Saddle for 100 miles or more...?

dean7879

Hi guys i will be taking part in my first 100 mile bike ride for charity at the end of this month. I have been having some trouble with the saddle that came with my Cannondale Caad 8, its a ''Caad Stage Ergo w/ Steel Rails saddle''

It is very uncomfortable and my arse is certainly feeling it after 30 miles or so. I find myself shifting in the saddle alot. Did a bit of research and could only find one thread on here and it seems a couple others had the same problem with this saddle.

So if i am going to be doing a 100 miler, i will definitely be needing a comfortable saddle, so your opinions on which one i should go for would be great. £50-100 my budget.

Any thoughts on the Fizik Antares Versus or ' Specialized Phenom Expert' ? Even though the Specialized saddle is more for a mountain bike, it looks good and wouldn't look out of place on a road bike

Cheers

kajjal

My original saddle was too narrow and used to be painful after about an hour. Measured my self for a saddle (various guides on the web) and needed a wider saddle. As the pain was in the middle I also got a new saddle with a cut away. Ended up with a specialized avatar but there are plenty of suitable saddles to try.

For a 100 mile ride make sure your bike is well setup and fits you well.

meanredspider

Saddles that come with bikes are usually pretty cheap. I find a Spesh Toupe RBX excellent but there are a couple of problems:
1. Your butt probably is different
2. They don't make the RBX version any more

northpole

Everyone seems to have a different shaped backside, hence one saddle does not fit all.

What works well for me at the moment is the Specialised Romin Evo - they come in various widths and various specifications. I ride a 143mm wide saddle, but if you pop into a Spesh dealer they will have a measuring pad to establish the right size for you. I use the Expert model which has titanium rails, the next version down has chro-mo rails - I'd recommend either of these for comfort. The Pro model has carbon rails and shell which stiffens the whole thing up considerably - not nearly as comfy for me.

Stating the obvious I hope, but equally important for long rides are a decent pair of bib shorts and chamois creme.

Peter

JayKosta

And regardless of the saddle, STAND for a few pedal strokes every once and a while to stretch muscles and help blood flow.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Mad_Malx

meanredspider wrote:

but there are a couple of problems:
1. Your butt probably is different

This.

No way of knowing until YOU have done the ride, and even then it will probably be be different again after a few weeks.

Was just thinking today that I've never had a problem with saddle comfort. Ride 5x 20 miles over a couple of weeks and it makes no difference to me.

meanredspider

The saddle does make a difference for the long rides. I just busted my old (standard) Toupe on my Volagi and I've replaced with with a new Toupe RBX which I had to source from the USA (because they're no longer made) because I've found the RBX (which I have on the Foil) to have "all-day" comfort. It's money well-spent.

ellotreacle

northpole wrote:

Everyone seems to have a different shaped backside, hence one saddle does not fit all.

What works well for me at the moment is the Specialised Romin Evo - they come in various widths and various specifications. I ride a 143mm wide saddle, but if you pop into a Spesh dealer they will have a measuring pad to establish the right size for you. I use the Expert model which has titanium rails, the next version down has chro-mo rails - I'd recommend either of these for comfort. The Pro model has carbon rails and shell which stiffens the whole thing up considerably - not nearly as comfy for me.

Stating the obvious I hope, but equally important for long rides are a decent pair of bib shorts and chamois creme.

Peter

+1

I have done a couple of 100+ rides on my Specialised Romin eve pro, and have just bought the Romin expert gel for my 2nd bike. but it is all down to your sit bones have you measured them to find the width of saddle you need. I always wondered why I could only sometimes get comfy on the saddle that came with my bike, and realise why when I went from a 143mm to a 168mm. big different and a much better ride.

hope you find one that fits.

dean7879

Cheers for the advice guys. I think i will get my bum measured and then find the suitable saddle.

ai_1

No one saddle works for everyone. The Romin Evo Expert seems to work well for a lot of people myself included. The Fizik Antares you mentioned came as standard on my Canyon. Seems like a well made saddle but not comfortable for me. I need a cutout or channel.

Spudboy

If you have a local Fizik dealer they may have a selection of FIzik test saddles for you to try. I find Fizik saddles superb, not cheap but IMHO worth it. I have done 100 miles on an Arione (long, flat saddle ) but I actually favour the Aliante which has a more curved shape and is (for me) amazingly comfortable.

Of course the usual disclaimers apply to your personal shape etc but worth a look.

drlodge

Selle SMP Lite 209 works for me, but bib shorts with a good quality pad will also help on long rides.

Tjgoodhew

Just an example of how different saddles fit different people.

The standard saddle on my Caad is super comfy for me. have not had any issues and other than it getting a bit tatty i still love it.

The Fizik Antares that came with my Canyon was dreadful for me. Seriously uncomfortable with anything above about 20 miles.

I have since swapped it for a Charge Spoon - Its another saddle a lot of people on here will recommended, and again im comfortable on the bike

ai_1

Spudboy wrote:

If you have a local Fizik dealer they may have a selection of FIzik test saddles for you to try. I find Fizik saddles superb, not cheap but IMHO worth it. I have done 100 miles on an Arione (long, flat saddle ) but I actually favour the Aliante which has a more curved shape and is (for me) amazingly comfortable.

Of course the usual disclaimers apply to your personal shape etc but worth a look.

Yep, since Fizik make it easier than most to get test saddles they're worth a try. They seem well made too but as said above, individual needs vary. I've tried the Fizik Arione and Antares and didn't get on well with either.