tryasaddle "try before you buy" coming soon ....... :)

MattC59

Add a San Marco Regal-e to the range. It's an expensive saddle and very firm, so somewhat off putting when you look at them in the shop, but the shape is fantastic. I've never had any issues with soreness with mine even on long rides.

I took a gamble and bought mine, because I couldn't find anywhere to test one, but suspect that it would be popular if available for test.

jay197

MattC59 wrote:

Add a San Marco Regal-e to the range. It's an expensive saddle and very firm, so somewhat off putting when you look at them in the shop, but the shape is fantastic. I've never had any issues with soreness with mine even on long rides.

I took a gamble and bought mine, because I couldn't find anywhere to test one, but suspect that it would be popular if available for test.

Nice one Matt, will do, did you get the carbon model, or the "urban" one?

The urban one is under £100 , and has the same upper seat build, just no carbon rails, so should be just as comfortable as the pricier "carbon" version, but just a few grams heavier

When the site does live can you write up a short customer review for me on it mentioning a bit about you, like height and weight, and what riding you do on it, and your experiences with it, etc, as that would be very helpful info for other cyclists to base their choices on.

Thanks,

Jay.

declan1

I would recommend adding the Selle San Marco Rolls saddle to your range. I got one on my latest road bike and it's really good. Quite a few people also rate it highly.

jay197

declan1 wrote:

I would recommend adding the Selle San Marco Rolls saddle to your range. I got one on my latest road bike and it's really good. Quite a few people also rate it highly.

Thanks Declan, I will definitely get some as "testers" as the San Marco range does seem to be very a good value range and has a nice firm feel about it, without being too firm, (if that makes sense :roll: )

The whole purpose of the site it not to stock "every" saddle, good or bad, but rather to stock the BEST saddles with the best reviews, which other cyclists like yourself recommend, instead a "salesrep" at a stand

Is it me or does the San Marco Rolls have a retro kinda "huggy bear" look about it ?



All you need is a cane with a diamond on the top ........

Regards,

Jay.

declan1

jay197 wrote:

declan1 wrote:

I would recommend adding the Selle San Marco Rolls saddle to your range. I got one on my latest road bike and it's really good. Quite a few people also rate it highly.

Thanks Declan, I will definitely get some as "testers" as the San Marco range does seem to be very a good value range and has a nice firm feel about it, without being too firm, (if that makes sense :roll: )

The whole purpose of the site it not to stock "every" saddle, good or bad, but rather to stock the BEST saddles with the best reviews, which other cyclists like yourself recommend, instead a "salesrep" at a stand

Is it me or does the San Marco Rolls have a retro kinda "huggy bear" look about it ?



All you need is a cane with a diamond on the top ........

Regards,

Jay.

Awesome. I have the plain black titanium-railed version which retails for £80 but I presume the cheaper one will have the same comfort levels.

The ones in that picture do look a little odd look to them don't they? Mine doesn't look like that (luckily)!

I hope your site goes well. It really is a great idea - I don't know why no-one has attempted it before...

Sprool

works for me, this is a great idea, well done. Now I need to go decide which one I want to test.
As a newbie Q, do modern saddles need any breaking-in period before they get more comfortable?

+1 for a Selle Italia Gel Flow

jay197

Sprool wrote:

works for me, this is a great idea, well done. Now I need to go decide which one I want to test.
As a newbie Q, do modern saddles need any breaking-in period before they get more comfortable?

+1 for a Selle Italia Gel Flow

Hi Sprool, it usually takes a couple hundred miles to "break in" most of the high spec performance saddles, but many modern saddles like the Selle Italia Gel Flow, or the Scratch Pro Plus, seem to be comfortable out of the box, and don't have that initial rigidity that the higher spec saddles have. A certain amount of rigidity and firmness is essential for "power" but no one wants to sit on a saddle that feels like a sheet of sandpaper tied to a brick .... :shock:

See rule 5 in any case....... :P

Regards,

Jay.

Sprool

Jay,
going by your Avatar, i think you are too young to open up such an innovative enterprise. Have you tidied up your room and washed your hands for tea? :x

Longershanks

I will check if the are in stock and get a good price for you Dale.

What colour did you want, the red and black one then ?

I will let you know in the week.

Regards,

Jay.[/quote]

Cheers for that Jay.

Yes i would probably go for a black and red one, and a white and red one for now.

This was the response from Madison about the afformentioned saddle,
Dear Sir
Due to minimum order requirements we currently only range the Aspide in its’ standard form. U.K. demand for the Open design is currently not sufficient for us to realistically hold it in stock. We constantly revise our range according to the requests we recieve but as things stand we have no plans to range the open variants.
Apologies
Madison.

Funny how just about every other saddle manufacturer who sells their product in the U.K thinks that there IS a market for saddles with a cut out. Maybe if they could be arsed to stock a few more different models they would get a chance to sell them.
Can't help some people!

D.

wishitwasallflat

Great idea how much will you be asking for as deposit on the test saddles?

jay197

wishitwasallflat wrote:

Great idea how much will you be asking for as deposit on the test saddles?

The deposits vary according to the saddles, and some manufactures do not make "test" saddles, so I have to use a normal saddle as a "test" saddle.

Either way, we only keep the "hire" charge, and all security deposits are fully refundable.

Velonutter

Superb Idea.

As I endeavour to find the best saddle for me after riding over 25000 miles on an Arione and still feeling uncomfortable, I decided to set a budget of £500 to get the matter resolved. Money of which could be recouped when I sell all 9 of my Ariones and the other saddles that haven't worked out.

It's working as I am now down to 3 possibilities, but it would have been so much easier if people like you were around.

jay197

Velonutter wrote:

Superb Idea.

As I endeavour to find the best saddle for me after riding over 25000 miles on an Arione and still feeling uncomfortable, I decided to set a budget of £500 to get the matter resolved. Money of which could be recouped when I sell all 9 of my Ariones and the other saddles that haven't worked out.

It's working as I am now down to 3 possibilities, but it would have been so much easier if people like you were around.

What are the 3 possibilities then ?

we are all intrigued..........

jay197

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone for all the great support and suggestions I have received from you all.

I ordered a huge amount of stock, and every single saddle has been pre-booked for hire........... :shock:

We start hiring our first saddles out this weekend to all those who have written to me and pre-booked.

I strongly advise anyone thinking of trying a particular saddle, to drop me a line at the site or PM me here so that I can make sure I stock it for you.

Regards,

Jay.

BobScarle

I have ordered a saddle and am in the process of sorting the details. Thank you for that.

One thing does come to mind. You say that you will send me a brand new saddle, in the manufacturers packaging for me to try. Ok, that's fine. Assuming that I do not get on with it, I return it to you. That saddle is now used and not sealed in it's original bag. The next time somebody asks for that make and model of saddle, will you send them a new one, in which case you will build up a large stock of used saddles? Will they have an option, new or used, for hire? Or non of the above?

Bob

jay197

Hi Bob,

Yes at the moment all those saddles are brand new, so everyone is getting a brand new one in the original packaging. Lucky you Bob :P

But once it is used, it is used.

If someone did decide to buy that model of saddle they are hiring we would always send them a "new" saddle as that is what they paying for, and they would return the "used "tester" saddle.

I would suggest on most "new" saddles doing at least a 100 miles+ to break it in a bit, but the one you are trying is comfortable straight out of the box due to it's Gel construction.

Regards,

Jay.

Velonutter

jay197 wrote:

Velonutter wrote:

Superb Idea.

As I endeavour to find the best saddle for me after riding over 25000 miles on an Arione and still feeling uncomfortable, I decided to set a budget of £500 to get the matter resolved. Money of which could be recouped when I sell all 9 of my Ariones and the other saddles that haven't worked out.

It's working as I am now down to 3 possibilities, but it would have been so much easier if people like you were around.

What are the 3 possibilities then ?

we are all intrigued..........

Hi Jay,

So far the Fizik Kurve Snake, Fizik Aliante and finally the Selle Prolink Gel Flow, which has now been discontinued but Selle say that the nearest is the C2 Gel Flow.

None are particular light, the Kurve has been ridden to 84 miles in the Wild Wales Challenge and was fine, but they are expensive, the Prolink to 69 miles and was like an armchair, the Aliante was ok up to 50 miles and not tried any further.

Hope that helps?

Gizmodo

jay197 wrote:

Gizmodo wrote:

Great idea, I've tried all the Fizik test saddles from my LBS and still not found anything comfortable after 50 miles. I was thinking of Prologo but as you say, no test saddles. When your site's back up I'll be taking a look, I might try the Selle Italia C2 Gel Flow you seem to like.

Aye loads of saddles are great for the first couple of hours and then............. :shock:

I have done 4-5 hours in it ,in complete comfort on my ever so stiff GT road bike, so it gets my vote, and the build quality is very solid, there is nothing worse than spending money on a new saddle, only to have the bloody seams falling apart after a couple of weeks, but the Selle Italia's are tough old birds.

It does seem to be an excellent value saddle, one for the longer rides and 100 mile+ "sportives"

Thanks for letting me try the Selle Italia C2 Gel Flow, what a great idea, I'm only jealous I didn't think of it.

The saddle arrived on Saturday 20 October and I fitted it before my club ride. I rode over 330 miles on the saddle and it was as comfortable as any other saddle I've tried, including every Fizik test saddle. It still isn't "the" saddle for me, I still get discomfort after about 45 miles of riding, but that's fine, I've sent it back and Jay is sending me a Max Flite to try.

And how much has this extended test cost me? £8 hire, £2.99 postage and £2.65 to return it - so £13.64 in total. Had I bought the saddle to find it was not ideal, I'd then be looking at trying to sell a second hand saddle. :shock:

The Selle Italia C2 Gel Flow is a great looking saddle and is well padded. It looks to be really well made and feels like quality leather. It wasn't "the" one for me, but it was one of (if not) the best I've tried which includes all of the Fizik test saddles. I'm find with most saddles up to about 40 miles, that's when I feel discomfort. Some may say MTFU but for now I'll keep up my search.

MattC59

jay197 wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

Add a San Marco Regal-e to the range. It's an expensive saddle and very firm, so somewhat off putting when you look at them in the shop, but the shape is fantastic. I've never had any issues with soreness with mine even on long rides.

I took a gamble and bought mine, because I couldn't find anywhere to test one, but suspect that it would be popular if available for test.

Nice one Matt, will do, did you get the carbon model, or the "urban" one?

The urban one is under £100 , and has the same upper seat build, just no carbon rails, so should be just as comfortable as the pricier "carbon" version, but just a few grams heavier

When the site does live can you write up a short customer review for me on it mentioning a bit about you, like height and weight, and what riding you do on it, and your experiences with it, etc, as that would be very helpful info for other cyclists to base their choices on.

Thanks,

Jay.

Forgot to check back here. I went for the carbon version, which is stupidly light and really comfortable. A bit of bling for my new build
No problem writing a review.
M

Gizmo_

Gizmodo wrote:

I'm find with most saddles up to about 40 miles, that's when I feel discomfort.

Glad it's not just me. I'm actually really comfortable on the stock saddle that came with my CAAD8, up to about three hours (so 45-50 miles on a good run). Then it starts to sag, the pressure on the gentlemen's parts increases, the numbness arrives and Gizmo becomes an unhappy bunny.

Sprool

I can do a couple of hours on the road with my stock Scott saddle before it starts to get uncomfortable, but on the rollers I find numbness sets in within about 30 minutes. Must be the fixed pedalling position and no stops or shifting weight. Keen to try a decent saddle with a perineal cutout, I'll be able to tell pretty quickly with a roller session if it's an improvement or not.

jay197

[quote="MattC59"

Forgot to check back here. I went for the carbon version, which is stupidly light and really comfortable. A bit of bling for my new build
No problem writing a review.
[/quote]

nice

jay197

Gizmodo wrote:

And how much has this extended test cost me? £8 hire, £2.99 postage and £2.65 to return it - so £13.64 in total. Had I bought the saddle to find it was not ideal, I'd then be looking at trying to sell a second hand saddle. :shock:

And that is a great example of why I set this service up in the first place Gizmo :P

indyp

Do you have a Fizik Aliante Versus I could try by any chance?

Sprool

Many thanks to Jay for the speedy dispatch of the Selle C2 Gel Flow, great looking kit now attached to my Scott S30. For me though it was instantly apparent that the saddle has too much flex in it, which points the nose upwards into my soft and yielding gentlemans region as soon as i sit on it, also making the seat area feel quite small, like I am sitting in a small bowl. Seems a more rigid saddle as a stable flatter platform is going to suit me better. I'm still taken with the idea of centre cutout section. Question is, what else is available, offering similar design, but maybe a touch wider and less centre-flex when you put your weight on it?
Oh, btw I'm 12st 7lb, is that too heavy for a saddle like this or are my sit bones particularly pointy?

indyp

Sprool wrote:

Many thanks to Jay for the speedy dispatch of the Selle C2 Gel Flow, great looking kit now attached to my Scott S30. For me though it was instantly apparent that the saddle has too much flex in it, which points the nose upwards into my soft and yielding gentlemans region as soon as i sit on it, also making the seat area feel quite small, like I am sitting in a small bowl. Seems a more rigid saddle as a stable flatter platform is going to suit me better. I'm still taken with the idea of centre cutout section. Question is, what else is available, offering similar design, but maybe a touch wider and less centre-flex when you put your weight on it?
Oh, btw I'm 12st 7lb, is that too heavy for a saddle like this or are my sit bones particularly pointy?

Have you given a Specialized Romin a go? I've only tried a couple - planet x (fizik type), I found it comfy but need cut-out, also a Selle Gel Flite, which was too flat. The cut-out style suits me better, and I find the Romin cormfortable plus there's very little flex, and I'm 15st.

Sprool

Sounds like a good option, though I was trying to get sorted on a pretty limited budget. If Jay has one I can try and it retails for under £55 then I'd be happy to give it a go.

wishitwasallflat

Sprool wrote:

Many thanks to Jay for the speedy dispatch of the Selle C2 Gel Flow, great looking kit now attached to my Scott S30. For me though it was instantly apparent that the saddle has too much flex in it, which points the nose upwards into my soft and yielding gentlemans region as soon as i sit on it, also making the seat area feel quite small, like I am sitting in a small bowl. Seems a more rigid saddle as a stable flatter platform is going to suit me better. I'm still taken with the idea of centre cutout section. Question is, what else is available, offering similar design, but maybe a touch wider and less centre-flex when you put your weight on it?
Oh, btw I'm 12st 7lb, is that too heavy for a saddle like this or are my sit bones particularly pointy?

You won't get it for that price but from what you write I bet a Selle SMP Glider, Dynamic or Drakon type would be just up your street - they are crazy expensive though but maybe if your lucky you may get a 2nd hand one .

jay197

Sprool wrote:

Sounds like a good option, though I was trying to get sorted on a pretty limited budget. If Jay has one I can try and it retails for under £55 then I'd be happy to give it a go.

Hi Sprool,

Aye the Spec Romin is very nice, it is quite flat, rigid and firm, with great power transfer, and they retail for under £50 at the moment too.

I have several out on test, and I have orded a few more new ones in, so I will let you know before the end of the week either way.

Regards,

Jay.