Saddle Recommendations...

New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that has less
than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. The previous owner passed
away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small gel
patch in the center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable. I would like
to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?

Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
sites and recommendations?

TIA Perry

 

prolink gel works for me.

gary

 

My favorite seats have been and continue to be the Concor and the Regal. As for shorts, I only ride
in Voler bib shorts. Check out www.velowear.com "Glhudson1" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> prolink gel works for me.
>
> gary

 

In article <[email protected]>, "Perry M"
<[email protected]> writes:

>It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable. I would like to sell this seat and
>find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?

How much have you riden it? Give it a decent break in period (if for nothing else than to break you
in). A hard saddle keeps the softer tissue of your perineium off of the saddle, which is a good
thing for long rides. A soft saddle will feel very nice on a test ride around the block, but could
well become a torture device on a long ride.

Everyone is different on these things, and some swear by gel saddles, but it is typical of
experienced riders for them to prefer hard saddles.

Tom Gibb <[email protected]

 

"Perry M" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that has less
> than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. The previous owner passed
> away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small
> gel patch in
the
> center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable.
I
> would like to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?
>
> Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
> sites and recommendations?
>
> TIA Perry
>

That's actually a pretty decent saddle. I'd recommend you keep it for a month or two before
dumping it. It takes a bit of saddle time each season to acclimate your bottom to riding on most
road bike saddles.

If, after a couple of months, you still find it uncomfortable, then you can start looking for
something else. Every body is different, and what some may love, you may hate, and vice versa.

performancebike has a pretty wide selection, and OK prices, but be prepared to try 3 or 4 before you
find the one that's best for you. I went through quite a few before getting my Selle Italia SLR (a
very narrow, hard saddle that seems to fit me just right).

I'd also recommend against "comfort" and "gel" saddles in general. If you know other folks who ride,
you might ask around...most serious riders have a collection of saddles that you could test ride.

HTH, GG

 

Perry M wrote:
>New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that has less
>than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. The previous owner passed
>away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small
>gel patch in the center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable. I would
>like to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?
>
>Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
>sites and recommendations?
>
>TIA Perry

This is by far the most comfortable saddle I have ever been on (narrow saddle with soft padding):

http://www.getawaybikes.com/Detail.cfm?Categoryid=55&BrandID=10&ProductID=2 80

Try it. You won't regret it. Another trick is to ride different saddles on different days. Easier if
you get another seatpost for the other saddle so you don't have to reajust the saddle angle.

Spacey

 

i third the motion to ride the current saddle for awhile. how many miles do you have in the flite?

after about 12 years off a bike, i started riding my 1983 bianchi with its old faithful selle italia
turbo (bernalt hinault version) and my butt HURT. i think i was walking funny for the first 10 days
or so. and that was only about 5 days of actual riding 15 mile rides. after two weeks, i realized i
hadn't even given the hurting a thought since it had disappeared.

i've switched over to a white perforated cinelli from way back when and it is just as comfortable.

if you haven't yet, you really need to condition yourself first before going on a mission like
finding the right saddle. good luck.

eric zamora fresno, ca.

> From: Spacey Spade <[email protected]> Organization: EarthLink Inc. --
> http://www.EarthLink.net Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech Date: Tue, 06 May 2003
> 04:12:29 GMT Subject: Re: Saddle Recommendations...
>
> Perry M wrote:
>> New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that has less
>> than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. The previous owner passed
>> away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small
>> gel patch in the center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable. I would
>> like to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?
>>
>> Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
>> sites and recommendations?
>>
>> TIA Perry
>
> This is by far the most comfortable saddle I have ever been on (narrow saddle with soft padding):
>
> http://www.getawaybikes.com/Detail.cfm?Categoryid=55&BrandID=10&ProductID=2 80
>
> Try it. You won't regret it. Another trick is to ride different saddles on different days. Easier
> if you get another seatpost for the other saddle so you don't have to reajust the saddle angle.
>
> Spacey

 

pmcgrew-<< New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that
has less than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. << Anyways, it has a
Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small gel patch in the center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do
not find it all that comfortable. I would like to sell this seat and find one that is more
comfortable. Any suggestions?

Find a local bike shop that does bike fits, comprehensive ones, fitting of the bike to you. Most
lousy saddle stories are about fit, not the saddle design..

<< Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
sites and recommendations?

Yer bike shop....

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

 

On Tue, 06 May 2003 01:54:58 GMT, "Perry M" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small gel patch in the center. It is a "hard"
>saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable. I would like to sell this seat and find one that
>is more comfortable. Any suggestions?

Sounds like a Flite Gel. Saddles are a very individualistic thing. Five of my bikes are equipped
with Flite Ti (not Gel) saddles. They seem to work for me. YMMV

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

 

I noted a saddle in the latest Performance catalog (and it is on their website too, but its picture
is not as clear on the site as it is in the catalog). It is called the Flow Saddle by Saddleco, made
of monofilament mesh. Looks pretty interesting. Doesn't appear to have a plastic support under the
mesh. I would think that it would be very comfortable -- but it is fairly pricey. Has anybody tried
this item?

- --
Anthony Leverock

On Tue, 06 May 2003 01:54:58 GMT, "Perry M" <[email protected]> wrote:

>New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that has less
>than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. The previous owner passed
>away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small
>gel patch in the center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable. I would
>like to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?
>
>Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
>sites and recommendations?
>
>TIA Perry

 

Perry M <[email protected]> schreef in berichtnieuws
[email protected]
> New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that has less
> than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. The previous owner passed
> away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small
> gel patch in
the
> center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable.
I
> would like to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?
>
> Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
> sites and recommendations?
>
> TIA Perry
>
>

All the previous comments are very sensible general advice, but here's a more specific suggestion
anyway. For my long-distance touring bike, I am going to check out the Selle Royal Lookin saddles,
which come in three types: wide, narrow and something in between. They're made for long distances,
but look soft enough not to require a long period of getting used to. They're not really meant to be
racing saddles, but if weight is less an issue, the narrowest model could be very suitable for a
road bike.

Jonathan.

 

"Perry M" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a 2000 Trek 5500 that has less
> than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years. The previous owner passed
> away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small
> gel patch in the center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable. I would
> like to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?
>
> Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
> sites and recommendations?
>
> TIA Perry
Consider a Brooks saddle. I just got two of their widest models. Profoundly unfashionable in this
part of the world where most want to look like racers but ever so comfortable.

 

Jonathan v.d. Sluis <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Perry M <[email protected]> schreef in berichtnieuws
> [email protected]
> > New to the NG and just picked up my first serious road bike. It is a
2000
> > Trek 5500 that has less than 200 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for 2 1/2 years.
> > The previous owner passed away 2 months after buying the bike. Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti
> > Seat with this very small gel patch in
> the
> > center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that
comfortable.
> I
> > would like to sell this seat and find one that is more comfortable. Any suggestions?
> >
> > Also looking for decent clothes and shoes. I have looked at performancebike.com. Any other good
> > sites and recommendations?
> >
> > TIA Perry
> >

Add my name to the list of those who urge you to work on saddle position and adapting to this
existing saddle, before changing. I've ridden the Selle Turbo for a number of years, and liked it a
lot. If you do decide to change, consider the newer styles with the cutaway center. I got a new
Selle Trans Am this year. The shape of old vs. new is almost identical, but the cutaway definitely
helps in the numbness department.

That's another thing; once you settle on a saddle brand, you can usually buy with confidence that
other models in the brand will also fit.

As for clothing and shoes, I've got several items from Performance, and they, like Nashbar, offer
good value for the money. But my favorite clothing line is Pearl Izumi. The quality of materials and
workmanship is outstanding, and their sizing is consistent. Keep in mind that sizes vary widely
among manufacturers; a XXL Giordana is equivalent to a Large in Pearl Izumi, for example.

I like my Carnac Legend shoes, but they're quite heavy. Footwear you're gonna have to just try among
manufacturers.

Baltimore "nothing's too good for my tush" Bernie

 

RE/
>Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small gel patch in the center. It is a "hard"
>saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable.

First thing I'd do is check hardware compatbility by sitting on some styrofoam or cardboard to get
the dents made by my ichial tuberosities and then comparing the C-C distance between the dents with
the available area on the saddle.

Chances are it's ok...if so get some decent padded shorts, persevere, get a two-bolt microadjustable
post, start carrying an allen key, and play with tilt adjustment. If it's too narrow dump it ASAP
and find something the right width.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

Thanks for all the suggestions! I took it to a local bike shop. They adjusted the saddle and the
handlebars and it does make a difference. The seat is much more "comfortable". I took it out today
and rode a few miles on it to see how the bike truly felt.... I had regular shorts on but the bike
is simply wonderful ride. I got a great deal on this one! It basically brand new. I am really
looking forward to building my endurance up to go out on some day rides with some of my 'serious'
biking friends.

I spent over $200 getting shoes, tubes, tool, new pedals (the PD-7700's take a special shoe...I
wanted to be able to have a shoe that I could walk around
in), shorts and a pair of gloves. Buying this stuff at a local bike shop brought me a lot of "good
will". The guy adjusted the bike and told me to bring it back after I have ridden a while and he
would tweak it some more.

Perry

Perry

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> RE/
> >Anyways, it has a Italia Flite Ti Seat with this very small gel patch in
the
> >center. It is a "hard" saddle and I do not find it all that comfortable.
>
> First thing I'd do is check hardware compatbility by sitting on some
styrofoam
> or cardboard to get the dents made by my ichial tuberosities and then
comparing
> the C-C distance between the dents with the available area on the saddle.
>
> Chances are it's ok...if so get some decent padded shorts, persevere, get
a
> two-bolt microadjustable post, start carrying an allen key, and play with
tilt
> adjustment. If it's too narrow dump it ASAP and find something the right width.
> -----------------------
> PeteCresswell

 

eric wrote:
>i third the motion to ride the current saddle for awhile. how many miles do you have in the flite?
>
>after about 12 years off a bike, i started riding my 1983 bianchi with its old faithful selle
>italia turbo (bernalt hinault version) and my butt HURT. i think i was walking funny for the first
>10 days or so. and that was only about 5 days of actual riding 15 mile rides. after two weeks, i
>realized i hadn't even given the hurting a thought since it had disappeared.
>
>i've switched over to a white perforated cinelli from way back when and it is just as comfortable.
>
>if you haven't yet, you really need to condition yourself first before going on a mission like
>finding the right saddle. good luck.

I wasn't very clear, but the link I gave:

http://www.getawaybikes.com/Detail.cfm?Categoryid=55&BrandID=10&ProductID=2 80

you can also use this link: http://tinyurl.com/b8uz

This not a Flite Saddle, it is a KHS saddle.

Spacey