Saddle advice for long rides

[Gerry Rucker]

I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've tried a number of different
saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these limits the comfort level
drops off quickly. I have been able to try several saddles, thanks to my LBS and all feel good
for shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides?
Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are
Titanium rails.

Gerry

 

[Ronald]

I would try a basic Selle SanMarco Rolls, cheap and very comfortable on longer rides for
most behinds.

"Gerry Rucker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've
tried
> a number of different saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these
> limits the comfort level drops off quickly. I have been able to try several saddles, thanks to my
> LBS and all feel good for shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best
> for the long rides? Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia
Flite
> or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are Titanium rails.
>
> Gerry
>

 

[andy_welch]

Originally posted by Gerry Rucker
I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've tried a number of different
saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these limits the comfort level
drops off quickly. I have been able to try several saddles, thanks to my LBS and all feel good
for shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides?
Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are
Titanium rails.

Gerry

Saddles are very personal things. If they fit your behind then great. If not then pain is a certainty. I've got on OK with a Selle Italie Max Flite Trans Am but when I tried the regular (i.e. narrower non-max) variety it killed me after an hour or so.

Of course a leather saddle (e.g. Brooks) will mould to fit your bottom, but these are heavy. If you are going to stick with thre lighter composite shell models then it will just be a matter of experimenting untill you find something that suits you I'm afraid.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Jim Wilson]

I'm 57, with a wide butt. I road a Rolls for about 6 years and was almost always delighted. I've
ridden a Ti railed Regal for the last 5 last and have always been comfortable on centuries and
such. YMMV.

Jim Wilson

On Wed, 28 May 2003 14:09:53 GMT, "Gerry Rucker" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've tried a number of different
>saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these limits the comfort level
>drops off quickly. I have been able to try several saddles, thanks to my LBS and all feel good
>for shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides?
>Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are
>Titanium rails.
>
>Gerry

 

[Peter Cole]

"Gerry Rucker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've tried a number of different
> saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these limits the comfort level
> drops off quickly. I have been able to try several saddles, thanks to my LBS and all feel good
> for shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides?
> Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are
> Titanium rails.

There are so many variables that it is really a trial & error thing. What works for shorter rides
often doesn't for longer. It's like asking what shoes would be comfortable to walk 10 miles in. I'm
not a fan of Ti saddle rails, expensive and trouble-prone.

 

[Mark Janeba]

Gerry Rucker wrote:
> Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides? Selle Italia Flite Trans
> Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are Titanium rails.

Your mileage WILL vary. Saddles seem to be one of those things you have to try for yourself. I
recommend trying a fairly wide variety of shapes to see which sort seems to suit you, then try
saddles of similar shape to "dial it in".

I remember in the 80's when the dominant nylon saddle brands were Sella Italia (Concor) and Selle
San Marco (Turbo) - a friend said "It seems people either have a Turbo butt or a Concor butt." I
couldn't stand Concors, others swore by them.

One piece of specific advice: The Terry Fly and the Terry Liberator Ti Race fit very differently. If
one doesn't work for you, you might try the other. I hated the former, love the latter. Ugly but
comfortable.

Good luck,
--
Mark Janeba remove antispam phrase in address to reply

 

[Steve Palincsar]

On Wed, 28 May 2003 10:09:53 -0400, Gerry Rucker wrote:

> I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've tried a number of different
> saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these limits the comfort level
> drops off quickly. I have been able to try several saddles, thanks to my LBS and all feel good
> for shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides?
> Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are
> Titanium rails.
>

Brooks B.17 works for me even for 8 hrs in saddle followed next day by another 8

 

[Jay Beattie]

"Gerry Rucker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've
tried
> a number of different saddles and most are good for an hour or two.
But
> when going past these limits the comfort level drops off quickly. I
have
> been able to try several saddles, thanks to my LBS and all feel good
for
> shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best
for
> the long rides? Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia
Flite
> or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are Titanium rails.

Whichever is most comfortable to you. Titanium rails aren't going to make any difference, unless
they break and you get a seatpost up your ass. I would discourage you from using a cut-out saddle
like the Terry because it may have a cookie-cutter effect on your scrotum. Try the Terry if the
normal-design saddles do not work. Not to be glib, but also experiment with your shorts. As for my
personal preference, an old Turbo. Simple, cheap and very comfortable for long rides. Although I
also still ride an old Cinelli and an Ideal 2002 left over from the '70s, the Turbo, IMO, was all
that I ever needed. The Terry, BG and other wonder-saddles turned out to be a waste of money. --
Jay Beattie.

 

[x]

RE/
>Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides? Selle Italia Flite Trans
>Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are Titanium rails.

There's probably a huge trial-and-error component in saddle fit for anybody...but one thing you
*can* deal with beforehand is ichial tuberosity spacing.

How broad you butt is is irrelevant.

What matters is how close or far apart those two sit bones are. Knowing that, you can check the
usable width of a saddle and either eliminate it or put it on the list of ones to try.

I'm in the same boat. Got a couple of Brooks B-17's that are great for anything up to a couple of
hours, but 3-4 hours on one and I'm feeling it the next day. My sit bones are 4.5" apart, which puts
them sort of half-on and half-off. If I could find something like a B-17 that's 3/4 of an inch wider
I think I'd be in hog heaven.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[Zeen]

I agree it's trial and error but you could spend a fortune trying all the different saddles. I have
been curious about the cutout saddles. They seem to be logical in their approach but I am also
concerned about the damage that can be done by the ridges surrounding the cutout. I recently bought
the new Forte Pro SL sold at Performance. It is a lightweight saddle (210gr.) with the cutout in the
shell in the bottom but has padding above the cutout so there is no ridge. On the surface all you
see is a depression in the leather. Check it out. I haven't tried it yet though. Waiting for some
decent weather here in Philly.

 

[David L. Johnso]

On Wed, 28 May 2003 14:09:53 +0000, Gerry Rucker wrote:

> I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've tried a number of different
> saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these limits the comfort level
> drops off quickly. I have been able to try several saddles, thanks to my LBS and all feel good
> for shorter periods. Of these saddles which in your opinion would be best for the long rides?
> Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, Terry Fly, Selle Italia Flite or Selle San Marco Aspide. All are
> Titanium rails.

As mentioned by others, this is very individual. Before you blow a lot of money on a saddle, make
sure your saddle height and angle are correct. Get fit by someone who has a clue.

I love the Terry Fly. As mentioned, the Race is different, as is the Dragonfly. I prefer the
original. It is fairly soft, but still comfortable on long rides due to the cut-out which prevents
pressure in the wrong places. But your experience may be much different from mine.

BTW, as far as I can determine the rail material is totally irrelevant. Sure, ti is a bit lighter,
but don't expect that to affect comfort.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not _`\(,_ | certain, and as
far as they are certain, they do not refer to (_)/ (_) | reality. -- Albert Einstein

 

[A Muzi]

"Zeen" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I agree it's trial and error but you could spend a fortune trying all the different saddles. I
> have been curious about the cutout saddles. They
seem
> to be logical in their approach but I am also concerned about the damage that can be done by the
> ridges surrounding the cutout. I recently bought the new Forte Pro SL sold at Performance. It is a
> lightweight saddle (210gr.) with the cutout in the shell in the bottom but has padding above the
> cutout so there is no ridge. On the surface all you see is a
depression
> in the leather. Check it out. I haven't tried it yet though. Waiting for some decent
> weather here in

AFAIK every shop I am acquainted with which sells top quality bicycles allows saddle exchange on a
regular basis. Usually that's within a reasonable time like a month and without undue hassle - show
your receipt and swap - as long as the saddle is saleable as new (and, barring catatstrophes, they
usually are). And I am speaking about a couple of dozen stores scattered across the country and one
store in Japan.

Is that really an unusual policy out there? Comments? Anecdotes?

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Mike Krueger]

<< I have been curious about the cutout saddles. They seem to be logical in their approach but I am
also concerned about the damage that can be done by the ridges surrounding the cutout. >>

Good point. I tried a Selle Italia Max Flite Trans Am. Even with a thick chamois in my shorts, my
perineum was squeezed down into the large cutout, and the ridges on either side cut into my crotch
so badly that I had painful welts there after one short ride. Definitely the most uncomfortable
saddle I have ever tried. Youd don't see many pros riding these goofy saddles, and they are on their
bikes for 6 hrs a day. Choose a saddle with a smooth top and firm padding. If you adjust the height
and angle correctly, you can ride with your weight back on your sit-bones, and little pressure on
your crotch when you slide forward.

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

grucker-<< But when going past these limits the comfort level drops off quickly. I have been able to
try several saddles,

Suggest you get a good bike fit. Saddle comfort is mostly about bike fit, not saddle design.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Rick Warner]

"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> On Wed, 28 May 2003 14:09:53 +0000, Gerry Rucker wrote:

> BTW, as far as I can determine the rail material is totally irrelevant. Sure, ti is a bit lighter,
> but don't expect that to affect comfort.

Except that sometimes there are associated differences that do affect comfort, at least for me. The
Terry Fly with CrMo rails has a vinyl cover, the one with Ti rails has a real leather cover. I find
the leather more comfortable than the vinyl, hence I choose the Ti rail model.

- rick warner

 

[Donald Gillies]

"Jay Beattie" <[email protected]> writes:

>"Gerry Rucker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...

>> I am an older male and do a good deal of longer distance riding. I've tried a number of different
>> saddles and most are good for an hour or two. But when going past these limits the comfort level
>drops off quickly. Which of these saddles to try ?

Off the subject, but you may want to borrow a brooks pro pre-softened. There's a reason why the
company has been in business for more than 140 years. If you really are a lightweight nut, then get
a brooks titanium swift (be prepared to spend $140 for it, though.) yeah, its 340g, heavier than
some, but it's also a saddle that will outlast your own bum ...

http://www.permaco.com/ - persons majestic, importers of brooks saddles.

- Don Gillies San Diego, CA

 

[x]

RE/
>I agree it's trial and error but you could spend a fortune trying all the different saddles. I have
>been curious about the cutout saddles. They seem to be logical in their approach but I am also
>concerned about the damage that can be done by the ridges surrounding the cutout.

I think "cookie cutter effect" as coined in a previous post is apt.

Somebody else talked about a "pressure ring".

I bought something called a "Spongy Wonder"....split seat, no horn, not particularly spongy - but
the split effect has an effect all it's own. The three (widely-spaced) times I rode the thing, my
butt bled for about three days. It's now hanging in my garage as one more bad example...
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[x]

RE/
>Suggest you get a good bike fit. Saddle comfort is mostly about bike fit, not saddle design.

I was going to spew "Yeah, for those that have normal butts..."...but now I realize that I went
though quite a long period when I was blaming the saddles for the fact that I didn't have enough
setback. My sit bones were resting on the hard rear edges of the saddles... Added two inches to the
setback and things got much better.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[Antoine Gautier]

(Pete Cresswell) <[email protected]> wrote:

(...)
> half-off. If I could find something like a B-17 that's 3/4 of an inch wider I think I'd be in
> hog heaven.

B17W ?

> -----------------------
> PeteCresswell

--
Antoine Gautier

 

[x]

RE/
>B17W ?

That's the dream...They've already got a B17N.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell