what saddle do people recommend???

paulc33

as the title says looking to replace my saddle but dunno what to go for had real difficulty with saddles tried a few i have to say.

At the moment i have a salle italia SLR 135, last year found it fine for most rides but this year its become uncomfortable and is causing me some pain.
so want to try somethng else, but dont want to gain too much weight,

i have been looking at the specialized toupe ......what do people think LBS recommended it.

or are there others people get along with i tend to do about 100 miles aweek or more,

Also have started commuting by bike now as well so thats the other reason for wanting a more comfortable saddle.

de_sisti

There are lots of good comfortable saddles out there. Cyclists will find one that is comfortable
for them isn't right for another individual. Best advice is to try several and choose the one that
is most comfortable for you. But then, you already knew that, didn't you.

paulc33

i know what your saying but there is only so much money you can throw at trying different saddles as none of them are that cheap!!!!

de_sisti

Bontrager Race Lite Lux. I have one for each of my bikes. They seem to conform to the
shape of my bum. Oh, don't forget some bum gel for your shorts too. I recommend
Qoleum 4A+ Antifriction Cream +. It cost about £10. Thick like vaseline, but thicker.

SteveR_100Milers

Took me about 9 saddles till I fond what I needed.

I am 6ft 1 with a large "structure" (as in arse not manliness necessarily) and the specilaized saddles work for me in wide fitting - 155mm

For my TT bike, the only saddle that worked is the selle italia SLR T1 which is TT specific. It has a huge wide nose padded like a sofa and is amazingly comfy.

Radioactiveman

Can I suggest a saddle swapping thread I bet there are plenty of old saddles sat in garages needing a new owner.

bobtbuilder

paulc33 wrote:

i know what your saying but there is only so much money you can throw at trying different saddles as none of them are that cheap!!!!

Most saddles have a decent resale value on Ebay if you decide it's not the right one for you.

More padded isn't always bettter. What is important is that you have padding under your sit bones.

FWIW I have the Selle Italia SLC saddle on both my bikes.

Daimler

I've got 2 x Specialized Toupe Saddles (SL3 and my Allez).
I had a sit bone test done at the LBS and despite my slight frame I'm still a 143mm.
Very comfy.
Picked up the Allez one brand new off ebay for £56 which included postage so I was well pleased.
2nd hand ones fetch good money.
Most common are 130mm and 143mm but there are a few 2nd hand 155mm ones every now and then.

marin_maniac

Bontrager inform. Try it and see!

vorsprung

Given that you have a SLR 135 at the moment I think it is unliklely that you would even consider a Brooks B17 as it is "heavy" and maybe doesn't look right

That's what I use, it suits my particular arse

northpole

My bike came with a Toupe fitted and I have never really given it much thought - in my experience that's a really positive thing to say about it!!

Hard as nails if you want to pop down to the shops wearing jeans or the like, but with a decent pair of bib shorts, it performs perfectly for me - hence I don't notice it or think about replacing it.

Peter

macondo01

Yep happy with my Toupe. Try to find a shop though where they have a discrete corner for you to sit on the measuring cushion (to determine the correct saddle width). Its an odd thing to create an arse print in a public place and then for someone to examine it.

The Spiderman

I`m sure there is a gap in the market for an online saddle specialist that would loan you each type of saddle in stock for an extended test,for a deposit and then refund you once you`d found your perfect saddle.

derosa

San Marco Rolls with Titanium rails. Old school but soo comfortable.

Scrumple

arione

and on, and on and on and on....

LivinLaVidaLotus

Just bought a Specialized Avatar Gel after being "measured" (Use the word loosely, "here, sit on this, right 155mm then"). Much much better than the one that came on the bike for me (although it does weight more, boo), especially as it's not nipping my nuts.

Rich Hcp

Brooks Team Pro

Takes a week or two to break in, once broken, very comfy

ride_whenever

charge spoon, cheap good resale and very popular

on-yer-bike

In my experience there is no such thing as a comfortable saddle. Some are less uncomfortable than others.

floosy

Brooks b17 narrow... hard as nails at first... but a veritable sofa after a 200 miles or so..

all 540 grams of it...

i have been through 5 saddles to get to this point... but interms a sheer comfort.. you couldnt beat a brooks.. IMO

ohhh i must be honest here.. have now switched to the slr xp.... and its comfy for me...

brooks now on MTB

Dave.

LivinLaVidaLotus

540g, crikey, I thought I was bad adding 100gm taking it to 360g, lol.

tigerben

+1 for brooks.

Not cheap. not light. but very comfy (after a couple of weeks and the seat molding to your sit bones).

Apparantly they last a long while too. (only had mine 6 mths so cannot vouch for this).

made in the uk as well.

I have the swift (whcih i believe is slightly more racy than than the B17).

Spatulala

Spesh Phenom 143mm wide - measured up on their memory foam cushion, replaced a vicious Bonty R1 that came with my Trek. The Phenom is 1000 times more comfortable for me. I think it's designed as an MTB saddle, but so far so good.

paulc33

Has anyone tried the san marco concor?? They seem to get good reviews as well?!