Touring - saddle you are most comfortable with?

Hi, I am new here in this touring forum.
usually hang around in the commuting forum.

I would like to know what saddles you all use, since 4 to 6 hours ride per day(?) could make your bottoms numb.
the longest ride I experience is only a 4 hour ride, and even my selle italia saddle makes my a** so numb...

depends what kind of bike I am riding. When the bars are about level with the saddle I like my brooks b-17. When the bars are way below the saddle I like my Selle Italia Oktavia Genuine Gel Saddle. I haven't tried the racier brooks models but I would imagine they are quite nice as well.

I ride with my bars slightly below the saddle. I've become a believer in the Brooks B17. It takes a bit of patience to get there though.

Speedo

Brooks Champion Flyer:
http://harriscyclery.net/merchant/370/images/small/conquest.jpg

It is basically a B-17 with springs.

When I first built up my Long Haul Trucker I put the Flyer on. I did not like it at first. The springs squeaked some. I do not like squeaking on my bike. I rode that saddle for about a month then decided to get a regular B-17. I put the B-17 on and although it didn't squeak, I REALLY missed the cushion of the springs. They really made a big difference. I put the Flyer back on and now I love the little squeaks.
So I will be sending back the B-17 and keeping my Flyer. I put Wallbikes return policy to good use. www.wallbike.com

I've become a huge fan of the Selle An-Atomica Titanico saddle: http://www.selleanatomica.com/

The website is kind of overwhelming, but it has tons of information. They're handmade in Wisconsin. I tried the Brooks B-17N and couldn't get it to work for me. Perhaps I'm not patient enough. I also like the Terry Falcon Y, which I use on my race bike. The Titanico is absolutely perfect on my tourer/commuter, though.

Terry Fly - it took me a few longer rides to get used to it but now I love it

Brooks B17

I currently have a B-17 on my MTB transforming tourer. My bar is set about 2 inches lower than my saddle (at least on the flat front of the trekking bars.) The B-17 is particularly comfortable when I ride on the top and side of the bar.
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/countrydirt/Ride-May10045.jpg

My road bike sports a Brooks Team Pro. My bar is set about 3 inches lower than the saddle and this seems to work.

I've become a huge fan of the Selle An-Atomica Titanico saddle: http://www.selleanatomica.com/

The website is kind of overwhelming, but it has tons of information. They're handmade in Wisconsin. I tried the Brooks B-17N and couldn't get it to work for me. Perhaps I'm not patient enough. I also like the Terry Falcon Y, which I use on my race bike. The Titanico is absolutely perfect on my tourer/commuter, though.

Isn't this just a B17 with a strip cut out?
Regardless, my interest is piqued...are these really MORE comfortable than the Brooks? That strip doesn't do any pinching or anything, does it?

Isn't this just a B17 with a strip cut out?
Regardless, my interest is piqued...are these really MORE comfortable than the Brooks? That strip doesn't do any pinching or anything, does it?

It is the same basic idea as the Brooks, but the leather is much more supple and the cutout allows more flex with the body. It's equally comfortable in jeans and boxers as it is with top-end lycra. Plus, the shape just works better for me. No pinching problems with the opening. If the tension is too loose, the sides of the opening touch, but I haven't experienced pinching in that case either.

Brooks Team Pro.

I've become a huge fan of the Selle An-Atomica Titanico saddle: http://www.selleanatomica.com/

The website is kind of overwhelming, but it has tons of information. They're handmade in Wisconsin. I tried the Brooks B-17N and couldn't get it to work for me. Perhaps I'm not patient enough. I also like the Terry Falcon Y, which I use on my race bike. The Titanico is absolutely perfect on my tourer/commuter, though.

+1 On the selleanatomica, I just received mine two weeks ago and right out of the box I have no problems.

Brooks B17

Handlebars about level with saddle.

See photo.

.

B-17. I have the bars set high so I ride like a Dutchman (I get numb hands and a pair of albatross type bars and a straight spine is all the seems to cure it). I rode 270 miles in 8 days recently - 150 of them on three consecutive days, and I found my Brooks B-17 by far the best saddle I've ever had. I still get 20 mile butt (well, after about day 3), but it usually subsides by about 30 mile (my saddles maybe got 400 miles on it, so personally I don't think it's broken in, but I've had plenty of miles on plenty of saddles, and broken on or not, it's still the best.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/PhilipSmith/DSC01294nnweb.jpg

Brooks Team Pro (x2), Brooks Conquest, Brooks B17 Special, Brooks B17 Champion Narrow. For pics of bikes see here (http://www.k1wd.com/misc/bike/wils-bikes/index.html)

- Wil