From Brooks to rock hard carbon, wasn't so bad!
Manc33
Posts: 2,157
I used to use a Brooks Colt saddle and could ride any distance on that and not even feel like I am sat on something.
Like a lot of people, I ended up sitting on the rivets (which are huge on the Colt) and got sick of the lack of adjustability on the rails (1" shorter than all other saddles for some reason). Yeah I got a 25mm setback seatpost, didn't help. Its also because I have flat bars on a road bike - decreasing reach by a good 12cm.
I also wasn't in agreement so much about the weight of those things at over 550g.
So I got a cheap carbon saddle and it made me get sore from only doing three miles. I hastily took it off and put on a cheap "comfort saddle". Now those comfort saddles are OK for 5 miles but they actually become more uncomfortable than a hard saddle after a while, god knows what's underneath the padding but it doesn't support me.
So I put the carbon saddle on again thinking "I don't even care how sore I get".
I rode for 5 miles one day, 5 again the next day, then 5 again the next day. On the 4th day I wasn't even thinking about the saddle at all, I could sit comfortably on it.
So that's how long it took me to get used to it - 15-20 miles! I think doing it over 3 or 4 days is what really does it. I mean you can't just hop on a carbon saddle and do 15 miles straight, you'll be sore as hell if you're not used to it.
My average speed is 12 MPH (most on here its probably more like 18 MPH) so really it translates to time on the saddle not miles. 20 minutes one day, 20 the next, 20 the next and on the 4th day you won't be sore. The saddle is never going to be as comfy as a Brooks but you don't think about it.
When we were kids we all used to ride around on rock hard plastic saddles on our BMX's! Remember those "Aeroyal" saddles with the slits on top and the front side of the saddle? Those sodding things cost about £40 these days! Every single BMX in the universe had that saddle at one time. :roll:
It seems like we become softer as we get older. :oops: We become Victor Meldrews.
Like a lot of people, I ended up sitting on the rivets (which are huge on the Colt) and got sick of the lack of adjustability on the rails (1" shorter than all other saddles for some reason). Yeah I got a 25mm setback seatpost, didn't help. Its also because I have flat bars on a road bike - decreasing reach by a good 12cm.
I also wasn't in agreement so much about the weight of those things at over 550g.
So I got a cheap carbon saddle and it made me get sore from only doing three miles. I hastily took it off and put on a cheap "comfort saddle". Now those comfort saddles are OK for 5 miles but they actually become more uncomfortable than a hard saddle after a while, god knows what's underneath the padding but it doesn't support me.
So I put the carbon saddle on again thinking "I don't even care how sore I get".
I rode for 5 miles one day, 5 again the next day, then 5 again the next day. On the 4th day I wasn't even thinking about the saddle at all, I could sit comfortably on it.
So that's how long it took me to get used to it - 15-20 miles! I think doing it over 3 or 4 days is what really does it. I mean you can't just hop on a carbon saddle and do 15 miles straight, you'll be sore as hell if you're not used to it.
My average speed is 12 MPH (most on here its probably more like 18 MPH) so really it translates to time on the saddle not miles. 20 minutes one day, 20 the next, 20 the next and on the 4th day you won't be sore. The saddle is never going to be as comfy as a Brooks but you don't think about it.
When we were kids we all used to ride around on rock hard plastic saddles on our BMX's! Remember those "Aeroyal" saddles with the slits on top and the front side of the saddle? Those sodding things cost about £40 these days! Every single BMX in the universe had that saddle at one time. :roll:
It seems like we become softer as we get older. :oops: We become Victor Meldrews.
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Comments
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Or get a Charge Spoon... cheap, gets great reviews, not as heavy as a Brooks, far more comfortable than something without any padding at all.0
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Those carbon ones with 1 layer of thin leather are probably slightly better than with no padding at all, but what matters to me is the saddle stays the same shape all the time. Even Brooks saddles can collapse. Soreness I think is caused by simply changing shapes, its not that one is "more comfy" than another, although that is an endless debate lol. It seems to matter more about the shape than whether it has padding.
Whats uncomfortable for me on that 143mm so-called "Toupe" is the sides stick out where my legs rub the sides just a tiny bit too much. This had me sitting forwards a bit to avoid the curves of the saddle. I am going to try the SMP one next because it is 129mm and it seems if that one isn't comfortable, none will be. :roll:
What makes me laugh about the Selle SMP is that old BMX saddles looked like that. With a curve at the back and a dipped nose. Selle used to make those saddles though so that explains it I guess, the "Aeroyal". They are so expensive and I can't even grasp how every kids BMX had these on them back in the day, I mean you could buy a BMX for £40 that had this saddle on it. :?: http://www.amazon.com/Selle-Royal-Aeroy ... B005UGCON0
EDIT: Selle Royal isn't Selle SMP :oops:dhope wrote:Or get a Charge Spoon... cheap, gets great reviews, not as heavy as a Brooks, far more comfortable than something without any padding at all.
That looks pretty good for £20.
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I recently got a Spoon. Its comfy, but the one I got (black one) has quite a tacky surface so its hard to maneuver yourself on it.0
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Daddy0 wrote:I recently got a Spoon. Its comfy, but the one I got (black one) has quite a tacky surface so its hard to maneuver yourself on it.
maybe it will rub smooth as you where? though I have two spoons on the bikes, one is black and new and no tacky.0
