stuff. Any recommendations please?

canada16

Charge spoon got some good reviews.

Also maybe the sdg ti fly?

guilliano

Charge Spoon is a great budget option at £25. I use one of them on my hardtail and love it. Fizik Gobi is a more costly option at £80 but I have never felt a more comfortable perch

The Spiderman

I really like my Fizik Gobi.It did take a bit of getting used to,but after a couple of rides I got used to it,and don`t give it a second thought now.
Shop around and you can get one for £60,In fact Merlin have one for £40 if ableit in a slightly weird colour.

trailpimp72

Hey dude.
A good place to start would be go to your local specialized dealer they should have a gadget that measures how far appart your "sit bones". are. This will tell you what width saddle to go for (143?154?)
Then work out if you want a razor blade light race saddle, a comfy medium weight trail saddle or a big heavy arm chair. The type of riding you do will help with your choice.
Ask your lbs if they have any test saddles in the type you want and try them, if they have none you may have to bite the bullet and buy one.
At least now you have increased your chances of getting one thats comfy.
P.S. when you find a good saddle buy two coz by the time the first one is knackered ten to one they won't make them any more!!!!!
Happy trails.

medicineman

Thanks for the advice folks.

Paul Sh

Brooks, if you can put up with the looks.

Rich9

trailpimp72 wrote:

Hey dude.
A good place to start would be go to your local specialized dealer they should have a gadget that measures how far appart your "sit bones". are.

How does that work? Have you got to bend over while a spotty urchin measures your censored ?

Paul Sh

You sit on a gel pad for a couple of minutes, when you stand up there it two dents where your sit bones were digging into the gel pad, they then measure the distance between the two dents.

zeroseven

DONT buy a Selle Italia Flight Gel Saddle like I did after reading the review on here which described it as one of the most comfy saddles tried.

Its like sitting on solid wood.

dmb

Saddles are very personal, one mans perfect perch is another mans instrument of tortue, but iI like the selle SMP

tjm

Paul Sh wrote:

You sit on a gel pad for a couple of minutes, when you stand up there it two dents where your sit bones were digging into the gel pad, they then measure the distance between the two dents.

You can do this with a bit of old cardboard. Get the corrugated sort, the thicker the better and sit on it on a hard flat surface. If you then hold it to the light you can see the dents your sitbones make.
You can then mark the dents with a pencil or something and compare their position to the sit position on different saddles. that will give you a very good idea whether you will be supported properly.

Personally i don't like soft saddles. They feel great for the 1st 10 miles but after 20 miles it cuts off the blood supply which gets painful. the charge spoon is firm enough for me but unfortunately it is also too narrow for me...

dunker

at first the charge spoon "cro-mo" was great for me but after 2k+ miles on it, it's been chafing right where that seam goes across the saddle which is a shame. i'm back on my softer and more uncomfortable sdg bel air but at least it is'nt rubbing me raw like the spoon started to. maybe i wore it out? or bottom muscles got bigger or smaller? i dunno, anyway looking for a new one now.

the three i've been looking at so far are the fizik gobi xm, selle italia signo T1 and the wtb rocket v, i did buy a rocket v team but had to send it back for slighlt iffy stitching and also it may have been slighlty too narrow in the width at 130mm which i think is the same as the fizik too. hmm i reckon at this rate in a few years i'll have a shed full of discarded saddles and hopefully the perfect one on the bike.

the charge spoon without the stitching running across where thigh meets cheek would be perfect.