Saddle recommendations

Selle Italia, San Marco are excellent, women specific Terry are also good.

Ribble Cycles in the UK.

Specialized are good too; I use an Avatar on my Roadie & a BG2 Sport on my MTB and like them both
just remember that lots of seats come in multi-widths for varying sit-bone widths so try a few out if you can!!

Cheers,

drtim said:

New to the cycling world but one thing I have learned is that the saddle I have is not working for me. I average about 150 miles/week and have heard that the split seats are the way to go. Does anyone have any recomendations on a good saddle to replace the one I have? (also a website that sells them would be helpful).

tim

Very personalized issue as the perfect saddle for one person might be miserable for another. Unfortunately trial and error is often the best measure. Alot of people do like a flatter saddle such as the Arione, whereas others swear by the ones with a cutout

drtim said:

New to the cycling world but one thing I have learned is that the saddle I have is not working for me. I average about 150 miles/week and have heard that the split seats are the way to go. Does anyone have any recomendations on a good saddle to replace the one I have? (also a website that sells them would be helpful).

tim

Fizik products are decent.

Go to your LBS and let them fit you first. Then see if they can let you try some of their stock saddles in the parking lot on your bike. If you have a cycling club in your area, join it and let them know that you are looking for a new saddle. You will probably get more offers of saddles to try than you will have time to ride on. I got my current Selle Italia saddle that way. The original owner did not like and and replaced it on his old bike. It was one of those offered to me to try and it was the most comfortable saddle I ever used.

There is one route that you might try if immediate gratification is not too important to you. Buy a GOOD leather saddle, something along the lines of a Brooks. They are expensive and take a while to break in, but I do not know anyone who has had one that they broke in that did not like it. I don't use one because I have found a saddle that works for me that doesn't need broken in.

I agree, start with your LBS. A smart person there will know that a proper fit to your "sit bones" is essential, and that softer is not usually better.

The advise about one person's dream saddle is the next person's torture can be very true. I have 3 almost new saddles that I'll never ride for that reason.

Lastly, if you are really riding that many miles each week you need a good quality saddle, don't skimp on getting a good saddle. A cheap one will end up being expensive because you will want to replace it.

If there is not a good LBS nearby then consider ebay. You can get a good quality used saddle for little money. That will enable you to try a few different styles.

drtim said:

New to the cycling world but one thing I have learned is that the saddle I have is not working for me. I average about 150 miles/week and have heard that the split seats are the way to go. Does anyone have any recomendations on a good saddle to replace the one I have? (also a website that sells them would be helpful).

tim

I LOVE the vintage Selle San Marco concor saddle; to bad they never improve the saddle to keep up with the new technology 🙁

My current saddle, and I love it is the Selle SMP; did I mentioned that I LOVE it? :p

I had saddle trouble for years and finally resigned to the idea that I'd just have to accept the discomfort when I ride. As a last ditch measure, this spring I bought a Brooks leather saddle. Brooks has been making these saddles since 1866. I have never experienced a more comfortable saddle in my life. I still look at it and am amazed that this tourture-device-looking thing is actually comfortable, but it is. Right out of the box, my Brooks was the most comfortable saddle I ever used, and it continues to get more comfortable as I break it in.

Brooks saddles are not exactly cheap, but with proper care should last a very, very long time. They make models for all types of riding, as well as women's versions. Wallingford Bicycle Parts sells them and offers a six-month guarantee, so if you don't like the saddle you can exchange it for a different style (or maybe even a refund...there might be a small restocking charge or something like that depending on the return condition of the saddle). With a deal like that, what's to loose? Here's the link to Wallingford...

[center]http://www.wallbike.com/Brookssaddles.html" rel="ugc nofollow noopener">httpBrookssaddles.htmlOpen ↗[/center]

[left]And here's the link to Brooks...[/left]

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[left]Good Luck![/left]

Do have a read of some of the research organised (and therefore biased towards) by Selle SMP

The Strike range is very comfortable and the entry level (TRK) is about £25 rrp going right through £200+ for a carbon version. I ride the Pro and it does exactly what it says on the tin - very comfortable

i ride the selle italia Thoork gel flow, i got a test saddle from my LBS (Bike & Run
in London) and it was great so I decided to buy it! Went for about a 70 mile ride and didn't have a sore a** or anything after that....I was sold.

Check out the Selle Italia website, I think they have a list of retailers who are official "test centres" and you can borrow the test saddles to try.

There are so many saddles out there.
You won't really know how well it fits until riding it for a while.

So the idea is to find one and stick to it... It took me a good month or two before I wore in my Selle Italia SLR XP.

I will recommend this :saddlehttp://www.bikeonline.it/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1510

for long distance in one day ( even 200 km)and many hours(7-8 ) on. Before I was riding Fizik Pave and Gobi, now is better.

thank you for all the recomendations...I ended up purchasing a Selle SMP Strike Pro and have put about 100 miles on it so far...very impressed so far and the numbness is gone...I am working on a new "butt calouse" because I sit more on the "sit bones" with the new saddle but I imagine that'll improve with time. The numbness and pain from the other saddle was awful and I am glad to be done with it!

drtim said:

thank you for all the recomendations...I ended up purchasing a Selle SMP Strike Pro and have put about 100 miles on it so far...very impressed so far and the numbness is gone...I am working on a new "butt calouse" because I sit more on the "sit bones" with the new saddle but I imagine that'll improve with time. The numbness and pain from the other saddle was awful and I am glad to be done with it!

Funny, I just switched from my Fizik Poggo saddle (not sure of exact model) that came stock with my C-Dale to a Specialized BG Toupe Gel. No reason for switching other than I was curious to see how the split saddle and BG worked. Afterall, want to keep the boys (downtown) happy. When I first demoed the Specialized BG Toupe..it was like sitting on a park bench. I was measured correctly with a 143mm saddle. I rode 100 miles with it and decided it was too hard. So, I switched to the Toupe Gel. It says "Gel" but it's not like it was a vast improvement over the Toupe...still felt hard..but not as hard. I put 100 miles on that one too..and afterwards felt pretty good...so I bought it. Now, I couldn't be happier after hundreds of miles..feels good..and I feel better knowing that the boys are being taking care of. Besides, it looks WAY cooler than the Fizik saddle. Yeah, it was expensive..but my boys are worth it..aren't yours?

I just bolted on my new San Marco Rolls last night. First ride this morning and it was pretty good for a brand newie. I'll be able to tell you more in a month or so. In the past i've found it takes about 2000km to wear your bits into a new saddle. If it's really painful though, I'd bin it or sell it some one else. I don't think there is a best saddle for all riders. There is no one size fits all unfortunantely.