Saddles! Why so hard?

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  1. bangacan

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    New poster here who needs some help. Since I've returned to road biking(10 years ago) I've tried so many saddles that I can't recall them all. Back in the day I used a Selle Italia Turbo and recall liking it. In the past year I have tried Fizik Aliante, Prologo Scratch, Charge Spoon, WTB Volt, WTB silverado, Selle SLK, Selle SLK Gel Flow, Specialized Henge comp and probably one or two oters that I can't recall. My head is now spinning and have gone back to the Spoon because it's comfortable for my usual 45 min lunchtime rides and is cheap.

    I have two young kids now so my rides are much shorter. The only time I ride more than 90 min is when I do a charity ride. Should I accept that my crotch will not get use to these harder saddles because I don't put in consistent time? The softest of these saddles was the Henge but after the 2nd and third rides I felt disconnected from the bike.

    Other saddles I have tried in the past are: Fizik Arione(hate), WTB Rocket(ok), Wtb Pure(too wide), WTB Shadow(liked but don't make anymore).

    Any thoughts?

    Posted 3 months ago

  2. george

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    *Once you have the right height and for and aft in relation to bike fit*

    I've found I can ride any saddle the trick is finding the right angle for a particular saddle. A few mm's can really make a difference.

    Posted 3 months ago

  3. steelbikerider

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    I used to ride turbos back in the day. Got married, quit racing, had a kid, gained 20 lbs. Started riding again and the Turbo was not comfy anymore. Tried a few saddles and settled on the Concor Lite - no padding but a good shape for me. Tilt is especially critical but I haven't wanted to try anything else in the last 15 years.

    Posted 3 months ago

  4. zootracer

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    If you liked the Selle Italia Turbo you might try the San Marco Rolls. Very similar. The prob with saddles is every one's rear is different and like Bob said, position is very crucial. I've been using the San Marco Regale for a few years now. Recently put back on my old Fizik Arione. Must have dialed it in right, because now I am wondering why I stopped using it...also the type of cycling shorts you wear makes a big difference...if you are experimenting with a lot of saddles, that's typical. i have a large cardboard box in my garage full of them..

    Posted 3 months ago

  5. bangacan

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    Thanks guys. Do you think there is a correlation between how much you ride and the amount of padding? Like I said, the saddle that was the most comfortable had the most padding but that does not mean I liked it the best. That was the Henge.

    Posted 3 months ago

  6. bangacan

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    Also, My bike fit is pretty good but I want to find the right saddle before I have someone help me dial in my fit.

    Posted 3 months ago

  7. 79pmooney

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    A seat you did not mention that is not rock hard is the Terry Fly. I have them on half my bikes and rode 6000 miles on them last year. I believe it is made by Selle Italia, a crew that does know how to make quality seats.

    The Fly is similar to the old Selle Italia seats of the late 70s, early '80s, nothing fancy or radical. (Think Advocet II and III. Same seat, different label.) The two real changes are the cutout and shaping for us not so young riders who cannot still ride those old shapes because our bodies have changed and the titanium rails.

    For me, the Fly is what a bike seat should be. It doesn't tell me where to sit. I can ride the nose (no rivets thank you!) or push back all the way. At the end of last year's Cycle Oregon, I realized that I never thought about the seat all week.

    But as others have said, each butt is different. Good luck!

    Ben

    Posted 3 months ago

  8. Keith RIchards

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    I am with bob. I can be pretty comfy on any saddle once I get it dialed in.

    And don't spend too much money on getting a fitting. It is really not the dark art they say it is. Just don't be afraid to make adjustments. If something don't feel right, change it. Measurements will only get you but so close, the rest is about personal feel.

    It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong.
    Posted 3 months ago

  9. CB2

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    If you go to a Specialized dealer they can measure your sit bones so you know how wide a saddle you need. Also Fizik, and I think WTB have loaner programs so you can find the right size saddle.

    Jam Econo
    Posted 3 months ago

  10. cycling chick

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    I'm going to agree with CB2. It may not be an issue of padding, but an issue of the width of your sit bones.

    I am a female (in case you couldn't tell by my username) and I have had four children, so my sit bones are fairly widely spaced. It took me a while to find a saddle that was comfortable for extended rides. After having my sit bones measured I realized that I needed a saddle that has some width to it, but not that much padding.

    If you can find a bike shop that can measure your sit bones, it may make all the difference.

    Posted 3 months ago

  11. zootracer

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    Generally, more padding=friction.

    Saddles that have worked for me,feel right on the first pedal stroke. One problem I have is that a lot of saddles work for me and I have problems deciding which one to use...sometimes I have different saddles mounted on different seatposts and I will switch back and forth. Maybe I need therapy..

    And yes your butt will "toughen up" over time. After I broke my hip in '05 and got back on my bike again, my butt hurt like crazy for a few weeks. Guys thought it was funny, but it was almost unbearable..

    Posted 3 months ago

  12. Black Dog

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    Good shorts can make a huge difference. What are you wearing? Also, like bob said, he tilt of the saddle can make a huge difference, even a few degrees can make a seat go from being an ass cleaver to an invisible, gentle force that supports your arse.

    Cheers...Daryl LeBlanc

    -Life is too important to be taken seriously- Oscar Wilde
    Posted 3 months ago

  13. DonnaMobile

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    Selle SMP Strike saddles are available with rear sections of differing widths and with different amounts of padding.

    http://sellesmp.it/smp4bike/en

    Posted 3 months ago

  14. bangacan

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    I've got several pairs of quality bibs from dif manufacturers. The Specialized method of measuring sit bones seems pretty loose to me. I'm not the skinniest guy and when wearing jeans I would think that this is not very accurate.

    I think I need a different seat post as the one I have makes it impossible to micro adjust the tilt. It has those ridges in the curved part of the head and depending on the saddle makes it hard to get where I want it.

    I'm looking at Williams demo program. They look nice, are light and a small price to try as many saddles as I want.

    Posted 3 months ago

  15. Master50

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    To answer the question does it take some regular riding to make the saddle comfortable? I say it does take a lot of regular riding before any serious seat is comfortable. Soft seats put my bits to sleep and that is often what all these gel pads are advertised to address but I say they cause far more trouble. Big wide tractor seats look very comfortable to some people who will sit on a bike with the entire rear end whereas a regular cyclist is trying to find the seat that fit the sit bones while at the same time not irritate the soft bits around it. I used to like a rolls and the Turbo but went to the Alieante' 8 years or more ago. I found it to be very comfortable and it is actually a wide seat but it is a sit in 1 place saddle so getting the angle correct was a 2 week ordeal. Eventually I settled on 2.5 degrees nose up. I have never had a saddle be comfortable nose up but this is for me so that is where i ride it. A friend that also uses the same saddle cannot sit on my bike for more than a few minutes in this position.
    All the other advice is here too. In the end it is your end that makes a saddle work for you but yes a certain amount of cycling specific muscle in and around the saddle helps make these hard seats comfortable.

    Posted 3 months ago

  16. bangacan

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    Master 50, it sounds like I am screwed! ha, ha, I tend to agree about the padding and the width. The WTB Shadow that used for a few years before I stupidly let it go with a bike I sold was 130 or 127 wide. Pretty narrow even by the narrow saddles of today. It had a fair amount of padding and fairly flexible.

    Posted 3 months ago

  17. Entheo

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    to bob's point about seat angle: sometimes it's counter-intuitive. for example, some folks think they'll be more comfortable if they tilt the tip downward, when in actuality, tilting the tip upward slightly will keep your sit bones planted further back in the saddle where the designers intended them to be.

    i have a fizik arione. at first i thought WTF but once i got it dialed in my arse and it are one with the universe. never any numb bits either.

    Posted 3 months ago

  18. mondonico

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    I have, as I'm sure everyone who rides a bike has, the whole saddle, shorts, bike fit, angles, yada, yada, yada conondrum. Or is it confusion?

    I always hear of those who know down to the mm and degree every angle of fit on their bikes. I have at least half a dozen different cycling shorts. Every one of my four bikes has a different saddle and different geomitries etc. I have a few fit parameters that I try to stay within on my bikes. But as I ride I move around so much everything changes. And I have always wondered how much angles change from the rear of the saddle to the front. From the drops to the hoods to the handle bar. How much we change from just being tense vs relaxed. From having our arms straight to bending over as far as possible.

    But like I said, I know enough about what size bike and basic parameters I must have in a bike to fit. I would never even try to ride my bikes with some of the drops some of you here ride. Or even seat angles etc.

    I guess I'm just confused enough to be able to get comfortable enough on any saddle, bike etc. to enjoy cycling enough for at least a few hours everyday.

    Posted 3 months ago

  19. vtguy

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    Like mondonico I have four bikes -- each with a different saddle and all of which are comfortable, and I'm fairly lean (6' and 160) so I don't have much natural padding. I think bike fit is as or more important than the saddle. I disagree with Keith -- have a professional bike fitting if you haven't already. It's not cheap, but it's by far the best cycling investment I've ever made. Also, check with your LBS to see if they have test saddles that you can borrow for several day to try out. Good to hear that you're getting back into riding.

    Posted 3 months ago

  20. pikeHillRoad

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    Not much new to say here, except: You may find that a saddle that is comfortable for many, short rides is not the one comfortable for many, long(er) rides. I have regals and a turbo, and I like them both. But before that I had a fizik vitesse. This latter was really comfortable for up to 1.5 hours. After that some thing crept in (slight impingement of leg motion) that made the saddle uncomfortable. On the flip side, if I was riding the amount you do, the regals especially would be axe hatchets. I have to ride enough to harder the sit bones (yep, the early season is fun!). But once I am fit for the saddle, they are very comfy.

    good luck.

    Posted 3 months ago

  21. bangacan

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    Thanks guys for all your input.

    I did want to try one of those SMP saddles but the cost is too high just to try it out. I don't know of any local shops that demo those and the only one locally available had what I thought to be an extreme amount of padding.

    I decided to buy the WTB shadow that I stupidly sold with my previous bike. Hard to find and I feared that since they longer make them that they would be even scarcer if I waited.

    Went out on my usual 40 min lunchtime ride and it felt GOOD! Not plush but not rock hard either. We'll see how it is on longer rides but I have high hopes.

    Ride safe...and screw Lance

    Posted 2 months ago

  22. stinkyhelmet

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    WTB shadow V rider here bangacan for the last 7-8 years. I have that saddle on the road, mtb, and cross bike and spares in the garage. You can find them on eBay but they are becoming scarce. Feels like they used my butt for a mold when they created the last for that saddle :-)

    Posted 2 months ago

  23. Keith RIchards

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    vtguy, I said don't spend TOO MUCH on a fitting. I personally don't think fitting is rocket science. It is all about personal preference and what your body can adapt to.

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/photos/race-tech-video-hansen-pushing-the-limits-for-performance

    Look at Hansen's bike. Some people can handle some positions others can't. Look at the pro peloton, there are all types of positions out there. Lance raised his stem over the years as he became less flexible.

    I say go get a fitting from a good local bike shop but don't be dropping $150-200 or some madness on a fit.

    Posted 2 months ago

  24. bangacan

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    Keith, I agree about the fitting cost. I know of couple of respected guys who do fittings for around $70. It's worth the money as I have messed around with so many saddles over the past year that something has to be a bit wonky. It felt good today though and the bike seemed smaller. I felt a little stretched on the previous saddle and I did not change the post one bit.

    Posted 2 months ago

  25. Keith RIchards

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    Also have somebody who rides who you know and trust ride with you and take a look at your position while you are riding.

    One more thing. Don't think your saddle HAS to be perfectly straight. It doesn't. You have to be comfortable. That is all. All my saddles are a little to the left.

    Posted 2 months ago

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