I could use some saddle suggestions.

Hello all, New member here. I just bought my first road bike 2012 Trek 2.1 Apex and I absolutely love it. However what I do not like is the awful saddle that came with it. I really do not care for the firm racing saddles as I need something more comfortable. I have no intention of racing I just like to ride 20-40 miles for fun and fitness. Well needless to say I would like to buy a gel seat, but there is so much to choose from and most bike stores only carry a small selection of what is really available. I want to avoid buying something online and not liking it. I am open to the idea of a gel racing seat if it was really comfortable, but I am really leaning toward more of commuter gel saddle. To give you an idea of what caught my eye online I liked the Bontrager Commuter Gel CRZ. Is there anyone out there that can suggest a saddle that I may like. Thanks in advance.

 

Before you go spending good money trying to convert your road bike to hybrid I suggest you give it a fair trial. The 2011 and 2012 Bontrager saddles that come on Trek road bikes are not radically hard and narrow. Rather, they are designed for recreational road riders just like you.

First, get a basic fit to make sure you're sitting on the thing properly. Most saddle problems stem from the saddle being tilted, too high too far forward, or too far back, or the rider sitting too far forward on the thing. Also, riding in an extremely upright posture can exacerbate problems on a road saddle.

Second, give yourself some time to get to know the bike. And then if the saddle is still giving you grief, go shopping. Personally, I favor WTB mountain bike saddles for road riders who prefer a little more cush.

 

Thanks for the advice bobcat. Without going into the gory details lol I really do need a more comfortable bike seat. I will take a look at WTB Mountain bike saddles.

 

try RIDO; check their web site... I have two.. but saddles are a VERY personal choice

 

Thanks rparedes! I have never heard of those until I saw your post. The R2 looks very interesting.

 

Be careful of saddles that are "too" comfortable. 20+ years ago I purchased a gel saddle. It was the most comfortable saddle I had ever had. Because it was so comfortable and because I could not feel myself going numb, I did not stand up much. Caused some real health problems. Went back to my former hard saddle, stood up more, and had no problems.

Purchased a number of new bikes since then, all with smaller and smaller saddles and little padding. No problems at all. But I do use chamois cream liberally before I put on my shorts, putting the cream on me, not the shorts. Have come to love my little saddle, and I am not some young racer; I am 61 years old.

The best of luck to you. I would recommend using chamois cream

 

What exactly does Chamois cream do to help with saddle paid? I've never used it?

 

Lubricates and medicates.

 

Well I ended up buying a Specialized Avatar Comp Gel Saddle and I really like it. Anything was better than the Bontrager saddle that came with the bike. With the exception of the seat I love everything else about the bike!! 2012 Trek 2.1 Apex

 

Nice choice.

SRAM controls take some getting used to, but the more I learn about them the more I like, and the Trek 2-series frame is very nice.