Road Bike Saddle Recommedations ??

[Gunny Bunny]

Hello,

I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for several
years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
higher quality.

The problem I have is there are so many saddles and opinions, I have
absolutely no idea which one to buy !!

I weigh 180 lbs and 6 ft tall. I ride 80 kms on Sundays both flats and
medium sized hills.

Any suggestions of where I should start my search would be appreciated !

Oh, there are many many bike shops in my area, so I have some access to
various makers

Thank you

 

[Carl Sundquist]

"Gunny Bunny" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for
several
> years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
> higher quality.
>
> The problem I have is there are so many saddles and opinions, I have
> absolutely no idea which one to buy !!
>
> I weigh 180 lbs and 6 ft tall. I ride 80 kms on Sundays both flats and
> medium sized hills.
>
> Any suggestions of where I should start my search would be appreciated !
>
> Oh, there are many many bike shops in my area, so I have some access to
> various makers
>
> Thank you
>

Bianchi? You have a BIANCHI? For someone your size those thing are
DEATHTRAPS!

http://tinyurl.com/2yy5w

http://tinyurl.com/3gbvc

http://tinyurl.com/247gcis

 

[GaryG]

"Gunny Bunny" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for
several
> years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
> higher quality.
>
> The problem I have is there are so many saddles and opinions, I have
> absolutely no idea which one to buy !!
>
> I weigh 180 lbs and 6 ft tall. I ride 80 kms on Sundays both flats and
> medium sized hills.
>
> Any suggestions of where I should start my search would be appreciated !
>
> Oh, there are many many bike shops in my area, so I have some access to
> various makers
>
> Thank you
>

I'm about your size and ride a Selle Italia SLR. It is a very minimalist
saddle, but after trying 4 others I find it most comfortable.

Butt, everbody is different, and saddle comfort is a very personal thing.
Perhaps your local bike shop, or some of your riding buddies, have some
spare saddles that you can test ride. If not, be prepared to buy more than
one before finding one you like. But, be sure and give them each enough
riding time before trying a different one.

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

 

[DRS]

GaryG <garyg@shasta_SPAMBEGONE_software.com> wrote in message
[email protected]

[...]

> I'm about your size and ride a Selle Italia SLR. It is a very
> minimalist saddle, but after trying 4 others I find it most
> comfortable.

Speaking of minimalist, has anybody tried SaddleCo's Flow saddle?

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

 

[Shawn Amir]

Over the years I have gone from Selle Flight, to SLR, and recently SLK. I
have found the SLK to be a marked improvement, almost as light as the SLR
but tends to absorb shock better. I don't think the split design makes much
of a difference, but it has taller rails and I think the shell gives a
little more. In the case of these minimalist saddles, it is not so much the
padding as the flexibility in the shell.

If I were to buy another saddle, I would try the SLK GelFlow next--I
promised the tender parts that I will try some Gel. Interestingly, as I
have come down from 220 Lb to 192 (over about 20 years) I noticed more
sensitivity on my sit bones. Either things get more tender with age or I
have lost some of my natural padding--along with misc. things like the hair
on my head.

Cheers, Shawn

 

[Suz]

>
> Speaking of minimalist, has anybody tried SaddleCo's Flow saddle?
>
> --
>
Yup, and it's for sale now. Interested? Seriously!

It's kind of like a "butt-hammock"; mesh-like material encased by a hard
frame. The mesh part was quite comfortable, but that frame surrounding the
mesh tended to cause saddle sores, which I am prone to.

To the OP, there is no way anyone here can tell you what saddles are good
for you. It's highly individual. Three or 4 of my teammates swear by the
Terry Damselfly. I found it to be too narrow (even though my butt is
smaller than some of theirs), and I rode it for a couple months before
finally giving up on it. I have gone through 4 or 5 different saddles in
the past 6 months, but I think I have finally found one I can live with.
(It's a Selle San-Marco Arami).

You could go to the bike store in your cycling shorts and try several
different seats by putting them on a stool or something and sitting on them
one at a time.

Good Luck!

 

[David Damerell]

Gunny Bunny <[email protected]> wrote:
>I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for several
>years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
>higher quality.
>I weigh 180 lbs and 6 ft tall. I ride 80 kms on Sundays both flats and
>medium sized hills.

If you can ride 50 miles on it without discomfort, don't change it, for
God's sake!

If you _do_ suffer discomfort, it's another matter.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Distortion Field!

 

[Richard Adams]

"Suz" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> >
> > Speaking of minimalist, has anybody tried SaddleCo's Flow saddle?
> >
> > --
> >
> Yup, and it's for sale now. Interested? Seriously!
>
> It's kind of like a "butt-hammock"; mesh-like material encased by a hard
> frame. The mesh part was quite comfortable, but that frame surrounding the
> mesh tended to cause saddle sores, which I am prone to.
>
> To the OP, there is no way anyone here can tell you what saddles are good
> for you. It's highly individual. Three or 4 of my teammates swear by the
> Terry Damselfly. I found it to be too narrow (even though my butt is
> smaller than some of theirs), and I rode it for a couple months before
> finally giving up on it. I have gone through 4 or 5 different saddles in
> the past 6 months, but I think I have finally found one I can live with.
> (It's a Selle San-Marco Arami).
>
> You could go to the bike store in your cycling shorts and try several
> different seats by putting them on a stool or something and sitting on them
> one at a time.
>
> Good Luck!

I've been riding Selle-Italia Flights for years and thought they were
OK, I just picked up a couple used bikes for the winter which came
with Selle San-Marco and found they're actually much more comfortable
for me. Granted everyone is build differently so your mileage may
vary.

 

[Chris]

"Carl Sundquist" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Gunny Bunny" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hello,
> >
> > I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for
> several
> > years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
> > higher quality.
> >
> > The problem I have is there are so many saddles and opinions, I have
> > absolutely no idea which one to buy !!
> >
> > I weigh 180 lbs and 6 ft tall. I ride 80 kms on Sundays both flats and
> > medium sized hills.
> >
> > Any suggestions of where I should start my search would be appreciated !
> >
> > Oh, there are many many bike shops in my area, so I have some access to
> > various makers
> >
> > Thank you
> >
>
> Bianchi? You have a BIANCHI? For someone your size those thing are
> DEATHTRAPS!
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2yy5w
>
> http://tinyurl.com/3gbvc
>
> http://tinyurl.com/247gcis

Some of those threads were amazing considering they were never intended as
trolls. Either that or "Justin" was one of the greatest trolls to ever hook
this NG.

 

[Zog The Undeniable]

Gunny Bunny wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for several
> years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
> higher quality.
>
> The problem I have is there are so many saddles and opinions, I have
> absolutely no idea which one to buy !!
>
> I weigh 180 lbs and 6 ft tall. I ride 80 kms on Sundays both flats and
> medium sized hills.
>
> Any suggestions of where I should start my search would be appreciated !
>
> Oh, there are many many bike shops in my area, so I have some access to
> various makers

Most people get on with a standard Flite. They look good on any bike too.

 

[Zog The Undeniable]

Carl Sundquist wrote:


> Bianchi? You have a BIANCHI? For someone your size those thing are
> DEATHTRAPS!

Well, Bianchi make everything from kids' bikes to motor scooters, so
that just *might* be a generalisation.

 

[Callistus Valerius]

>
> Bianchi? You have a BIANCHI? For someone your size those thing are
> DEATHTRAPS!

when they fold up on you, you have no warning.

 

[Callistus Valerius]

>
> Most people get on with a standard Flite. They look good on any bike too.

not if you have a big ass. a flite is too small for someone that weighs
180. Pro link is more like it.

 

[Gunny Bunny]

"basjan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Gunny Bunny" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hello,
> >
> > I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for
> several
> > years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
> > higher quality.
> >
> > The problem I have is there are so many saddles and opinions, I have
> > absolutely no idea which one to buy !!
>
> I absolutely love my Selle Italia Max Flite Transam. Not overly heavy,
but
> a slightly wider back-part for comfort and a nice cut-out to prevent a
limp
> biscuit...
>
> Basjan

Hi, do you find the hole works or is it just a gimmick ??

I notice San Marco has one too, but in Titatium !!

 

[Werehatrack]

On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 19:33:06 -0400, "Gunny Bunny" <[email protected]> may
have said:

>Hello,
>
>I have a Bianchi Road Bike with a Gel Velo saddle, I have had it for several
>years and thought I would upgrade it to something more contemporary and
>higher quality.
>
>The problem I have is there are so many saddles and opinions, I have
>absolutely no idea which one to buy !!

Realistically, neither do most of the rest of us.

>I weigh 180 lbs and 6 ft tall. I ride 80 kms on Sundays both flats and
>medium sized hills.
>
>Any suggestions of where I should start my search would be appreciated !

While it might seem logical to think that saddles from the same maker
that produced the one you're riding now would be a good jumping-on
point, even that's not a guarantee of a match. Saddle shape and size
is such an individually-peculiar thing that literally the only way to
find a saddle that works well is to jump on and try it. Even then, a
saddle that was perfect with the seat post up high might be a literal
pain in the rear with the post dropped for a different riding style.

>Oh, there are many many bike shops in my area, so I have some access to
>various makers

The ones that are honest and competent will understand the complexity
of this issue, and may be able to let to test-ride a bike that's
equipped with the saddle you're contemplating, but that's not likely
to be the case in all instances. Even the most accommodating lbs will
have a real challenge trying to have a demo available for any
significant fraction of the saddles they sell.

One last thought; if the one you're riding now isn't beat to death,
and is still comfortable, why not just stick with it? If it's not
broke, as they say, don't fix it.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Antti Salonen]

In rec.bicycles.tech Callistus Valerius <[email protected]> wrote:

>> Most people get on with a standard Flite. They look good on any bike too.

> not if you have a big ass. a flite is too small for someone that weighs
> 180. Pro link is more like it.

I don't think it's about the riders weight, but the shape of the butt.
Personally, weighing about 135 lbs, I've tried Flite, Flite TT and SLR
XP. Of those three I could never get very comfortable on the SLR XP.
The problem wasn't the padding (or lack of it) but the wide shape of the
saddle, which for me caused chafing. I know of several significantly
bigger guys who seem to like the SLR a lot.

-as