Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area - what saddle to use

hi, i havent ridden on the track yet, but i'm working on building a track bike for it, and dont know what kind of saddle to use, what are the benifits of a track specific saddle and disadvantages if any. Your help is greatly appreciated

whatevers comfortable. keep in mind you won't be on it for more than a few minutes at a time. i find it doesn't really matter what saddle you use.

Depends on what you race. A 40 km points race or madison can go on for a while. Training sessions can also put you on the saddle for a while.

I use the same type saddle on road and track bikes (plain old Flite)

thanks

So you don't have to spend on more experimental saddles than you need ...

Track is surprisingly hard on your butt. Road riders think it must allow you to ride the hardest nastiest saddle on the market, but the combination of rough tracks, hard transitions, much harder tires, stiffer frames, and the G-forces pushing your butt down onto the saddle in the turns makes tending to your derriere a necessary consideration. Just try racing a long very fast points race at Alpenrose. Ugh. Many riders like to stick to Rolls and other traditional saddles. Flites are very common. Because of the extra pressure exerted on your rear in the turns, saddles with cutouts can really save the day for some riders. You'll see some Aspides and SLR's and the like, but not too many and many are under newer or younger riders. For your first bike, you're probably better off going to a more substantial saddle than to an ultralight one.

+1

A 40km point score can wreck your crouch area about big time. Make sure you are comfortable.

Think of the hell that six-day riders must go through!

Think of the hell that six-day riders must go through!

Especially in Derny races-- 60 mph in the banking? Ouch! The extra force in the banking even during normal riding being hard on your butt was pointed out to me by an ex 6-day rider-- they do a lot of their training at the top of the track because it larger radius and they spend a lot of time in the saddle.

Yep. Not unusual for the saddle to 'bottom out' on top of the seat clamp in some of those small tracks, especially if the saddle is getting old.

Tony Doyle used to stick a big sponge underneath his saddle sometimes.

If your the type of racer that gets in and our of the saddle a lot you might want to think about something without a pointed edge to get stuck on your shammies.

Especially in Derny races-- 60 mph in the banking? Ouch! The extra force in the banking even during normal riding being hard on your butt was pointed out to me by an ex 6-day rider-- they do a lot of their training at the top of the track because it larger radius and they spend a lot of time in the saddle.


60 mph?

60 mph?

Yeah, they really get to that in Derny races. You have to see the bikes-- *huge* chainring, reinforcement to hold up the saddle through the banking, and they turn the fork around backward for stability.

here's a link (http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3798) to some pictures and an article at Pez.

LOL. I think bitingduck may have been slightly exaggerating. 50mph (80km/h) is probably attainable.

LOL. I think bitingduck may have been slightly exaggerating. 50mph (80km/h) is probably attainable.

Nope - check out the article I linked to over at pez. 45-50 mph is a typical speed limit for a Schürmann 250 m wood track. You void the warrantee above that.

I've seen sprinters get paced up to a little over 50 behind a motor in a normal sprint gear.

So have I, but we were talking six day riders. Six day tracks are typically <200m. 60mph is upper limit stuff and unlikely on a track like Gent or Maastericht.

There aren't many tracks where they can max out and use the big motors properly anymore - they've pulled most of them all down. Poor old Oerkilon in Zurich apparently got ripped down a year or two ago:(

EDIT - he mentions 'Milano' in the article. The Vigorelli is 400m or thereabouts.

Cheers

Yep. Not unusual for the saddle to 'bottom out' on top of the seat clamp in some of those small tracks, especially if the saddle is getting old.

Tony Doyle used to stick a big sponge underneath his saddle sometimes.


Bottom out is very common.....I found the older Ritchy WCS saddle to be the most comfertable for sprints, Not as harsh on the taint. Well that is untill this happened, hips shifted and I almost plowed the apron at 62kph!

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/jshankland/Bustedsaddle.jpg

wow - a picture says more than a 1000 words...:)