Watched TDF today, plenty of guys with Fizik assbusters

1_reaper

I have a Fizik Arion > best & most comfortable saddle I have ever had. Guess different saddles suit different people

Mr Will

My bike came with a Fizik somethingorother as standard fit. I've never got on with it particularly well, but think my arse has finally given in and become approximately Fizik shaped.

Keep meaning to try some others, but it's not bad enough to justify the cost on something which might be worse.

Ezy Rider

1_reaper wrote:

I have a Fizik Arion > best & most comfortable saddle I have ever had. Guess different saddles suit different people

reaper, you must have a pair of knackers and a perineum coated in asbestos mate.

cougie

Or you have girly knackers ? ;-)

ThatBikeGuy

I have only tried 2 saddles. First one was a Charge Spoon because it was cheap and matched my bike - worked fine for me.
2nd was a Fizik Arione which came with my new bike, i get along with both of them. Perhaps you're just being too fussy? 8)

ColinJ

Nickwill wrote:

No saddle suits every rider, but nearly everyone I know rides an Arione. I won't ride anything else.
The secret is to keep the front section level so when looking at it from the side, the back kicks up.
I did try a Versus version (with the groove) and it was a different story and didn't suit at all!

I found my Arione uncomfortable until I lowered the nose to keep the front flat, just the way you've described it. Like this ...



That made all the difference. It still felt comfortable at the end of a couple of 140 mile rides.

The bad news is that since I piled weight on, my bum got fatter and now the Arione doesn't suit me so much and it hurts after 40 miles!

1_reaper

Ezy Rider wrote:

1_reaper wrote:

I have a Fizik Arion > best & most comfortable saddle I have ever had. Guess different saddles suit different people

reaper, you must have a pair of knackers and a perineum coated in asbestos mate.

arthur_scrimshaw

With my Arione I find my nuts go numb after about 30 miles (yeah I know) but a bit of standing up and massaging soon sorts this out. Get some funny looks though.

Ezy Rider

ColinJ wrote:

Nickwill wrote:

No saddle suits every rider, but nearly everyone I know rides an Arione. I won't ride anything else.
The secret is to keep the front section level so when looking at it from the side, the back kicks up.
I did try a Versus version (with the groove) and it was a different story and didn't suit at all!

I found my Arione uncomfortable until I lowered the nose to keep the front flat, just the way you've described it. Like this ...



That made all the difference. It still felt comfortable at the end of a couple of 140 mile rides.

The bad news is that since I piled weight on, my bum got fatter and now the Arione doesn't suit me so much and it hurts after 40 miles!

you have that saddle considerably forward, have you been fitted to your bike or does the curvature of the seatpost have something to do with it ?

Skippy2309

strange enough I got on very well with the charge spoon, got a Fizik Pave CX sport on my CAAD9 which was fine for short bursts but any longer really hurt. It was flexing and causing pressure on the perineum. Grabbed an Arione and it just felt right. Got one on each of my bikes now. Was a little sore the first time back on the bike after 9months out but only after 2 weeks I am fine riding without a pad for around an hour.


sometimes it takes a while to get used to it. saying that tho both my ariones are perfectly flat.... they stay flat with my 100kg on top of them too, dont know how you got it curved like that

Jason82

Aren't brooks saddles supposed to be the most comfortable as they mould to the shape of your butt?

kingrollo

Jason82 wrote:

Aren't brooks saddles supposed to be the most comfortable as they mould to the shape of your butt?

Yes that whats I am reading ..but:-

Apparently sometimes they never break in - so 'moulding'never takes place

I think it depends what your problem is - do you ache or are your sore ? - I reckon a brooks might cure aches - but would be less confident of soreness

Ezy Rider

Jason82 wrote:

Aren't brooks saddles supposed to be the most comfortable as they mould to the shape of your butt?

have you read the weight of some of those things, i think i saw one at 500g :shock:

when i see those brooks saddles i think of an old guy with a flat cap oop north riding a bike with a shopping basket in a hovis advert. definitely an iconic product, but definitely not for me either.

Skerryman

I picked up a Specialized Romin this week to replace the Cube RFR saddle that came with my bike. Noticed the general was getting numb during rides (sounds so wrong) and was blaming it on the colder weather earlier in the year and the scant thermal protection offered by my bibs. Fitted the Romin yesterday and went out for a quick 20 miler with my multi-tool in hand. Had to make several adjustments before it felt right. So far so good, the cut out section really makes a difference, haven't had it out on a long ride yet so hoping its OK for the big miles. The general seems pleased so far anyway

graeme_s-2

Saddles are a funny old thing. The cheap San Marco saddle that came with my Focus road bike is the most painful torture device I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. It felt to me like it actually had a raised bump where some saddles have a cut out or channel. I remember the grinding feeling when I moved from the hoods to the drops would actually make me gag. The first ride I had with the Arionne I replaced it with felt like my arse was being kissed by angels the whole way round.

Ezy Rider

Graeme_S wrote:

Saddles are a funny old thing. The cheap San Marco saddle that came with my Focus road bike is the most painful torture device I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. It felt to me like it actually had a raised bump where some saddles have a cut out or channel. I remember the grinding feeling when I moved from the hoods to the drops would actually make me gag. The first ride I had with the Arionne I replaced it with felt like my ars* was being kissed by angels the whole way round.

funny that, i felt there was a raised hump directly behind the knackers when i was riding the arione , it was like there was minimal weight at the saddle bones and the pressure was completely at the wrong place.

graeme_s-2

Ezy Rider wrote:

funny that, i felt there was a raised hump directly behind the knackers when i was riding the arione , it was like there was minimal weight at the saddle bones and the pressure was completely at the wrong place.

We obviously have very different arses. I think the San Marco is sat under the bed in our spare room collected dust!

andrewlwood

Ezy Rider wrote:

Jason82 wrote:

Aren't brooks saddles supposed to be the most comfortable as they mould to the shape of your butt?

have you read the weight of some of those things, i think i saw one at 500g :shock:

when i see those brooks saddles i think of an old guy with a flat cap oop north riding a bike with a shopping basket in a hovis advert. definitely an iconic product, but definitely not for me either.

It seems like you're trying to choose your saddle based on what it looks like.

I have used and liked Ariones - I have an Aliante on my current bike and I love it. There's enough flex in it to be really comfy. Like all saddles, it needed breaking in, and the tiniest angle adjustment turned it from ball-mincingly uncomfortable to mobile sofa. It's whatever works for your shape, positioned in a way that... works for your shape.

Now, the Selle Flite gel - THAT'S an uncomfortable saddle.

Ezy Rider

surely you can see my point

ColinJ

Ezy Rider wrote:

you have that saddle considerably forward, have you been fitted to your bike or does the curvature of the seatpost have something to do with it ?

I just fiddle with the set-up until I find the most comfortable arrangement for me. With the saddle in the mid-point of the rails, I felt that I was sitting forward of the widest part of the saddle and that was putting pressure where I definitely didn't want it! That's why I moved it forward.

The set-back on that seatpost is obviously a factor. I have since replaced it with a nice Ti post which has less set-back, so the saddle was back to mid-rails again. I now use a Specialized Body Geometry saddle which is a bit more comfortable for my lard-arse.

When I have lost weight, I'll see which saddle I prefer. The loser can go on my mountain bike which I tend to use for shorter rides, and I'm out of the saddle more so comfort is less of an issue.

STOP PRESS! I have two Ariones and I just noticed that one is much flatter than the other. I put a straight-edge on them to measure the dips in the centres and one is 3 mm and the other is 6 mm! Perhaps it was the other one which I found comfortable?

I got the saddles mixed up but I know the one that I took off the bike recently hasn't been suiting me. I'll have to try swapping the second one for the Specialized and see how I get on.

Here's a picture of the second Arione on my other bike. You can see that it is mid-rail on that Ti post on that bike. If you compare the saddle with the one on the Blue Basso you can see that it is slightly flatter.



I don't know if the saddle design changed slightly or whether the difference is just due to manufacturing tolerances. If it is the latter, then those tolerances are pretty slack - 3 mm is a big difference in such a product!

ascurrell

Out of interest what would be classed as a wide or narroe saddle.
The narrowest I have [which I haven't tried yet] is a Vetta Jet, it's 120mm wide and a great retro looking saddle, I believe in leather.
Interested if anyone knows anything about them especially rail material.
Will put pic on later.
Cheers, Scurry

johnbirkby46213

Jason82 wrote:

Aren't brooks saddles supposed to be the most comfortable as they mould to the shape of your butt?

Yes indeed. You will spend £100's on saddles, being put off a Brooks by the oldie worldie view that lots of people have of them.

Then you'll get one and within a very short while, you'll wonder why you resisted for so long.
I had a pre -aged B17 fitted to my touring bike and it didn't take any breaking in. Later I bought a Spech Rubaix with the most fantastic looking saddle (even my daughter said it looked sexy). I tried a couple of 60 and 100 mile rides and all I could think of during the ride was how much my posterior hurt.
Put my Brooks B17 - bliss ...but it looked pants!!!

Swapped the Spech Toupe saddle for a Brooks "Swift". fabby comfort and looks great.
My dream saddle (for my Spech Rubaix) is this however
http://www.brooksengland.com/en/Shop_ProductPage.aspx?cat=saddles+-+road+%26+mtb&prod=B15+Swallow+Titanium
tho having just been made redundant, it's going to be a long time in the dreaming.

A modern saddle either fits your backside - or it won't. A Brooks however is like a pair of good leather shoes. You might at first experience some discomfort, but very soon you don't notice you are wearing them (because they have effectively become fitted to your feet). Thats what happens with a Brooks saddle.

failing that, if you really can't/won't try a Brooks, some bike shops have saddles for trial.

eg:

http://www.mikevaughancycles.co.uk/

Check whether or not a bike shop somewhere in your vicinity does.