Saddle suggestions wanted (from roadies)

Hello;

I'm pretty sick of spending nearly $100 for a saddle, only to have my butt feel like it was beat with a meat-tenderizer when I'm done riding! My current saddle is a Selle Italia Flite Ti (non-Gel) and I hate it (although it looks cool I, like many of you, don't have a ton of body fat so I don't have much "natural cushion" which makes this decision pretty important (I'm 6'1" and weigh 165 lbs.) My typical ride (on my Trek 5200) is about 35 miles long, yet every time I ride, I come back with a really sore rear!

Anyway, what are some saddles that you roadies are having good luck with? I'm considering try this Aireon SL Suspension saddle from SuperGo:
http://www.supergo.com/static/item_21113.asp

For $30, I figure it's worth it and the rubber dampers look promising!

I'm a guy, so don't suggest any women's saddles

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Sincerely,
Todd M. Taylor

I've been using a San Marco Era Ti for just over a year, it's quite hard but still really comfy on long rides (5'10"/145lbs).

Just remember that the most important cushioning on the saddle is not the padding on top. Its the combination of flex in the base and rails - this gives the suspension effect.

Probably best to play around with a few saddles in your LBS...

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nick.

www.nickcoyne.com

Selle Italia Prolink
Fizik Aliante (if you can spare the $$$)

I don't think any of these advices are worth a penny - which saddle that fits you are very personal, other's opinions don't help you. Personally I love my TI Flite (and i'm also quite slim 5.11 - 150)

selle italia slr carbon....

the most comfortable addle ive ever had...used most of selle italia range...

wins hands down...

had to be honest...i was surprised!!!!..looks like nothing.....works soooo well

take it easy

jonii

I was going to advice the Flite ti, because I love it, and then I read the rest of your mail, so forget that.

Besides hardness versus flex/gel/cushioning, consider the shape of the saddle. Like shoes, every person will have a specific favorite shape. I have a Trimatic Gel on another bike, and the big difference is the ''grip'' of my butt on the saddle. So for racing I definitely prefer the Flite: more direct feeling.
And consider this: the more trained you are the stiffer the saddle that you can afford to ride (just look at the skinny saddles many pros ride).

When gel came into fashion (10 - 15 years ago?), my brother was (of course) one of the first to ride one. In his first race he took a nasty fall in a corner. When i asked him what happened, he said, redfaced: I threw myself into this fast corner and kind of slid off the gel, and lost my balance!
Probably takes some getting used to!

Good luck with your search!

I'm also 6'1" and 165 lbs. Currently ride the Avocet o2 and like it very much. It is a bit wider in the rear, while my butt is not large, I do like a wider saddle. Also riding the Selle Italia Pro Link Gel and like that saddle alot. My third and newest saddle is the Fizik Aliante. I waited along time to jump in and purchse this $$$$ saddle hoping it would be the cat's meow! Surprised to say it is not so different from many of the other saddles I have tried, don't get me werong it is comfortable, however I don't thin leaps ahead of the other two I am riding, if at all. As said over and over and over, saddle comfort depends on the particular shape and riding style of each individual. For every saddle that someone hates someone else may love it. Enough said, you really need to just pick one, try it, and if it doesn't work move on, sell it on e-bay or pass it along to a friend. Your best bet is to order saddles from Performance Bike. They take anything back, so if it doesn't work for you you can return it and try another. Good luck finding one that works for you.

Today I purchased a new saddle, a Selle Royal Wing. So far it seems very nice, and looks decent too. I'm very happy with it, and it was cheap too- only $13.50 to $15 US. It was $25 US before-hand, but I know the people in the shop, so got it cheap.

Good luck with your saddle hunting!

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"I loved the feeling of riding downhill-
admiring the scenery then running
over it at high speed"

i've been waiting for months for these to come out...

Those Flow saddles look like they might be ok...but I doubt they will make it to Australia in my lifetime...

Try the Koobi PRS saddle. It is very unorthodox, but after countless rides that my entire 'lower area' was numb, I decided to give it a try. The saddle puts the weight of your body on your butt bones as opposed to a weight dispersersion over the soft tissue. The saddle is $100, and they offer a warrenty if it just doesn't fit you. Saddles are very personal things, but this one seemed to work for me.

Selle Italia Flite Ti "genuine gel" on my mtb and a Selle Italia SLR "gelflow" on my roadbike and I must say that, although the body position is different offcourse, the SLR seems to be more comfortable and have more "flex" The flite is longer and about 100 grams heavier than the SLR

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Thanks to everyone who has replied so far At the moment, I'm kind of leaning towards a Selle Italia Prolink Trans Am Gel, but I'd really like to "see one in-person" and my local shops don't have them. Perhaps I'll take the advice of getting it from Performance.com in case I want to send it back. I had an older Selle Italia "Turbo-Matic" saddle that had rubber dampers on the rails (like the Prolink) and it was actually a pretty nice side once it was broken-in.

However, as gally99 suggested, these SaddleCo seats sure look interesting!!! It was over 90 degrees on my ride last night and insanely humid... one thing I really hate about weather like that is that my saddle doesn't "breath", where as these SaddleCo saddle will apparently resolve that. However, I'm betting they won't be cheap and I'd hate to be the guinea pig who tests the first saddles only to find out they don't work either (maybe)

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Sincerely,
Todd M. Taylor

Hi Todd,

I'm afraid, it's a decision that only you can make. I prefer harder saddles as they reduce the incidence of saddle sores. I use a Trans AM SLR Carbon on both my road and MTB, but I do find it a bit bit brutal on my derrier for off road.

How long have you used your saddle? I find that they do tend to wear in ond you may, if it is relatively new, try to give it a chance to soften up and adjust to your contours a bit more. I find my road saddle, which is much older than my MTB one much more comfortable as it has taken to my shape.

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Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage

My current saddle is well over a year old and has a few thousand miles on it. It's yellow leather, and the yellow is wearing off in quite a few places... I'm assuming that means that it's either broken-in by now it will never be

You are definitely right though. A new saddle is rarely ever an "instantly comfortable" saddle... either the saddle has to conform to your butt, or your butt has to conform to the saddle (I'm not sure which actually happens! ) I certainly don't look forward to breaking-in a new saddle, but if it eventually leads to a more comfortable ride, I'm all for it!

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Sincerely,
Todd M. Taylor