Road Cycling - Saddles-Love 'em or Hate 'em

I have an uncomfortable relationship developing between me and my Velo Plush saddle. I like the cutaway design but I think that this is a cheap copy of some of the better models. I am aware of the Specialized Body Geometry and the Terry Liberator. What do you people have and how do you like them. I don't think I'm ready for the Selle stuff yet and I don't know how one gets ready for them. RoadBikeReview.com has good reviews on the Terry and the Specialized are OK and any additional info would help. Ba-Dg-Er, I figure you for the Selle type, Ti rails and all.

I have a Terry Liberator Ti and it's a pretty comfortable saddle once you get used to it. It's wider than the typical racing saddles but not so wide where you can't get behind the saddle if need be.

It does take a bit to get used to the saddle because you are on your sit bones and it's not the most plush saddle around.

The prob with the specialized body geometry is that they have too much padding. This allows the sit bones to sink into the saddle thus placing the forward part of the saddle more against the area it was supposed to have been relieving pressure on. I am more numb with mine than with an old selle san marco turbo, circa 1991, which was actually very nice almost all the time (it's a less padded saddle). Get a saddle that has minimal padding, yet comfortable, so you don't sink into it too much. Flites, Fiziks, and Eras get good reviews. The Era is my next one I'm getting.

I just went from a WTB "gonzo" saddle that came with my bike to a new Selle Italia Flite Gel Saddle (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.html?SKU=3821). I love this new saddle! I will never go back to a cheap saddle again. I actualy tried out 3 different saddle's before picking this one, the others were more "racey" but this one was alot more comfortable, and took out the road buzz better then the others.

A saddle that conforms to the body contours but is not at all soft or mushy is the Waveflo. It takes a custom mold of your seat first time you ride on it, and keeps it, nice and solid, very comfortable.

http://www.flolite.com/waveflo.htm

I have one on my road bike. (The "Sport" model shown on the web page.) Totally pleased with it.

My old bike had a Serfas Performance RX. I like it so much I put it on my new bike (which had a fizik saddle). Even though it is a year old, it is still comfortable. But I'm afraid it's days may be numbered, since it has supported my backside for almost 2000 miles. I'm sure I'll have to get a new one before the summer is over. :(

Ron

I went to my LBS and looked at his stock of saddles. By way of a trial he gave me an Odyssey. This is a kevlar/leather Selle type seat. The difference was immediately apparent. Less is more. The lack of padding in the rear of the saddle was much more of a benefit than I would have imagined. With this configuration, my sit bones were the only thing contacting the seat with any great pressure. My 30 mile test ride was much more comfortable than the old cut-away/padded configuration. One thing that I noticed is that even the slightest pedaling effort tends to lift the rider up off the saddle a slight amount, striking the correct balance between hands, feet, and seat. My dealer has a Selle San Marco that he took off a Trek 5500, maybe I am ready.....

Originally posted by HuffyMan
The difference was immediately apparent. Less is more.
Not just in saddles, either. Look at software....

Anybody besides me remember the days of DOS when the goal of programmers was to pare down each successive version of a program, to make it run faster and better? Now it's just the opposite. A program (I'm thinking of Microsoft Word right now) that was fairly efficient gets bogged down with largely useless frills, becomes bloated and buggy--because there has always got to be something NEW and "new" means "bigger" and "fancier."

Where is the Selle San Marco of word processors? Anybody seen a good titanium-frame OS lately?...

Jon R,
I have fairly limited experience with PC's, however when I have mine worked on by some of our IT nerds, they almost always drop back into dos and fix the problem. I program PLC's for a living and use dos based software in addition to some Win stuff. The big advangage to DOS is that when you are finished......you just turn the computer OFF......That's it! The next time you boot up the program will start. You should look into some of the old word processors Wordstar and Professional Write. The entire program will fit on a single 3.5" floppy (or 5.25" when floppy disks were floppy!) I know this started with saddles but any opportunity to jab Mr. Gates about his one-size-fits-all OS should not be missed.

I started using PCs around 1981 when the first IBM PCs came out. Having used DOS and DOS based software for so many years, including some programming in dBase, I get very frustrated with much of the newer stuff. I admit that some of it is much more convenient to use, but some of the "intuitive" features boggle my mind. I still haven't figured out how to do reports in Access.

Anyway on saddles. I have a Terry Liberator Sport. Same as the regular Liberator but with vinyl cover instead of leather. I bought it as an experiment so I did not want to spend too much. It has been very comfortable and supportive, not too soft. I am toying with getting something firmer.

Does the gel in gel saddles ever leak or over time get hard and lose its cushioning effect?

Well, I guess if I could ride a reasonable distance w/out one, I wouldn't bother. ;)

Of the saddles I've used, there are two stand-outs.

A Brooks leather B-17. It's very comfortable, and I like it for commuting and recreational, day-long rides. It's heavy, and fairly wide, but the way the mounting rails are bent, you can't push it as far back as most saddles. To compensate, you need a seat-post with some set-back (some newer seat-posts have none). Also, because it is wider, I generally lower my saddle position a little (we're talking about, like, 1/8 of an inch).

The other saddle is the fi'zi:k (I have no idea how that's pronounced) pave`, that came on my Litespeed. I'd never ridden such a small saddle, and when I purchased the bike, I asked the salesman if the shop would pay to have that thing surgically removed, if necessary. As it turns out, I like it a lot. It's not what I'd call comfortable, but I have the least post-ride discomfort with this saddle, regardless of ride distance or intensity... no chafing, minimal saddle sores.

A very timely thread. I just came in from a metric century (for the benefit of readers of that other thread, I'm drinking a locally brewed Two Rivers Lager). I've got a Terry Ti Fly on my road bike, and this was the first long ride for it. It's taken a little getting used to over the last month I've had it of rides up to 50 km or so, but it is getting better all the time. I guess there's a certain amount of break in time. I would recommend it.

I've got another new saddle on my commuter. It's the Avocet O2, and I would recommend it as well. It's another one that took a little getting used to, but it's comfortable for both fairly long rides (30-50 km), and for all round recreational riding. I had a Specialized Body Geometry and just couldn't get used to it at all and my LBS let me trade it for the Avocet. It's the one with ty rails, which is a little narrower than the others in their line.

Another advantage of using an LBS by the way, as they didn't give me any hassle in the exchange, as long as the other saddle is still in saleable condition. On the other hand I did get the Terry from Performance by mail order, because they had an exceptional price, and it wasn't available locally.

try ABS sports , I have two of them. http://www.abs-sports.com/index.html#ss

I've learned alot from this thread.

The synopsis bieng, if there is no discomfort, don't worry. So, if my saddle is doing well, then I should not spend the extra money on a new seat. Right?

Well, yes and no. That assumes you do not have my philosophy:
"If it ain't broke, go ahead and mess with it."

Seriously, although my Terry Liberator is quite comfortable, I am concerned about it for longer rides. Besides which I am a sucker for traditional stuff. So yesterday, partly from really thinking about it seriously since this thread started, I told my LBS to order me a Brooks B17. Turns out my bike shop buddy is a big Brooks fan and has used several over the years. I had already noticed the 20-30 old worn out Brooks saddles hanging up high on the shop wall (I don't think he wore them all out). Once I get it I will post reports from time to time.
Regards,
Raymond

Even though I have gotten along fine with my two original equipment Fuji saddles, as I am starting to get wander further and further away from home, I began to think that perhaps a different saddle was in order. (After 48 miles, the Fuji was getting a little uncomfortable!) So, I called Patty at the LBS, and we discussed it. She said that she would send me down a "care package" so I could try out some different models.
The next day in the mail was this big box! She sent me down 6 different saddles to try! Trying out a Surfas Pro Dual Density today, and tonight and tomorrow I will give the others a try. Some have holes and some don't. Then, which ever one I decide to really try will get to support my generous personage on a little ride I have planned on Sunday.
Sure is great having an LBS that gives this kind of service!
I know that saddle preference is a matter of personal fit and taste, but I will let you know which one I decide on!

Stick with that LBS, that's great service!

Lucky guy, ain't I??? With the support of the people on this forum and an LBS like Pattys, I'll be doing century rides before you know it!!
I went to another bike shop that sells new bikes that start with an "S" and because I was not a young athletic looking guy, they paid very little attention to me, and when they did, they were not what you would call real helpful. So, for better or worse, Patty has a loyal customer! If you are ever in Nebraska, and need her address, give me a call!! :)

Well, I have finally made my decision for a new saddle. The saddles that I tested were: Trico Split-rail; PWR eP3, Serfas RX+ Deep Groove; Serfas Dual Density Deep Groove; Serfas Dual Density Pro ARC; and Serfas Dual Density Cosmos. And the winner is (tah dah!) the Cosmos! This is the saddle I used on my 77 mile ride from h***, and I really appreciated it's comfort and fit. I found this saddle to support my sit bones very well, and no problems with the male 'areas'.
I really liked the Pro ARC, too. The Trico felt good, too, and in fairness, I could have probably used the adjustments to fine tune it to me, but I guess I just liked the look of the Serfas better, and it fit!
I am thankful that my LBS was kind enough to let me try out all these saddles. One thing I learned was that the ones that had more padding and were kind of rounded at the rear were comfortable when you are standing, but when you are riding, it is a constant battle to try to keep your sit bones where they should be...they keep wanting to slide off the rounded areas. That is the main reason I liked the Pro ARC, the Trico and the Cosmos, they are flatter at the rear, and when you sit on the saddle, you stay where you want to be!
Well, for me that is what worked. Hope you all have similar luch finding tyhat perfect fit!