Road Cycling - How do you pick a new saddle?

I'm tired of the numbness on even short rides. My saddle is the stock Selle Italia that came with the bike. It's sleek and looks cool, but I'll give up cool for comfortable at this time.

How do I begin eliminating choices? My only requirements are that it should be light (for racing) and not cause numbness in my groin.

My rides vary, but on average are anywhere from 16 - 50 miles. I've done a few centuries, but that's not the norm. If I can make it 50 miles on a bike and not get numb... I'll probably make it the rest of the way.

Where should I begin, and who will let me test a few seats?

Well, you could just order yourself a brooks and be done with the whole saddle issue thing for about 30 years. A brooks swift ti for the road or a brooks B-17 standard or narrow for just about every kind of riding there is. Brooks saddles, your bottom will thank you. Hand made in england, for those of us that actually ride our bikes.

I use a Terry Fly Ti (http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/2123900.lasso). Very comfortable. Not sure but maybe the cutout is the secret for eliminating the numbness problem. :)
http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/ImagesSAD/2123900P.gif


You can also try experimenting with the saddle position, angle, and height.

Over the years I have tried a dozen or so different saddles, and ultimately come back to either a Sella San Marco Rolls, or Regal. (Each can be had with Ti rails to shave a few grams of weight if you really feel it is necessary). More than anything, YOU have to go thru the trial and error of selection... Good luck!

Brooks B-17. The only question is: Black or Honey Brown?

You ignore the weight of the saddle and find one that suits your posterior. Of course, you need to be sure you've gotten your bike fit and riding position sorted out so that you're not chasing the wrong problem.

Seriously, be sure you've got your riding position nailed before pissing away money on saddles... if only because once you do get your riding position sorted out you'll still piss away a few bucks on saddles until you find "the one" for you. At present I'm riding a Selle Italia ProLink TransAm... most unusal seat I've had but it's turned out to be the most comfortable since "losing" the feel for Selle Italia Flite saddle design that I'd been riding the past 15? years. Note: The ProLink is not svelte by any stretch but that's not as important as being comfortable.

Email or better yet call Bill Laine at WWW.WALLBIKE.COM. He knows his saddles and will get you fit right.

I got a Selle Italia saddle with my bike and had the same problems as yourself with numbness so I tossed it. The problem you face is that as you get closer to the "racing" type saddles you are going to find they cut the weight by cutting the padding. The question I put to you is if a "soft" saddle worth the additional 100g-150g? It is to me....thats a candy bar or two.

RonH is correct about the saddle suggestion but I would go one step further and look at the next step up "Gel" model of the same brand. Go here:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.html?SKU=14982

I purchased this saddle on a recommendation from a friend and its fantastic. Soft and no numbness. It looks good too.

Snowblower

Always test a saddle before you buy it, don’t order it as you are likely to end up having a bunch of saddles you don’t like. So my suggestion would be: find a LBS, borrow a test saddle first, see whether it suits you and then decide.
There are two more things: Have patience and Don’t believe too much what other people are saying, it is similar to women, what they like, might not be what you like!

http://www.apollobikes.com/frames/frame6.html RDZ2000 has a Selle Italia Triamtic 2 with Limeria Sudo cover and its uncomfortable..... im gonna get a new one....wat sort of saddles you guys with selle's got?

Brendon
:beer:

I've got a Cannondale Coda with a groove thats made by Selle Italia thats great to me. I have a cutout on my tourbike but its uncomfy to sit on the nose. I like to use the whole saddle on a roadbike. Have you checked the angle on your saddle? I haven't found a saddle thats completely comfortable but numbness is a 'no go'!

Ok there is too much misinformation going on here.

1. The saddle must be heavier to be comfortable or more cushioning makes a saddle heavier and you must compromise weight for comfort.

This isn't true. There is one basic thing that you need to know:
Are you comfortable on a flat saddle (Selle Italia Flite) or a curved saddle (San Marco concor)

The San Marco Concor Light is very well padded, comfortable and light. Choice of Lance and many pros.
Terry Fly ti is very comfortable

Those are great places to start.

hey, what do you guys think of the body geometry saddles? The saddle on my lemond is killing me. Anybody tried the specilized milano saddle?

Like other people on this subject, I could tell you what type of saddle I use, but saddles are such a personal choice. What I ride on is perfect for me. The way I decided on my saddle wasn't some voodoo ritual. I told my LBS that I was looking and they set me up on their in store trainer with a lot of different choices. I love my LBS. Bought the most comfortable saddle I have ever stuck my brains on and it fits the philosophy of my bike, "All day comfort with a little speed and climbing thrown in".
Oh yeah, I got a 10% discount because of my club affiliation. Don't be afraid to ask for favors from your LBS. If it doesn't cost them money they will most likely help out. If you feel uncomfortable, or they are uncooperative, find someone else. Having a long term relationship with my LBS is important. They will be the ones insuring that I am on a working bike throughout the years.

I test saddles by feeling where the pressure goes. If i can feel my sit bones being well supported, and little pressure between, then Im fairly certain it will work.
Personally I prefer a very hard saddle with little padding, and find that the shape is more important, but for me, a central cutout does not work.
You may find that your best saddle is a lightweight or a heavier model, but unless you are a weight weanie, dont let weight be your primary guide.
I use a Brooks, and they are not the lightest, but do conform to my own particular shape.

I tried the body geometry saddles, I found them very, very uncomfortable, The ceter slot tends to pinch after about 25 miles. Sone seem to like them, but they're not for me. I like my brooks.

I had a problem with numbness with a standard
Flite saddle but otherwise it was comfortable.
I bought a Trans-am and it did cure the numbness but
found alot of pressure around the cut-out (smaller
contact area?). I ended up with a Brooks B17 and couldn't
be happier. That said it is NOT a light saddle. If you are
racing you might want to look into the Rolls or Concour
type saddles, play with position until you find one that
is both comfortable for long rides and doesn't cause
numbness.
Good luck, it can be a long process but in the
end (no pun intended) it will be worth it.

Marty

I finally found the right saddle/saddle position to avoid numbness, after only about 4 years on this bike. I might still do some tweaking to the position as I do longer rides. It's often not just the saddle, so do be sure to check the rest of your position. Find a fit machine if you haven't already, or use wrenchscience or something similar as a guide (don't take their numbers for truth, just a guide).

But, the Fizik Aliante is pretty comfy for my bum.

Now here's a real man's (http://sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html) saddle! ;)

Originally posted by Cipher
Now here's a real man's (http://sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html/) saddle! ;)

Sheldon "can't leave his website alone" Brown changed the pages. It's not there anymore

Are ya sure?!? (I just tried the link and it worked, but I'll copy it).



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hmmmmmm

well i haven't tried tons of saddles...

but i was unhappy with mine about 4-5 years ago and had some numbness, so i did a saddle search and tried a few at the LBS and bought the Specialized Body Geometry (the Comp i think) and have been really happy.

my '02 Stumpjumper FSR XC Comp i bought last March came with the Body Geometry Pro saddle which i have also been quite happy with.

my road bike has some generic racing saddle on it (came with it) and it is considerably less comfortable for me. but i log relatively few miles on the road bike, but some day i will buy a new saddle...

but as some others have said, i think each person is different, so the Body Geometry may or may not be for you. for me it is comfortable and takes all the pressure off of the "inner" important stuff so the weight is supported by the sit-bones --- something which is important since i ride 7000 to 10,000 km per year.

I bought the Specialized body geometry saddle with the leather covering. It looks identical to the lower priced model which I think has more padding and a wider nose. Racer X mentions finding out whether you prefer a shaped saddle or a flat one. This is the first flat-top saddle I have owned, and this has made the difference for me. I can change the pressure points by sliding forward or back incrementally, and the amount of power from the hips can be dialed in as well.

For my other bike (fixed) I bought a Team Pro by Brooks. I had used this saddle on a long ride to Mexico in '79, and did not undergo the tortures of hell that my riding companion experienced on his padded saddle ( I think he ended up using his sandwiches as extra cushioning in the end.) The Brooks had a bit of a hammock shape, and I know that once the sit bones leave their imprint, I will be relegated to one spot on the saddle. I am not sure that this is the ideal for me since I have found a flat saddle to be less positional as I said above. My choice was to get another flat saddle or go back to the Brooks and compare the two side-by-side, and this is what I did dispite the fact that the Brooks is heavier (non-Ti), and the rails do not allow for full rearward extension.

I have about 100 miles on my body geometry (pro), and it is nice-no numbness at all. It is a bit harder though, so I have a bit of muscle soreness now. (sort of like I have been lifting weights with my ass) hopefully my ass will build muscle though, and this saddle will be my dream saddle.

http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?section=13273&browselevel=specials&JServSessionIdroot=vb4bfhz519.j27003

I got the black one...It looks so cool!

me? i got in front of the line up of saddles at the LBS, hunkered down, and called them. the selle italia flite ti (w/ gel) came rushing forward, jumped up, and licked my face, so i took it home and have been very pleased.

Will my LBS really let me take a saddle home, try it and then bring it back if I don't like it? What if I scratch the rails mounting it on the bike? And just the fact that I used it on a sweaty training ride... I'm not sure I would want some else's 'tried-and-returned' saddle... so do they have test saddles?

Originally posted by Aerow
Will my LBS really let me take a saddle home, try it and then bring it back if I don't like it? What if I scratch the rails mounting it on the bike? And just the fact that I used it on a sweaty training ride... I'm not sure I would want some else's 'tried-and-returned' saddle... so do they have test saddles?

I don't know about your LBS but wallbike has a no questions ask return policy for 6 months..your only cost would be you paid for the shipment out.

But If you will notice they very seldom have a return saddle for sale!!!

sorry to sound ignorant, but who is 'wallbike' ?

REI also has a "satisfaction guaranteed" policy where you can return the item if you do not like it. Unfortunately, REI does not have much in stock as far as saddles goes.

Originally posted by Aerow
sorry to sound ignorant, but who is 'wallbike' ?

www.wallbike.com (http://wallbike.com) is a small company now out of new orleans.

Bill Layne owns and runs it...he sell BROOKS saddle and has a larger stock than anyone in the US.

Call or email Bill, tell him what kind of riding your doing and why your present saddle is not to your liking. Bill will take care of you.

And his warranty is "If you do not like it, send it back and he will refund your money".

He is one of the few businesses in the world that I have total trust in.

I've read many positive things about the Brooks saddles, especially the B17.

One thing that comes up often is the "break-in" period of 500-1000 miles. In this case (and of course some riders did not encounter any break-in), I wonder if the Brooks would be a questionable choice for someone who is an incidental rider...looking for a different saddle, but may put 20 miles a weekend on their bike in the summer.

I am not asking on my behalf, but I was curious about what some of you thought about this.

Rob

my oktavia gel saddle that came stock on my masi; wasn't comfy I thought so I just purchased a new flite trans am cut out deal.. and am not happy w/ it.. just sitting on it. Perhaps it'll be better riding oh well.