50 mile saddle..what next.

elderone

I have been trying to find a comfy saddle,but even my latest saddle (fizik arione)is ok upto 50 miles or so then just gets to painful. what others saddles do people use for longer rides.I have done enough 50+ mile rides to adapt to the distance so the search goes on.

wishitwasallflat

I like my Specialized Avatar Gel - I think officially its an MTB saddle but I like mine.

cycleclinic

It is so personal all advise is meaningless. There is the sella Italia ID match find a local dealer on the chickens cycles website and pop along and give ago. At least you will be able to blame the dealer if you do not like the saddle suggested. Once you have found a shape you like stick to it like glue. For me it is the SDG bel air or Sella Italia C2 or SLR saddles. All different but they all work for me but always for others.

desweller

Setup is a substantial factor when it comes to how comfy a saddle is.

That said, I like the Sella Italia X0 Flow I fitted to my touring bike this year; over 100 miles / 8 hours it seems good, the proof of the pudding will be in the big tour in November though!

ivanoile

Arione is very weird saddle,I have my CX with Kium rails for about 2 years.First 2-3months were hell on the bike,but few people told me it will go away,and after 6months no pain at all.Ok when I dont drive it for a few weeks,first day is hard and hurts a litlle,but after few days on it the pain is gone.
I was feeling pain on 40+miles trainings,before 40 I didn't felt anything.

elderone

Thanks for replies.I know there individual and were all different,was just after some ideas to look into.
As for fit,I get no other aches or pains on the bike so I am confident it is purely a saddle/butt issue.

defride

Had been going ok on a stock Selle X1 and finding Fizik Tundra hard on the MTB and was reminded of the Flite's. Went well on one years ago, they get great reviews so I pulled the trigger. Fabulous for me, way more comfortable than the X1, did my first metric 100 this week and no problem at all with the saddle.

mfin

Prologo Scratch Pro Nack (Ribble do them I think), can only put it forward as an idea, fine all day for me, they do a Ti version that's also great and some lower versions I haven't tried. Recommended those to two riding buddies who've also settled on them, one of them moved from an Arione. Might be awful for you though who knows.

Markjaspi

I ride a full carbon Selle italia Supperlegga and manage 100 mile rides with no issue, I think the important part is to get a decent pair of bibshorts with good padding and as said above, measure your sit bones and get the right width. Ensuring its level and laid back to the right position is key too .

ianbar

selle italia gel flow for me

defycomp2

elderone wrote:

I have been trying to find a comfy saddle,but even my latest saddle (fizik arione)is ok upto 50 miles or so then just gets to painful. what others saddles do people use for longer rides.I have done enough 50+ mile rides to adapt to the distance so the search goes on.

On my Giant I have a 130mm Specialized Toupe and on the Charge a 130mm Specialized Avatar, both are lovely but the quality of the bibs still makes a lot of difference. The most comfortable bibs I have are Chapeau green and withon either bike you don't really know the saddle is there.

the_cyclist_of_catan

I've tried various saddles which felt fine to me for the first ten miles or so, but would become too painful to sit on after 20, or 30, or 50 miles (including the Arione).

I swapped to a Brooks (B17, FWIW). Which feels a bit uncomfortable for the first ten miles or so, but by the time I'm up to 30, 40 or 50 miles is no longer remotely noticeable. It's still not comfy, but I just don't notice it. And by the time I'm up to a 100, the backside still feels fine (it's usually everything else which is in pain by then).

It is all about what suits you, though.

Wirral_paul

As said - saddles are so individual that any recommendations are worthless.

As also stated, Selle Italia do ID match but Specialized also have a fitting method that worked for me using an "Ass-o-meter" (honestly)!! This measures the width of your sit bones and then recommends a saddle width based on that. The Arione is a narrow saddle (around 130mm from memory) so it may be you need a wider saddle of 140mm or so - i'd try and find a Specialized stockist (even if you buy another make as knowing the approx width you require is key), or search the internet for a method to measure your sit bones at home.

I've got a Bontrager Paradigm RXXXL which looks like a razorblade - but i rode 750 miles across France in a week on it last month. The width and general shape suits me though

ugo.santalucia

While the market has tried to come up with improvements over the original leather design, people who spend long hours on the saddle, which are not PRO cyclists but cowboys, still ride leather...
IME a comfortable saddle is a state of mind, but having now swapped my all fleet to leather saddles, I would not go back for a number of reasons

1) Leather is by far the best material, as it deforms to take your shape and wears in rather than wearing out
2) Leather is more breathable than any synthetic foam/plastic/faux leather
3) Leather is way more durable than any alternative... 10 years out of a leather saddle is just average with very basic TLC, while I never managed more than 2 years out of a synthetic alternative... lighter saddles last even less

The drawback is that a leather saddle is heavier, often 500 grams... if you can live wit that, there is really no reason to buy anything else

Camcycle1974

Did 150 miles last Sunday on a Charge Scoop with no pain whatsoever. For £30 (Ribble) it's worth a go trying one. Decent bibs will help too.

chrisaonabike

FWIW, OP, I've been on the same quest on my Giant.

The stock Giant saddle was starting to squish the knackers at about 40-50 miles or so; I've tried a Fizik Antares which is better... but I've pretty much settled on a Selle SMP Drakon, which I used on a 100 miler back in August.

I had also tried a Selle SMP Glider before the Drakon, but it was like sitting on two knife blades. So different saddles in the same range aren't necessarily similar other than looks.

I find I always need to stand up and stretch periodically anyway, though. I suspect that would be true regardless.

The SMPs cost a fortune though

unixnerd

I thought the Charge Spoon and Knife saddles were excellent until my new bike came with a Specialized Toupe+, the central cut out makes all the difference. It felt right from day one.