Recommend Me a Saddle...........

[CrossChain]

Been riding good old Regal saddles for years. I like 'em, but lately I find myself feeling some numbness and other times some sensitivity "down there". I tried Ergo lately and like it much. It might be time to look at newer generation saddles as well. Especially after reading Paul1149's "Be Kind to Your Prostate".

So, I know about Specialized Aliases....what are other people riding? What works for you?


I ride in the drops frequently, rest of the time on hoods or arrowbars-- not particularly upright... so not really interested in a super wide saddle. Never got comfy on my Brooks B17 no matter how I positioned it.

Realizing nothing is more personal than one's crotch and saddle choice, I'd still like to hear what people are successfully using.

Thanks.

[turtleguy54]

CC, my take on this, after much introspection, is that we have more riders pushing their limits on the bike, just as we do in other sports. "Recreational" riding now is probably close to club riding years ago. We continually push ourselves to the limit and so are reaching the same discomforts that the pros are probably feeling daily. Add to that the introduction of the internet, and now we may console one another about our sore nether regions. I had no one to listen to my compaints in '72 about my sore butt, just thought it was part of the game.

I don't think there is a perfect saddle, especially for avid and aggressive riders, and I don't think God plans for one to be made. Three, four, five, six hours on anything stuffed up your crotch is gonna hurt and repeated efforts will only compound the problems. It's time to decide... sex or cycles. :D

For the record, I have gone back to Brooks, breaking in a B17N laced. It is actually much better than my former "board" but I can tell I will have to adjust it for aero bars.

[dauphin]

I've now logged a ton of miles on a Specialized Avatar which feels great for the first 20-25 miles and then it starts to bother me a bit. I do believe that I may need to adjust the angle up a bit and that might be part of the problem. Once I do that..tomorrow...I hope to have another report and an even more positive one!

[Big Paulie]

I'm a Regal rider too, but of course think about alternatives in spite of my relatively good success with the Regal. But, whenver I try something new, it never quite measures up for me.

[stapfam]

Can offer you no advice as I must have at least 10 saddles in the shed that are almost new- used a couple of times and do not work for me. I have found that saddle adjustment works for me- then there is the width of the nose to stop chaffing and a rear end of the saddle wide enough, but not too wide, for the sit bones, and enough padding to be just about comfortable, And then I still go out and try new saddles.

Sorry but if you want to cure your problem- you will either have to get out of the saddle a bit more often, or follow the Trend and keep buying more saddles.

[jwbnyc]

I swear by this one:

http://www.sellesanmarco.com/products/aspide_arrowhead_gelaround.asp

Which of course means absolutely nothing in terms of how someone else would get on with it.

It's the same old thing: just keep trying saddles until you hit the jackpot.

I do think you can draw useful conclusions - width, brand, padding, cutout - from the saddles you try that will lead you in the right direction.

[pastorbobnlnh]

Never got comfy on my Brooks B17 no matter how I positioned it.

The Brooks Professional is narrower--- even my wide bottom finds comfortable. Do you still have the B17? Lots of riders over on Classic and Vintage would be glad to help you find a suitable place for adoption, including yours truly!

[linux_author]

Brooks

[Grampy™]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html :D

[big john]

+1 for the San Marco Gelaround. I prefer the lycra or non-leather covers, used to use an Avocet R20. I just can't ride a leather covered saddle for very long, something to do with friction. Have dealt with enlarged prostate before, too, will post about it in the other thread.

[bcoppola]

FWIW, a recent Men's Journal article on genital numbness from biking I read in a waiting room recommended the Terry Fly among several "men's specific" saddles tested. They actually hooked up sensors to monitor blood flow in the penis while testing! (Eeeww) They also suggested standing up in the pedals every 10 min. or so to restore circulation.

So far the stock Selle saddle on my Giant OCR2 seems OK.

Now that I think back, the Brooks leather saddle (don't recall the number) on my old Raleigh roadie back in the day would sometimes cause numbness.

Grampy: that's a saddle Webb Diego would endorse!

[jppe]

These may be a little wide for you (in the sit bone region) but I seem to keep coming back to them. I ride the Selle Italia Max Trans Am and also the Selle Italia Max Flite Gel. Both have the ergo cutouts. I've never had any issues with circulation and numbness and ride in the drops a good bit as well-and rarely come out of the saddle even when climbing........

[Dogbait]

Getting the right saddle width will be the first step to finding one that is comfortable. There are other things to consider but a saddle that is too wide or too narrow for your sit bones will never feel good. A Specialized dealer can have you sit on a foam pad and then measure the indentations made by your sit bones. You can then use this information when buying a saddle of any brand. For me, this measurement was closest to Specialized's 143mm width. This confirmeed what I had already determined by trial and error with Brooks saddles.... the B17 was too wide, the Swallow too narrow but the Conquest/Team Pro was just right.

What I have been using with the most comfort are:
1, Brooks Conquest... best for longest distance
2, Selle Anatomica (see Schwinn Super Sport in my signature)... a close second but not as well made as the Brooks.
3, Specialized Alias 143mm,... a firmer ride, perhaps a bit too firm after 25 miles.

[howsteepisit]

FWIW, a recent Men's Journal article on genital numbness from biking I read in a waiting room recommended the Terry Fly among several "men's specific" saddles tested. They actually hooked up sensors to monitor blood flow in the penis while testing! (Eeeww) They also suggested standing up in the pedals every 10 min. or so to restore circulation.
Just more proof to the "we are all different" fact. I have a Terry Fly and it is uncomfortable and numbing. I changed to a Brooks B-17 and it works well for me. No numbing at all. I do find that the angle of the Brooks is extreemly sensitive to comfort. A half turn on the angle adjusters makes a big difference. I reccomend to all to get a two bolt seatpost so small angle adjustments can be made. BTW I use the Nitto Jaguar as two bolt seatposts are geting hard to find.

[will dehne]

I use currently three very different saddle.
1) Brooks Pro on a bike with a hydraulic trainer. I sweat like a pig and need no bike shorts on the Brooks. I do get off the saddle every 10 minutes for blood circulation.
Note that the Brooks has no relief for blood circulation. It has low friction and stays cooler. I use it as my daily exercise.
2) Brooks Champion Flyer on a Road bike. Again, I need to get off the saddle frequently for circulation but I do like the feel of the leather and saddle.
3) Serfas on a Tandem. I cannot get off the saddle on that bike because of my stoker.
I find the Serfas better for that condition and it is not so sensitive to rain exposure which cannot be avoided. BTW, I also took that Serfas across America tour with no complaints.

[Carusoswi]

I have made this recommendation enough times that some of you may accuse me of working for Fizik, but, I switched to an Arione that is, for me, the most comfortable saddle ever. It's narrow and long, and I position it with the nose slightly down. This shifts some of my weight onto my arms and legs so that I am supported by a sort of triangle. I can vary the amount of weight supported at any of those points at anytime during my ride. This seems to work for me as I typically ride four to six hours on weekends with nary a complaint from anything "down there."

I am no expert on any of this and, except that I've done so much reading about it on this forum, would not even begin to be able to articulate what I do or why I believe it works for me.

As I mentioned, the Arione is long and narrow. The narrowness eliminates any tendency for chafing on the inside of my legs (not that I ever experienced any serious chafing using previous saddles (a no-name saddle on my old Schwinn LeTour and the stock red and white Fizik that was supplied with my Cannondale Cyclocross Disc)). The length allows me to shift my sit position a bit more as I ride.

I have to say that I rarely put so much weight on my saddle that anything down there becomes numb or oxygen starved.

At 5'8" / 190 lbs I'm no lightweight, but, I also have no concept of saddle comfort or soreness as it relates to someone carrying 220 lbs or more. I would think the same principles apply, but it simply wouldn't be fair for me to be preaching to those of you who are heavier without having experienced for myself what it might feel like to ride at your weight.

The only saddle discomfort I've ever experienced was caused when I purchased my Cannondale. The LBS assumed that an older guy like me would probably be riding more upright and want to keep any weight away from my arms. They set up the saddle with the nose pointing upward. I got on and spent a couple of long days on the bike and was so sore that I couldn't stand to ride any longer.

Once I adjusted the nose slightly downward, no more soreness at all - that was with the stock saddle that's a bit wider than the Arione and much shorter.

Saddles like bikes are a personal matter, so, while recommendations are useful, we all have to search and search until we find what works for us individually.

Caruso

[kakman]

I have a Terry Fly and it is uncomfortable and numbing. I changed to a Brooks B-17 and it works well for me. No numbing at all. I do find that the angle of the Brooks is extreemly sensitive to comfort.
so what did you do with the Terry? It and the Brooks are the two on my 'next to try in the hope of finding the perfect saddle™' list.

// kak

[smokeystrodtman]

My first recommendation would be a Brooks B17, but you've already indicated you couldn't get along with it. If you want an anotomic saddle, one that I would recommend trying is the Koobi. I have one on my Fisher HT mountain bike. I used it for a while on my Lemond before I discovered Brooks saddles. I also agree with the other poster who advocated getting a two bolt seatpost. I have one (a Performance Forte') and it makes it possible to get very fine adjustments on the saddle tilt. This can be very important in getting a saddle set up for maximum comfort.

Smokey

Lemond Poprad, Fisher HT mtb, and Burley tandem

[Terex]

I also ride a Fizik Arionne. Some people, like me, tolerate most saddles well. Just lucky. I was looking for a saddle with more room for front-to-back movement, and this is just the ticket. I will say that long, flat rides are where problems usually arise. When I'm doing a lot of ups & downs, moving position on my saddle, standing from time to time, I never even notice saddle discomfort. If I'm sitting in one position for an extended period of time, I start to get sore.

[late]

I really like my Selle-Anatomica
http://www.mcmwin.com/

there is a video on that page showing how
it works when being ridden.

[Dchiefransom]

One of the best, with a long standing reputation for comfort. It's a three piece seat. The bottom has a separate cover. I'll be riding one today.