On Sun, 14 May 2006 22:00:31 -0400, Steve Sr. <
[email protected]>
wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I know that his has been discussed before but there doesn't seem to be
>a clear consensus. I guess that everybody's butt is different! It is
>also hard to sort out saddle models that are still available from
>those that aren't.
>
>I am interested in doing long distance riding and need a saddle to be
>comfortable and stable for long periods of time in hot, sticky, sweaty
>weather. I also tend to ride in a more upright position due to lack of
>flexibility which causes more weight to be put on my posterior. The
>bar height and saddle height are about the same. I also weigh about
>155 lbs. so don't fall into the clydesdale category
>
>I currently am riding a Leper Voyager leather saddle that until
>recently was the most comfortable I've ridden to date. However lately
>it is showing its age and unfortunately its ability to stretch and
>change shape due to perspiration has lowered its usefullness as a long
>distance saddle. For this reason I would like to look at other
>alternatives than leather even though the Brooks crowd may be
>disappointed.
>
>I don't really think I need or want much padding as this would likely
>be the thing to fail first leaving my sit bones on top of an
>unforgiving hard plastic shell. Despite what Dustin Hoffman said in
>the movie, plastics aren't forever. As many have mentioned too much
>padding also puts pressure where it shouldn't be.
>
>However, I do want and need something to isolate my back side from the
>bumps of the cheap tar and gravel secondary roads that I spend a lot
>of time riding on. For this the shell or the base of the saddle has to
>flex. After reading the archives where someone mentioned liking WTB
>saddles, I saw at some of these saddles at the local REI store this
>afternoon. Much to my surprise some of the more expensive ones
>actually had a flexible shell which may explain why the poster liked
>them.
>
>After a century ride this Saturday I asked to to ride a buddy's
>Specialized Toupe around the parking lot. Even with my somewhat sore
>back side it seemed pretty good. It doesn't have much padding but
>appears to have enough flex to absorb some of the bumps.
>Unfortunately, at $150 the price is kind of steep. Do any of you have
>experience with this particular saddle or any of the other entrants in
>the Specialized line?
>
>I am planning on stopping by the bike shop on the way home from work
>tomorrow to try out the Specialized ass-o-meter so maybe I can help at
>least with the saddle width parameter which may provide or remove
>alternatives.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Steve
Here is a follow up to last week's post. Thanks for everyone's
suggestions so far.
I went my LBS Wednesday and used their ass-o-meter measuring device
and determined that the distance between my sit bones was about 95mm
which I guess is about right for male.
Based on suggestions and Terry's 30 return policy I decided to try a
standard Fly saddle. I rode it about 25 miles at lunch on Thursday and
got it close to dialed in for position. It still seemed to put too
much pressure on the area between my sit bones although there wasn't
any numbness.
Today I went out and rode a hilly metric. I made a few more minor
tweaks (mostly saddle height) to the position during the route. Toward
the end of the ride it started to get a little uncomfortable with the
same issue I noted during Thursday's ride. I tried several times to no
avail to adjust the saddle angle to improve the situation. I couldn't
tell that the cutout in the center of the saddle made any difference
at all.
I think that the Fly has too much padding for my back side. A friend
who also has a Fly and rides about 5-6K per year made a comment that
the Fly's only last about a year before becoming too uncomfortable for
him. I suspect that the padding eventually compresses around the sit
bones which increases the pressure on the area in between. Plus your
sit bones are now sitting almost directly on the unforgiving hard
plastic shell. Is this how a saddle dies if it doesn't fall apart
first?
On Friday I happened to be at the local performance store and looked
at saddles. There was one in particular that I wanted look at and that
was the E3 Form Gel saddle. You can read more details here:
http://www.performancebike.com/E3saddle.cfm
This saddle was the result of a masters thesis at one of the local
universities. The only reason that I knew of this saddle is that Josh
came and gave a presentation to our bike club about its design.
Performance happened to have these on sale for about $43 so I bought
one to try out. After the metric today I came home, mounted it, and
took it for a test ride around the neighborhood for a couple of miles.
My first impression was surprisingly favorable. No pressure between
the sit bones. I'll ride it at lunch Tuesday to see how it does over
25 miles.
Steve
