Saddles for Touring

richard36

Hi

I'm thinking of getting a new saddle which I will use only when I tour. There are loads of different saddles in all shapes and sizes, and I know that sometimes it's down to personal choice, but I was wondering whether there are saddles that are definately good for touring ie very comfortable, regardless of how big or small your backside is (or whatever else it is that affects the choice of saddle)

Thanks

Richard

robthehungrymonkey

I've been thinking a similiar thing (for when I actually get a tourer!).

The Brookes seems the most popular... But this is my first choice...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=23428

Apparently, mark beaumont used the pricier version of.

alfablue

The Selle An-Atomica is the ultimate touring saddle. Extremely comfy. The company owner is also very helpful with advice and shipping is fast (5 days) and didn't incur customs (due to low stated value).

Edit: waterproof leather, requires no care, and no breaking in. They will also convert Brookes saddles.

gpsBRM

I've got a Brookes B17 CS on my hybrid which I use for touring. I was wary about getting it as I really didn't think it would like upto the hype, so I took a gamble and it really does. I use SDG Bel-Airs on all my MTBs and they are very comfortable, but the B17 is amazing. I can ride for 6 hours one day, then jump back on the bike the next day with no soreness or any indication i'd been riding the day before.

Only thing was when I first used it it needed breaking in, which did make me think it wasn't all it was cracked up to be after the first few rides. After 150miles though it was perfect. Oh and it weighs a ton!

richard36

Thanks for your replies

Even if the Selle An Atomica is better than the Brookes I wouldn't be able to afford it so may go for the standard Brooks which I can get at Wiggle for about £45.

I have a 500 mile bike tour coming up so would get it for that and hopefully it will prove to be a wise buy.

Anybody else recommend the Brooks B17?

Also those that do have the Brooks do you only use the proofride wax or will something else do the job?

Richard

hisoka

I would recommend thew B17 on the riding I do. I'm going to be fully testing it soon on a tour of Spain.
I've only ever used proofhide on it but if anyone else uses anything different I would like to know also.

Neil Fat man on a bike

alfablue wrote:

The Selle An-Atomica is the ultimate touring saddle. Extremely comfy. The company owner is also very helpful with advice and shipping is fast (5 days) and didn't incur customs (due to low stated value).

Edit: waterproof leather, requires no care, and no breaking in. They will also convert Brookes saddles.

I have one.............it is amazingly comftrble.
And is like that from day 1.

Highly recommended !

andymiller

Richard36 wrote:

Even if the Selle An Atomica is better than the Brookes I wouldn't be able to afford it so may go for the standard Brooks which I can get at Wiggle for about £45.

I have a 500 mile bike tour coming up so would get it for that and hopefully it will prove to be a wise buy.

Anybody else recommend the Brooks B17?

Also those that do have the Brooks do you only use the proofride wax or will something else do the job?

I have both a B17 and a Selle Anatomica (in fact it's a B17 modified by Selle Anatomica). I agree completely with alfablue and Neil but, seeing as how you are on a limited budget...

A lot of people swear by B17s so have a go: it may well work for you. Personally I don't get on with the shape. Also bear in mind that the leather is pretty thick and pretty tough - so it will take time to break in. That may not be an issue if you get on with it from Day 1, but it could be problematic if you don't - especially if you are on tour. I would give it a try before you start the tour.

If you don't get on with the B17 you should be able to sell it on eBay pretty easily for most of what you paid for it (indeed you might want to look on eBay for one).

The other saddle you might want to consider is the Fizik Arione.

richard36

AndyMiller

If the Selle saddle is a modified Brooks what is it about the Selle that makes it more comfortable than the Brooks?

Thanks

Richard

andymiller

Richard36 wrote:

AndyMiller

If the Selle saddle is a modified Brooks what is it about the Selle that makes it more comfortable than the Brooks?

I think it's the shape combined with the fact that the Selle is made of thinner leather so that it stretches more easily and moves with you. Even with a slot cut into it the B17 is pretty tough and hard. Which may or may not be a good ting depending on your preferences.

richard36

Thanks

If money was no object I'd go for it but the Selle works out at 3x the price (when postage has been added in) so I may need to go for the Brooks

Richard

exmoor explorer

Hi - I used a Brooks B17 Special Copper on my journey from Perth to Sydney last year. I used it for most of my 2,000 miles training and then on the 2,500 mile trip across Australia. Some days I was in the saddle for 12 hours. It still looks like new. The saddle was excellent ... never gave me a problem. It didn't take long to run it in either. Can't recommend it highly enough. I don't know why it is so confortable ... but it is!

Brian
www.riscombe.co.uk/cycleride08.htm

alfablue

Richard36 wrote:

AndyMiller

If the Selle saddle is a modified Brooks what is it about the Selle that makes it more comfortable than the Brooks?

Thanks

Richard

It isn't a modified Brooks, it is entirely unique, however they will modify a Brooks for you, by cutting a slot in it, but it won't behave quite the same as the Selle.

As Andy suggests, the Selle leather is much more flexible, the part under the sit bones will deflect on each pedal stroke. Also, the tension is adjusted to suit the riders weight (as far as I know, it is recommended not to tinker with the Brooks tension until there is considerable stretching, with the Sele, you adjust it to suit you from the start). The saddle is also available in waterproof leather, so no worries about leaving it in the rain, and it is available with an extra laminated layer for the "heavier" rider (like me :oops: ).

This video shows the motion of the saddle in use.

Selle An-Atomica are now original fitment on Cannondale touring bikes.

In respect of the cost, it is fairly high (I paid £113), and is 2 to 3 times more than a Brooks B17, although it is still cheaper than some of the more expensive Brooks models. I actually spent much more than this on the 6 saddles I bought in my attempts to find a comfy touring saddle before I bought the Selle. It took me about 2 years before I took the plunge because the price put me off, but I missed out on 2 years of comfort! I by passed the Brooks option because of the break-in period, though I may well have been happy if I persevered, but in the end I just cut to the chase and went for the Selle, which if it lived up to the hype would be the ultimate solution - it did, and it is, money well spent in the end!

richard36

Alfablue

Thanks for your comments

I've gone ahead and bought the Brooks. Would have liked to buy the Selle and if the Brooks doesn't live up to expectation I'll save up for the Selle

Richard

galaxyboy

I got a brooks a couple of thousand miles ago and don't even know it's there.

Tourist Tony

I run three Brooks B17s, and bhave many thousands of miles of touring on them, from Australian deserts to Swedish forests. Wouldm't use anything else.

Blonde

I never got on with Brooks B17 even after 10,000 miles it still hurt me underneath, as it was too hard and rounded through the nose (my sit bones and arse were fine, but my soft tissue underneath and at the front was broken, damaged and bleeding on every ride). I need a cut out saddle, but plastic padded ones always chafed me as the padding would squash and fold around and inside me and the plastic saddle would have no flex though the mid section and nose. In desperation, a couple of years ago, I sent off my Brooks to be modified by Selle Anatomica, then later switched to the proper Selle An-atomica. I can't ride anything else! It stopped my pain and injuries straight away. It is more flexible than the Brooks (as others have said, partly due to the cut out hole and partly due to a more flexible leather) but it is still a firm saddle. It's easier to look after than a Brooks; not needing any breaking in, or any maintenance with poofide. I have four now - one on each of my bikes, including my track bike (in a lovely white leather). If you are someone who has struggled to find a comfortable saddle, or has saddle comfort issues despite trying many other saddles and despite trying various cycling positions, then I really can't recommend Selle An-atomica saddles highly enough. It's the only saddle that works for me.. just wish it hadn't taken me nearly five years of agony to find it!

alfablue

Blonde - you are one of the enlightened! For some reason (probably cost and appearance) most people seem to reject the Selle An-Atomica without giving it a go, but I agree with everything you say - it ended my 12 year search for a comfy saddle!

Blonde

I think Andymiller might actually be the guy who bought the modified Brooks from me! I didn't get on with it, despite the hole (although it did improve things a little), so I sold it. I have had the Selle an-atomica a few years now - three years, this year I think. I had tried all of the usual suspects before that; Fizik, Terrys, Selle Italia lady gel flow, Specialized Jett, Brooks B17 and none were any good to me. The Brooks was great for the sit bones and lack of chafing due to the unpadded nature, but as it had no cut out and was a rouded shape through the mid-section and nose, it squashed everything there, and I was still getting bleeding genitals, hard lumps and bruising after rides. Selle Anatomica just worked for me, straight out of the box. I did a 600km audax event on it and it was super. I didn't need to use any cream or change my shorts mid-way through the ride, as I had in the past and I could pee without pain afterwards! Hurrah!

andymiller

Blonde wrote:

I think Andymiller might actually be the guy who bought the modified Brooks from me!

Nah wasn't me.

richard36

I've ended up buying a Brooks B17 and will see how it goes.

In the event it isn't comfortable I'll sell it and splash out on the Selle Anatomica.

I put 17 miles on it yesterday and hope to put 36 miles on it tomorrow. Hopefully I won't have any problems

Thanks again for your replies

Richard

will3

Blimey what a kerfuffle.
2 week/100mile tour last year, I used an Aldi 'touring' saddle.Cost all of a fiver I think and was very comfy.

robthehungrymonkey

will3 wrote:

Blimey what a kerfuffle.
2 week/100mile tour last year, I used an Aldi 'touring' saddle.Cost all of a fiver I think and was very comfy.

Lol. I went for a ride with my girlfriends dad and bro at the weekend. They had no padding, whatever saddle came with the bike and no problems whatsoever. My arse on the other hand... was really painful!

Some people are just more delicate! (coming from a 105kg 6ft bloke. lol)