Saddle Choice

marshall_a

Hello, first off I hope you don't read into this as yet another what saddle thread, but I was wondering what criteria ppl decided they had the right saddle for them.

I've tried numerious saddles now (at the cheaper end of things <£50) and feel as though I'm getting very close to what will work for me. I've tried the charge spoon and similar but these always became uncomfortable in the sit bone area after 50min - 1hr, but the flatter styles are much better with no sit bone soreness. The latest bought saddle which is nearly there is a Sella Italia SL XC, but being a heaver rider (95kg) I seem to flex it too much and think I'm hitting on the top of the seat tube causing the start of abit of numbness after approx 90min of primarly seated riding which then forces periods of out of the saddle riding.
Now, I've got a LBS which has Fizik test saddles and picked up an Antares over the weekend to try first for a week or so, which is similar but firmer than the Selle italia so hoping this one might be the answer, but how will I know, as I don't really expect to be seated on any saddle for hours on end without some sort of discomfort however minor, especially given my weight.

I'm testing on the turbo and fairly flatish terrrain so seated most of the time (no point in doing loads of out of saddle hills to test I assume), so should I settle for a couple of hours primarly seated, lose weight and get out of the saddle every couple of miles even when I don't need too? or will there be that special one saddle out there that I have to keep searching for!!

TIA

Andy

EPO Delivery Man

You've opened up a can of worms asking about saddles :-)

In my experience, it's a matter of trying them where you can and just seeing what works. I've probably spent more on saddles than i have any other component, so if you can borrow or beg one for a bit then try it.

As for trying it on a turbo, you can and it would give you a good indication, but its not the same as doing miles on the road due to different forces going through your backside. What might feel ok on a turbo might not once you hit the road with rough surfaces and potholes, not to mention vibrations through the bike on a regular basis. So i wouldnt say the turbo would be a good long term indicator of wether the seat will be ok. Also seats tend to bed in after a few miles so you cant go by the first few miles, as 40-50 miles down the road it might feel different. Weight will obviously change a few things but in my experience it doesnt change it drastically, its more down to sit bone position than anything else and weight wont change that position as its set.

ajb72

Sounds like you need to keep searching - or maybe get a bike fit. Adrian Timmis at Cadence sport explained to me how the wrong bike set up can drastically affect your saddle comfort, and I believe he will not offer demo saddles without a bike fit (I stand to be corrected there though). So often you might have the correct saddle for your shape, but be seated incorrectly so it always feels uncomfortable.

I for example had my saddle height almost perfect, but around 10mm too far forward. This and a couple of other minor issued meant I had rotated my hips too much and ended up with pressure on my lower back and sit bones. A few tweaks and all of a sudden everything just felt right - in fact any number of previous saddles might have been fine!

If running to the cost of a bike fit is too much, perhaps consider the Kurve range of Fizik saddles which you can also demo. The prices are starting to come down a bit now and I have found my Snake model incredibly comfortable. I would not want a saddle that forced me to ride standing up, especially just as the legs were starting to fade! Good luck with your search.

marshall_a

thanks for your input so far... I will be testing on the road as well and not just the turbo, but have to admit I'm losing feeling in my toes and fingers before anywhere saddle related with the current weather ;-) and use the turbo for getting the angles etc dialled first.

I'll probably go the bike fit route before getting my n+1, as I do like tinkering and have a problem with internet shopping I'm not willing to admit to just yet ;-) but I feel like i'm nearing my sweet spot setup wise (fitness is fading before real discomfort) so just really looking for assurance as to what ideal should be from those that have found it! :-)

Sprool

Its a bit hit and miss getting a saddle thats comfortable for you. I found on the rollers after 25 mins my stock Scott saddle was causing numbness. On the road where you are changing position a lot more often the Scott saddle could give me about an hour's ride before I started feeling numb. The rollers helped a lot in quickly knowing which would work for me. I tried s Specialized Phenom which was cutting in at the sides and almost immediately uncomfortable. Changing the seat angle by a mm or 2 made more difference than I thought, but I could easily tell on the rollers this wasn't going to work out - the central cutout was better though than the scott. I also tried a selle italia saddle but then took a punt on a second hand high spec Toupe from Specialized, which was a bargain on ebay. After a little adjustment it felt great, really comfy on the rollers for an hour, and great for longer rides on crappy tarmac we get round Kirklees area. Really happy with the Toupe, best saddle yet for me. May not work out the same for you but if you get a chance, try one.