charge saddles

Courage Monsieur
Courage Monsieur Posts: 534
edited April 2009 in Road buying advice
Hi

Am in the market for a new saddle, preferably in white.

Was going to splash on an Arione or something in that price range but noticed the good reviews for Charge saddles. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience?

The Spoon in cro-mo vs titanium Spoon vs the Knife.

Leaning towards the Knife at the mo, despite the name. :wink:

Paul

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Havent ridden the knife.

    Race bike has an Arione on it. V nice, but fairly expensive.

    Winter bike has a Spoon on it - in tan. Soooo cheap - very comfy.

    Cant be faffed with white saddles - they wont stay white for long.

    I'd deffo try the spoon - as it is so cheap, but the Arione is very good too, apart from its pointy nose that digs into you as you wait at lights.
  • Courage Monsieur
    Courage Monsieur Posts: 534
    Ta Cougie

    Any issues with chafing cos of the stitching on the Spoon?

    Also, is the Spoon a bit too comfy and padded for a race bike? Not that I race, mind you.

    Thanks

    Paul
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    I have a Ti Spoon on my MTB- it's very comfy and light, but the stitching hasn't worn very well and it started looking pretty tatty quite quickly. Didn't find chafing from the stitching to be a problem, for MTBing at least. I have a Knife to replace it but haven't got round to putting it on yet, so can't comment other than to say it's pretty light!
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Had no problems with stitching on the Spoon - and its on my fixie - and its been fine for rides over 80 miles too - and I reckon thats a lot more pedal revs than it would be on a geared bike. I dont think its too padded for a race bike - it must be heavier than my Arione, but it was about 1/3 the price.

    Stitching seems fine on mine - so far - its had a good few hundred miles on it so far.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    Spoon and Knife are basically the same saddle, but the knife has slightly more cutaway and is therefore a bit lighter.

    I have a cromo Spoon on my winter bike and a Ti Knife on my best bike - both are supremely comfortable. Probably one of the best purchasing decisions I have ever made... ;)
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    I use a Spoon cromo and a Knife... The ti Spoon isn't very good value I'd say, compared with the other 2. The Knife looks like it'll be less comfortable, but on my bum it's no less comfy despite the lighter construction- it lacks the shaping at front and rear which might make a difference to some folks but I quite like the flat "tail".

    Still, I think the Spoon is probably going to be more comfortable for more people- it's more tradtionally shaped, has a better nose cushion, more effective padding and it's a little bigger. The Knife is fine for me but that's just because it fits my skinny ass perfectly. Neither is really a "comfort saddle" but they're still all-day comfy on the right shaped person.

    The odd thing is that comparing the 2 you'd think the Knife is the cheap one- it's probably just as well put together but it doesn't look it or feel it, really. But it's a good saddle for a silly price I reckon. With the looks and function of the Spoon I wouldn't even object to paying £35 for that never mind the Knife!

    I've not really used either enough to destroy them, maybe 500 miles on the Spoon tops and less than a hundred on the Knife, neither is showing any wear at all though.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • Courage Monsieur
    Courage Monsieur Posts: 534
    Many thanks all of you.

    I needed cheering up so I've just ordered a Charge Knife. :)

    Thanks
    Paul
  • Poulsy
    Poulsy Posts: 155
    How much did you fork out for that? :lol:
  • Courage Monsieur
    Courage Monsieur Posts: 534
    Wiggle, so £31 or summat.

    Couldn't find many others online.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Any more thoughts on the Charge Knife or Spoon? I'm about to order one or the other to replace the saddle on my Dolan (can't remember the brand, but I don't like it). I thiknk I'll be going the titanium version of whichever I buy, but I don't want to sacrifice comfort over weight and would happily settle for the heavier Spoon in that case.
    Advice welcome :)
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    The Spoon is probably all you need, depending on whether it's comfy for YOUR BUM that is!
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    Poulsy wrote:
    How much did you fork out for that? :lol:

    I see what you did there!
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    giant mancp wrote:
    The Spoon is probably all you need, depending on whether it's comfy for YOUR BUM that is!

    Yep, but either saddle has an element of a gamble as I haven't tried either and I don't have access to a saddle library :wink:
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    Hmm well I can only go by my own experiences with the Spoon which for 20 quid is excellent value. I also ride on a Fizik Aliante which is also excellent, but with a different budget of course! :lol:
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    I think it will be the knife that I will go for, but am just slightly put off by it possibly being less comfortable (for the same rider - I know we all have different shaped bottoms) than the spoon.
  • BenS999
    BenS999 Posts: 202
    I have the Spoon (cro mo) on my MTB - very comfy and no rub from the stitching, considering the price and comfort i think its a excellent value for money.
    If i had to replace for whatever reason i would get another Spoon without a doubt.

    I reckon the knife must be a bit harder than the Spoon as its thinner, and i guess at these prices if you didnt like whichever one you bought you could probably sell it for £10-£15 on eBay so would lose much cash.
    2011 Orange Five Pro
    On-One Pompetamine Alfine Comp
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    dodgy wrote:
    I think it will be the knife that I will go for, but am just slightly put off by it possibly being less comfortable (for the same rider - I know we all have different shaped bottoms) than the spoon.

    Trial and error my friend trial and error, unless you can try someone else's spoon or knife. You may spend YEARS finding the right saddle for YOU. A lot of people do, Or one of the mentioned may do you fine.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    I have both the Knife and Spoon saddles - there is no difference in comfort between either saddle - both are excellent....
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Thanks softlad (and after reading the thread a little more carefully I can see that you'd already stated you owned both :oops: ).
    Last question, the Spoon is available with a leather saddle option - am I asking for trouble?
  • Courage Monsieur
    Courage Monsieur Posts: 534
    Hi
    I got my knife for £32 from Wiggle. Also got a free bag of fruit gum chews in the package.
    Saddle looks good but quite rough finish on the underside.
    Firmer than the Selle Royale it replaces. I confess I have yet to ride it! :oops:
    Cheers
    Paul
  • MeddlE
    MeddlE Posts: 322
    Got my cro-mo spoon from wiggle for £19.99 delivered, awesome upgrade from the Koan DJ saddle that I was using!! Also got a packet of Haribo. Can't beat free sweets.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    dodgy wrote:
    Yep, but either saddle has an element of a gamble as I haven't tried either and I don't have access to a saddle library :wink:

    Make a plaster cast of your bum and send it in to Charge for testing :lol:
    Uncompromising extremist
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Genius, I'll have to remove the clags first.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    So what are the pros and cons of a leather finished saddle versus synthetic? About to make the final decision and order. I've been cycling seriously for 20 odd years and this is the first time I've had to choose a saddle :oops:
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    I didn't really consider the leather v synthetic issue and just went with the synthetic - haven't had any problems with it...
  • MeddlE
    MeddlE Posts: 322
    Leather will take more looking after, go synth.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Charge Knife in black now bought! Thanks for the advice all :D
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Just been on a quick 18 mile test run, I'm confident this saddle is going to be perfect for me. Much improved over my Prologic Choice (which is still a great saddle, just not suited to me).
    Thanks for the advice.
    Dave.

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