Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - White saddle

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golfer007
12-23-08, 07:54 PM
I am looking to get a white saddle after the holidays as well but I cant wuite figure out which one I like. I think I will do with a Soma but they make 5. The Okari, Ensho, Kamisori, Ta-Bo, and Hisan. I was originally attracted to the Ensho because its simple and smooth, but I just today saw the Okari with the brass rivets. I am uncertain of how this would look on my conversion. Any pics or advice on any of these saddles would be great!
Thanks,
Free
peabodypride
12-23-08, 08:06 PM
To be honest the Soma saddles are junk. They are knock-offs of classic Selle saddles, which are actually coming back into production.
If you ride in jeans suede or leather is not a good choice because the saddles will get stained and never come out.
I have a white Fizik Arione and I can ride in rain in dyed jeans without worry. The synthetic material cleans up nicely and gets clean pretty easily.
Geordi Laforge
12-23-08, 08:07 PM
go with comfort over appearance.
kassebaum
12-23-08, 08:08 PM
pics
To be honest the Soma saddles are junk. They are knock-offs of classic Selle saddles, which are actually coming back into production.
If you ride in jeans suede or leather is not a good choice because the saddles will get stained and never come out.
I have a white Fizik Arione and I can ride in rain in dyed jeans without worry. The synthetic material cleans up nicely and gets clean pretty easily.
I don't think you will have the staining problem with the somas. They are synthetic. I was curious about these as well as they are a lot cheaper than the Selles. I wonder what their durability is?
go with comfort over appearance.
What a fascinating concept!
matt wisconsin
12-23-08, 09:13 PM
I believe the white regals are/were made of Lorica.
td.tony
12-23-08, 10:18 PM
i just got a new white soma ensho saddle and i must say it isnt too comfortable. like everyone else's experience, i just cant seem to find a comfortable position on it, but maybe after a few hundred miles it will sortof break in and ill get used to it, but it'll be a long time since i dont ride my fixed anymore.. if this is ur main bike that u ride often, i suggest u get the fizik arione, everyone says they are great and the comfort is definitely worth the money. Trust me, $50 for a saddle wont get you very far.. im a little bit disapointed with my soma.
golfer007
12-23-08, 11:13 PM
Hmm..well honestly, I only ride like a couple miles at a time at the most. I ride every days, but just commuting in short bursts to and fro campus. I just cant justify spending 130 on a saddle. I have a Bontrager saddle now and its not the most comfortable ever. I really dont have anything to compare it too so do you really think I would notice? Does anyone have any pics of a white Soma of any kind on their bike?
Geordi Laforge
12-23-08, 11:31 PM
the charge spoon comes in white and is quite comfortable.
(http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Charge_Spoon_Ti_Synthetic_Saddle/5360039125/)
td.tony
12-23-08, 11:51 PM
as far as looks go i think the soma is pretty good. If ur only going to ride it for less than 10 miles at a time, i think itwill do just fine. I mean its not HORRIBLY uncomfortable, its just not what i would use for a 50 mile ride. And yeah, $130 on a saddle wouldnt be worth it if you are going to just commute a few miles. Honestly i'd say any of the saddles you listed would do just fine, i personally just chose the soma because it had a clean and simple classic look.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w137/tonyjoo/fixed%20gear%20bike/IMG_1647.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w137/tonyjoo/fixed%20gear%20bike/IMG_1625.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w137/tonyjoo/fixed%20gear%20bike/IMG_1644.jpg
golfer007
12-24-08, 12:02 AM
Wow, the white saddle and tape really sets your bike off...I cant even imagine it with the color of my frame!!! It looks great. How long have you had yours for? I really am not worried about the comfort part, more the wearing on blue jeans, especially because I am from Oregon and it is the rainy season....
Soil_Sampler
12-24-08, 12:19 AM
I believe the white regals are/were made of Lorica.
believe all the classics(Regal, Concor, Rolls) were/are leather, no matter the color.
http://www.sanmarcovintage.com/
golfer007
12-24-08, 12:23 AM
td.tony, thanks for the pics as well as advice. I think you just confirmed my choice in getting a Soma..now if I could only figure out which one to get lol...too many choices...
td.tony
12-24-08, 12:25 AM
well i've heard some ppl complaining about jean stains on the white soma saddle, but i've only had my saddle for 2-3 weeks and i actually dont ride much in jeans, but i've probably ridden about 20 miles in jeans and it still looks brand new. The leather is synthetic so i would think any stain would come off easily with a Mr. Clean magic eraser, they are absolutely amazing. DONT use the eraser on colored leather though, because it will take off the dye of the leather. I got some grease stains on the saddle after touching my chain, but those easily came off just with some all purpose cleaner and a rag.
golfer007
12-24-08, 12:30 AM
Huh...ok well I figure if you can clean it up like once or twice a week, everything should be golden.....thanks again man. Bike looks great btw....what it is? Set up as FG or SS?
td.tony
12-24-08, 12:53 AM
thanks for the compliments. Its a windsor hour, has a fixed 15t cog on one side and 18t freewheel on the other, with 48t crank. I mostly ride fixed, but sometimes i actually do a few low grade climbs with the freewheel. The first time i went downhill on a one lane mountain road with hairpins with a fixed gear was probably the most fun i've had aside from snowboarding hahaha.
also, i didnt really look around much but i think this is a good price for the soma, http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/index.php?category=3466
thats where i got mine from.
matt wisconsin
12-24-08, 01:43 AM
believe all the classics(Regal, Concor, Rolls) were/are leather, no matter the color.
http://www.sanmarcovintage.com/
A lot of websites advertise the new production white regals as Lorica. I don't know when this started. I am truly grateful for this because I don't use leather and it seems the only nice saddles were leather up until I discovered that the white regals are not.
golfer007
12-24-08, 08:04 AM
thanks for the compliments. Its a windsor hour, has a fixed 15t cog on one side and 18t freewheel on the other, with 48t crank. I mostly ride fixed, but sometimes i actually do a few low grade climbs with the freewheel. The first time i went downhill on a one lane mountain road with hairpins with a fixed gear was probably the most fun i've had aside from snowboarding hahaha.
also, i didnt really look around much but i think this is a good price for the soma, http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/index.php?category=3466
thats where i got mine from.
Yeah thats a really good price. Cheapest I have found thus far.
golfer007
12-27-08, 05:10 PM
I ordered my Soma Ensho in White from UniversalCycle yesterday for just under $50 shipped to my front door!! I am very excited to throw it on my new seat post and finally have a nice color combo! Thanks everyone for the advice and pics!
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