Touring - Touring saddles?

Hi guys...

I'm in the market for a new saddle. Wondering what brands/models are recommended for the touring/long distance department.

Have any of you guys used racing type saddles for touring? Its my only bike, so sacrifices have to be made here or there... :D (The Specialized Toupe is what I'm pondering, but I havent found anywhere that I can give one a try before I buy.)

Thanks!

Brooks B17.

Brooks B17.

+1 (followed by another 30 people saying the same thing and two guys saying they never felt right on it but now they have a saddle with a hole in it and they feel ok)

How do they do in the rain? She's also my commuter bike a few days a week, so theres a chance of getting locked up outside.

I gotta say that the toupe is 155 grams, and I'm a weight weenie in training! :D

I purchased a Brooks pro in January as a result of reading this touring forum. I have about 1000mi on it and it is certainly better than the first 100 mi.

For the past 10 years I have used racing saddles, so it does feel different from what I'm used to. I recently purchased a Selle Italia Prolink Gel on my Cross bike to compare with...at this point I'm leaning toward the Prolink......my 2 cents

How do they do in the rain? She's also my commuter bike a few days a week, so theres a chance of getting locked up outside.

I gotta say that the toupe is 155 grams, and I'm a weight weenie in training! :D

super-comfortable saddle = more time on the bike = less weight on you = less weight on the bike.

my brooks b-17 isn't broken in yet. and i probably should have gotten the women's version - i have the b-17 standard and it's a bit narrow for me. but it's already better than any other saddle i've ridden, and is only getting better.

take a plastic bag with you and cover it in the rain. it's no trouble, and it's nice to have a dry saddle when it's raining anyway.

if you want recommendations other than the b-17, you'll probably do well to post in the road or commuting forum - probably almost everyone here will be telling you to get a brooks.

How do they do in the rain? She's also my commuter bike a few days a week, so theres a chance of getting locked up outside.

I gotta say that the toupe is 155 grams, and I'm a weight weenie in training! :D

You cover it in the rain, unless your butt is riding on it. If you are serious about touring, you'll find that having a comfy backside is much more important than shaving a gram here or there from a 25-100lb total load.

I have Brooks B17N and B17 on my 520 and T800 respectively, but also use a leather Terry Liberator on my 970 mtb conversion which is a bit more upright and it works fine although I will admit to not having ridden more than 40 miles in a day on it. It is a firm, leather covered saddle with a cutout, lighter than the Brooks.

+1 (followed by another 30 people saying the same thing and two guys saying they never felt right on it but now they have a saddle with a hole in it and they feel ok)

Brooks. Nuff said.

26 more to go.

after my tour last weekend I think I'm about to be converted to the brooks. The B17N is just a few mm wider than my current saddle. I'm thinking that I ought to get the B17N. anybody have any thoughts on how to choose the standard or the narrow?

Get the Brooks B-17. I don't like them myself, but everyone else does, and they can't all be wrong.;)
I use a Brooks B-67.

My two cents worth:

Brookes B17 saddles are meant to be used by someone that sits upright. This is the position that most tourists assume so it generally works for them. But some touring cyclists have a more racing crouch and this saddle is shaped incorrectly for that.

I've always been satisfied with Selle San Marco Regal saddles which seem to work anyway you use them as long as the saddle nose isn't above level. In which case they feel like a hatchet.

Hi guys...

I'm in the market for a new saddle. Wondering what brands/models are recommended for the touring/long distance department.

Have any of you guys used racing type saddles for touring? Its my only bike, so sacrifices have to be made here or there... :D (The Specialized Toupe is what I'm pondering, but I havent found anywhere that I can give one a try before I buy.)

Thanks!

I use a Brooks B-67 and like it very much. Its extra large for my extra lard. Sometimes if pedalling real hard it can have a little squek to it. I use some neatsfoot oil at time rather than Brooks Proofide, which means I'll only get 20,000 rather than 30,000 miles.

The saddle came with a cover which can be used in the rain, though I never have. How do I know? One morning when I left before dark I forgot to take it off and didn't even notice for 15 miles.

Brooks. Nuff said. 26 more to go.

+1. 24.

I have the B17 narrow, and for me the choice between standard and narrow was just an educated guess. For some reason I generally prefer narrow saddles, so I went with that. My break in mileage was fairly short. I stopped counting somewhere around 200 kms, as I started to feel comfortable enough not to pay any attention to the saddle anymore. It's too early to tell if it's the best saddle ever for me, but so far so good.

--J

I got the B17 champion special and am very happy so far, but I think that it has heavier leather so it took quite a while to break in maybe 500km, but it is great now.
+1
23

I've always been satisfied with Selle San Marco Regal saddles which seem to work anyway you use them as long as the saddle nose isn't above level. In which case they feel like a hatchet.
+1. The Regal is an excellent saddle if it fits your anatomy. Mine fits me perfectly. :love:

A Brooks B.67 is a fine saddle. It is a sprung saddle, just enough to stop the majority of the road hash from reaching my fine little tush. :rolleyes:

Brookes B17 saddles are meant to be used by someone that sits upright. This is the position that most tourists assume so it generally works for them. But some touring cyclists have a more racing crouch and this saddle is shaped incorrectly for that.

While I agree I've found that as you break it in you can tilt the nose down, taking the pressure off the area between your legs. Once you have deep sit-bone grooves you can tilt the saddle as much as 8* down, putting almost all the pressure on your bones. When you combines this with good drop-bar posture and good bike sizing, you'll have one hell of a comfortable ride.

okaaay so I'll be the list oddball. I have been touring on a Fizik Aliante....for the life of me, it feels identical to my Brooks team pro but is waterproof, has a bit better feel to the surface (not as slick or something) and the substructure flexes just right for heavy climbing while seated. unfortunately, it costs far too much........

I've got a Toupe sitting on the seat post, no male pattern baldness... but the saddle.

I figure that the bike I have currently has the wrong geometry, real short stays and toe overlap, for touring.

But, I am keeping my eyes peeled for cheap Brooks saddles. Way to many good reviews to ignore!

Thanks again!

While I agree I've found that as you break it in you can tilt the nose down, taking the pressure off the area between your legs. Once you have deep sit-bone grooves you can tilt the saddle as much as 8* down, putting almost all the pressure on your bones. When you combines this with good drop-bar posture and good bike sizing, you'll have one hell of a comfortable ride.

My B17 is too slick to ride with the nose tilted down. I finally had to take it off my road bike and save it until I get a touring bike with a more upright position.

+1 (followed by another 30 people saying the same thing and two guys saying they never felt right on it but now they have a saddle with a hole in it and they feel ok)
Don't forget the guy who always chimes in about Sella San Marcos Rolls saddles, especially the titanium railed ones - titanium for the little bit of extra road-buzz absorbtion, not weight, although that's a nice bonus. (Hard to find new ones now - usually some steel railed ones available on eBay, often in some really God-awful colors: hold out for black.) That guy would be me. FWIW: If I couldn't have a Rolls, I would go for Brooks and agonize for about twelve hours over whether to get a B-17 or a Pro.

And now, my work is done here.

B-17 Champion special cradles my huge ass AND looks like a million dollars (Green and brass, mmmm).

Yesterday I had an epiphany about my Brooks. Since it's leather, rubbing it makes it smooth. That means the spots where you have the greatest friction are the most slippery -- exactly what you want in a saddle.

I'm still not sure about my new B17 Special. I have about 500 miles on it, and it's breaking in. Doesn't really hurt any more but I'm having a hard time finding the right tilt adjustment. If I don't tilt it up enough I'm sliding forward all the time, resulting in too much weight on my hands. If I tilt it up more I get pressure on the soft tissue. In order to "sit" on the saddle rather than "perch" on it I have to tilt the nose up quite a bit more than what I've seen in other photos here. I've wondered if I would have been better off with the women's version (my sit bone dents are pretty wide on the saddle), but I'm not a large guy so that option didn't occur to me before I bought it.

I'm still not sure about my new B17 Special. I have about 500 miles on it, and it's breaking in. Doesn't really hurt any more but I'm having a hard time finding the right tilt adjustment. If I don't tilt it up enough I'm sliding forward all the time, resulting in too much weight on my hands. If I tilt it up more I get pressure on the soft tissue. In order to "sit" on the saddle rather than "perch" on it I have to tilt the nose up quite a bit more than what I've seen in other photos here. I've wondered if I would have been better off with the women's version (my sit bone dents are pretty wide on the saddle), but I'm not a large guy so that option didn't occur to me before I bought it.

It took about six months till issues arose with me.
I been having the same exact problem with the special and a champion flyer. The special has 1000 plus on it and the flyer about 500. The flyer is probably the worst saddle I have ever had the experience of owning. I went as far as hacking out the center of it tonight which helped a bit. The problem with the damn things is the rise towards the back of the saddle. It is not the handlebar height since it is damn near level with the saddle.

Yesterday I had an epiphany about my Brooks. Since it's leather, rubbing it makes it smooth. That means the spots where you have the greatest friction are the most slippery -- exactly what you want in a saddle.

BINGO!!
You're absolutely correct. It's one of the characteristics that make thick hide saddles so comfortable. It won't work with plastics, just leather, because of the absortive, yet breathable qualities. Each 'micro-slip' movement allows air between you and the saddle, keeping you cool and dry. I keep a coating of clear boot wax on all my Brooks saddles. Nice and slick, no stick.

Modbiker and Stucky
This is precisely the problem I had with a B-17, now happily under someone else with narrower ischial tuberosities. They are great saddles for alot of people but the bones spots will tell all. I took a chance and ordered a B-67. Now I have two of them. Nirvana from the first minute.
http://i2.tinypic.com/x1hjkg.jpg

Iwas using a lepper saddle which is sprung leather on my old touring bike it took forever to break in and weighed a ton, am now using the rooks b17 and even as new feels more comfy so guess it will get even better.