How do you find a comfortable saddle ?

Lifeboy123

The standard seat that came fitted with my bike is not the best and my butt aches after a long ride in the saddle but how do you know what you buy will be a comfortable saddle. You can hardly take your bike to your LBS to try one by sitting on it for hours so is this like finding the holy grail ?

Some are very narrow, others are very wide, some are gel filled others have memory cushion ?

Are there saddle websites with specific fitting guides that can be tailored to your seating posture or somewhere where you can get measured?

crankycrank

Lifeboy, you have my sympathies. Finding the best saddle is almost as hard as finding the best girl for a wife. There are so many to choose from and sometimes only a long courtship with your saddle will reveal a true match and your friends favourites usually won't work for you. You can narrow your search a little bit by finding out if you like flat/curved, narrow/wide, long nose/short, etc. but even that can have some exceptions. Personally I've found that if a saddle is extremely uncomfortable when initially sitting on it then it won't get any better when riding for long periods of time. If you have some cycling buddies ask if you can at least sit on their saddle for a minute or go for a ride. Take note of the shape of each saddle to narrow your search. Any of the seat fitting guides will help give you a general idea but not necessarily find the best one for you. Good luck!!!

ride_whenever

try as many as you can...

howabout a charge spoon, very popular and loads of people get on with them.

REF123

Like many things about cycling, saddle comfort is non-intuitive.
I've found that "less is best" and it took me a lot of time and pain to come to realize this.
For quite some time I figured that adding padding was the way to go since it works for any other "sit based" activity but the difference is that, on a bike, you are constantly moving against, or on, the saddle.
Over time, friction will win if your saddle's too big, too padded or just the wrong shape.
All you really want to do is support your sit bones... but... there is a period you do need to go through before your butt adjusts to this and the saddle adjusts to you.
You need to invest this time to truly find that comfort zone you are aiming for.
I, presently, use a saddle that was stock with my Felt CX bike and the thing's as minimal as it gets.
I figured I'd be tossing it but gave it a go and found it to be the most comfy saddle I have ever had.
I've been on a few chamois-less 160+ km rides with no pain or saddle sores to speak of.
So, to repeat, less is best.
A good bike fit is key, too.

giant_man

It's a long search mate. As mentioned before just try as many as you can.

The minimum imo you want to ride on the same saddle before you know it ifs the one for you or not, is 2 or 3 rides of at least 30 miles. So it's a case of buying and trying, unless you have a good LBS to let you try their stock.

Donnic

A good option would be to go to a bike shop that stocks specialized, they should most have a BG measuring tool. Which uses gel pads to measure your "Sit bone width" to give you a rough idea of "How wide your a*** is". The concept is designed to work with the specialized saddles, but I find knowing it does help choosing other saddles as you can look at with width and it will give you a rough idea of how wide a saddle you want.

Generally speaking, big plush saddles with loads of padding/gel are good at masking discomfort. I find that actually the saddles that don't appear particularly well padded, that instead go for a much better fit tend to be more comfortable.

At the end of the day, everyone has different preferences in saddle choice so its quite hrad to give definitive advice.
Personally I love the Selle Italia SLR XP (Have one on my road and mtb). But thats just me.

keef66

Try a Charge Spoon before anything more expensive. I had to replace the stock saddle on my bike because although quite expensive, it was clearly too narrow for my sit bones. I had a a go on a spoon and am still happy with it a year later.

If that's a bit down market for you, some speak highly of the Fizik Arione, others favour the Specialized Toupe type of thing, San Marco Rolls or a Brooks if you prefer a more traditional saddle.

Really you have to try them. @rses for courses

BigG67

If you are new to cycling look at how you sit on a saddle, which is not as daft as it sounds.

Push about your "rear end" and where the top of the femur meets your pelvis toward the rear you should feel a protruding bone on each side...these are the sit bones that Donnic mentions. Use these to sit on the saddle, not your fleshy parts.

Then invest in some decent shorts (lots recommend on these forums and Bike Radar website), you don't need Assos first off - though they are the favourite of many - but it is worth investing a little in them.

Once you're set up then have a look for saddles. As others have said it's all down to trial and error but without the initial stuff in place you'll be making decisions on the wrong basis.

For me it's the Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio....happened on it by chance and now cursed with liking a chuffing expensive saddle

flasher

Buy second hand off ebay, and sell the same way, you shouldn't lose too much money that way. Until you come to the conclusion that the Fizik Arione is the way forward

Lifeboy123

BigG47 and Donnic, thanks for some really helpful advice

Found the Fizik and Selle Royal videos on Eurobike useful; modstly marketing speil but it has given me an insight on the reason for the different shapes of saddle; they try to base their recommendation by placing emphasis on the riders flexibilty/ posture and riding style.

Have tried adjusting my seat so will perserve for now but will check out the size of my' butt' on the gel cushion at my LBS to help me narrow down my selection

donnie murdo

Depends entirely on the shape of your ar$£ to be honest. The more you pay only gives you lighter better quality materials and a better finish it never gives you better comfort. Best way is to try as many as you can. Fizik do seem to produce favourable results amongs many riders but I'm sure there are those that don't like them. I personaly have never found Selle Italia to be that comfy.

Monkeypump

+1 for Charge Spoon. Mentioned elsewhere, but not too expensive as one to try.

uptonspark

Another vote for the Charge Spoon here, got to be the best VFM out there.

ugo.santalucia

If you do lots of miles FIzik Arione or San Marco Zoncolan are your best bet.

If you are a commuter, look for something more padded

TheStone

Took me a long time to find the right one.

In the end I got to the Sella Italia Signo Special Edition (the non 'special' one is not the same)
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;n ... ;menuid1=4

Have it on both bikes. Perfect (for me).

floosy

Ive been through this same process over the last 12 months...... on my 5th saddle...... (I may have finally found my keeper.. 200 miles and still going:)


Ive been throught the specalized BG fit thing and the Bontrager one..... both said medium saddle.. 145mm ish..

but no not comfy..... cutouts didnt work for me either.......


My current saddle is the Brooks B17 narrow...... weighs a tonne.. but OMG its like sitting on a sofa....only much harder,,,

Dave

themightyw

uptonspark wrote:

Another vote for the Charge Spoon here, got to be the best VFM out there.

Ditto. I'm pretty certain that some people are more saddle sensitive than others. Fortunately I've been graced with a forgiving rear end, but the Charge Spoon is an excellent and very cheap saddle that has served me well. At the very least if you go for it and find it uncomfortable then it will probably be the least expensive of your 'mistakes'.

NWLondoner

BigG67 wrote:

For me it's the Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio....happened on it by chance and now cursed with liking a chuffing expensive saddle

Are you still liking this saddle?

I need to buy a new saddle and this looks perfect.

Are there any rough parts/stitching on this saddle? My bib tights don't like rubbing against any rough surfaces (damn bobbling) :roll:

Velonutter

I bought very cheap off fleabay a Fizik Arione CX Carbon, cursed it from day one, but persevered, now after 750 miles it is OK and getting more comfortable every day, so was it the seat or my sit bones getting used to riding after 25+ years away?

I bought a non carbon one off here for my training bike and that is fine as well.

If anyone had asked me at the beginning then I would have said that they were the incarnation of hell, when in fact it was my body getting used to it.

I have heard very good things about the charge as well though.

Contrary to others, I have found that the bib shorts made a lot of difference and the Assos were well worth it.

northpole

I have the specialized toupe saddle which if you pop up the road wearing jeans or track suit bottoms is just about the most uncomfortable thing I could imagine!

Add a decent pair of Assos bibs and I could sit on it all day.

Shorts really make a huge difference - as slow-n-old mentioned in the last post.

Peter

Not Another Hill

Just fitted a Charge Spoon to my '87 Raleigh Kelloggs Pro Tour. Lovely and comfortable. For the price it has top be a bargain. It is more comfortable than the San Marco Ponza on my Cayo and the SDG Bel Air(?) on my MTB. The Raleigh's original seat is pretty comfortable as well but you may struggle to find one on Wiggle nowadays

Scrumple

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marcthehammer

I found the stiching on the charge spoon rubbed my ar** up the wrong way!!!

sampras38

Flasher wrote:

Buy second hand off ebay, and sell the same way, you shouldn't lose too much money that way. Until you come to the conclusion that the Fizik Arione is the way forward

Another Fizik Arione fan here...0/