How do you buy a new saddle?

rumbataz

I'm toying with the idea of replacing the saddle on my road bike. It doesn't fit right on my 'sit bones'. On my hybrid I've got a £20 Charge Spoon saddle and that is utterly amazing! I'm guessing the saddle on my road bike costs several times that, yet isn't working well for me.

Sooooooo, I guess I could just spend £20 and buy a Charge Spoon for the road bike as I know it's very comfortable for me.

On a more general note, how do you go about buying a new saddle when you can't exactly test a load out? I was very lucky with the Charge Spoon as I took a punt and £20 wasn't too large an amount to lose if it didn't work out.

cougie

I am lucky and the last few bikes i've bought have had saddles that are fine for my bum.

Never bothered with all this sit bones mallarky.

If you want to play safe - get a spoon. I have one too. I also have a couple of Ariones and like them too.

Jerry185

Go to a bike shop that will measure your sit bones with their magic plastic. They should then be able to sell you a saddle on a guarantee basis. Be prepared to spend 80 pounds.

bbrap

Take the Spoon off the hybrid and try it on the road bike. The different position may mean it is not as comfy as on the hybrid. If its comfy just get another spoon. If its not you will need to try something else.

mcxfisher

Jerry185 wrote:

Go to a bike shop that will measure your sit bones with their magic plastic. They should then be able to sell you a saddle on a guarantee basis. Be prepared to spend 80 pounds.

That is absolutely the correct advice: first get the width right, then get a profile and length that suits your bike fit. Also remember that your seating angle is different on your road bike from the hybrid, so direct transfer may not guarantee comfort.

imposter2.0

bbrap wrote:

Take the Spoon off the hybrid and try it on the road bike.

This. Obviously.

SME

I have two road bikes, both fitted with Spoons. I did go through a couple of saddles finding one that agreed with me. I even had a sit bone measure and bought a saddle on that advice, which didn't work out.

As about, swap your Spoon over and see if this work - the initial outlay is nothing, and you can test imediately.

fat daddy

Easy .... Find one that's comfortable ... Realise it's 345g .... Convince yourself that a 7.5kg bike is quicker than a 7.645kg bike, put saddle down and buy the lightest one you can afford ..... Wish you didn't have a weight disorder !

rumbataz

To be honest, I'm not bothered about the weight. I've already lost 12KG in a year which is the weight of a bike at least! I'm just baffled at how a £20 saddle can be so much more comfortable than an £80+ saddle.

Just out of interest, I did a sit-bone measurement last night a few times using tin foil and it worked out at 130mm. Now, the recommendation is to add around 25mm to this, which gives 155mm. So, theoretically, I need a saddle that is 155m in width.

The saddle on my road bike is 143mm and is fairly uncomfortable.

The Charge Spoon on my hybrid is 138mm and is very comfortable.

Science, eh?

SME

rumbataz wrote:

To be honest, I'm not bothered about the weight. I've already lost 12KG in a year which is the weight of a bike at least! I'm just baffled at how a £20 saddle can be so much more comfortable than an £80+ saddle.

Just out of interest, I did a sit-bone measurement last night a few times using tin foil and it worked out at 130mm. Now, the recommendation is to add around 25mm to this, which gives 155mm. So, theoretically, I need a saddle that is 155m in width.

The saddle on my road bike is 143mm and is fairly uncomfortable.

The Charge Spoon on my hybrid is 138mm and is very comfortable.

Science, eh?

Price has no bearing on comfort. We're all different, and sometimes saddles just suit better, what ever the cost. I've heard it said that some esteemed races/tours have been won on low priced saddles.

As for fit, I think like the test of a bikes fit, ie. KOPS, it's only a starting position that has to be fine tuned.

rob39

rumbataz wrote:

To be honest, I'm not bothered about the weight. I've already lost 12KG in a year which is the weight of a bike at least! I'm just baffled at how a £20 saddle can be so much more comfortable than an £80+ saddle.

Just out of interest, I did a sit-bone measurement last night a few times using tin foil and it worked out at 130mm. Now, the recommendation is to add around 25mm to this, which gives 155mm. So, theoretically, I need a saddle that is 155m in width.

The saddle on my road bike is 143mm and is fairly uncomfortable.

The Charge Spoon on my hybrid is 138mm and is very comfortable.

Science, eh?

Did exactly the same and got the same measurements as you (weird) and my 138mm charge spoon is perfect. Your set up might need tweeking, I had to slightly lower my seat and buy a 80mm stem and 500 miles later all's perfect

imposter2.0

rumbataz wrote:

I'm just baffled at how a £20 saddle can be so much more comfortable than an £80+ saddle.

For the same reason that a pair of £4.99 flip flops can be more comfortable than a pair of £400 Paul Smith brogues. It has feck all to do with the ticket price.

rumbataz

So, I went into my local Specialized store today and got a 'proper' measurement on their sit-bone measurement device. And here's funny thing - it measured to within 1mm what I measured by sitting on a piece of tin foil last night!

They recommended a 155mm saddle - I can't remember the exact model but it was £130 and I'd have to buy a round to oval adapter for another £25 to mount the carbon rails.

I think I'll spend £20 on a Charge Spoon and see how it goes.

rumbataz

One other update - I took a very close look at my Body Geometry Phenom Comp 143mm saddle on the road bike and the shape is just so different to the Charge Spoon - particularly in areas where you'd want support. The edges curve downwards a lot compared to the Spoon. Hence, I guess the narrow width (for my backside at least) and the downward sloping edges lead to some discomfort.

imposter2.0

rumbataz wrote:

I think I'll spend £20 on a Charge Spoon and see how it goes.

Hello? Why not try the one you've already got first..??

rumbataz

I tried the Spoon for a couple of rides on the road bike and it didn't feel quite right - as others have said, the different body position alters the comfort factor significantly. It's fantastic on my hybrid though. So I looked around online and managed to find a cracking deal on a Selle Italia SLR Superflow. It's taken many attempts to get the position just right and it's much better than the Specialized Phenom that came with the bike.

Here it is mounted on the road bike:

kingrollo

rumbataz wrote:

I tried the Spoon for a couple of rides on the road bike and it didn't feel quite right - as others have said, the different body position alters the comfort factor significantly. It's fantastic on my hybrid though. So I looked around online and managed to find a cracking deal on a Selle Italia SLR Superflow. It's taken many attempts to get the position just right and it's much better than the Specialized Phenom that came with the bike.

Here it is mounted on the road bike:

and how is it with your ass on after 60 miles this morning ?

rumbataz

^ It's fine actually. I didn't do 60 miles - I did about 22 miles this morning. The Phenom starts hurting at around 10 miles.

coops1967

Sit bones are only a start... and quite possibly more of a marketing thing to make you feel you're making a decision based on "sciency" numbers... when the thing is for road biking you're leaning forward from the hips a fair bit, so pressure is definitely NOT just on your sit bones ( and less so than on a more upright bike) or as per Hogg:-

"human pelvis sitting on an SMP seat as viewed from the side. The large bony protusion at the rear is the ischial tuberosity. This is not what a cyclist sits on………….unless they ride a recumbent, or possibly a Harley."

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... bout-smps/

Worth a read - and confirms there's no real substitute for TRYING a saddle (unless you have a x-ray handy of your pelvis for more meaningful dimensions...).

Find somewhere that offers demo saddles - Selle SMP dealers seem to do this... I've seen two shops here in Thailand with Selle SMP saddles and BOTH had demos available - perhaps because SMP realised the funky-arse look of them might make an impulse buy highly unlikely.

rumbataz

Yeah, I've spent several hours in total getting my seat height right, seat level and for-and-aft position right. Each time I went out for a ride of a few KM and got back home and tweaked things my a millimetre or two. Over several days I think I've got things right now - the SLR Superflow feels 'natural' with no discomfort.

I tried this procedure a year ago when I got my road bike and it had the 143mm Phenom already fitted as the stock saddle. I've never really managed to get comfortable on it.