Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Finally! Got my new bike and have a saddle question...

My wife surprised me completely and bought me a new Cannondale Quick 5 Hybrid bike for my birthday! I absolutely love this bike and while it will not be my last bike, it is definitely a keeper. The only thing I am not absolutely in love with on this bike is the saddle.

Can you recommend a good, more padded and comfortable saddle for the Quick series? I don't want a huge comfort seat but perhaps one slightly more padded and a little wider.

Suggestions?

more padding does not equal more comfort. Wider does not equal more comfort. It's counterintuitive, I know, but the most comfortable saddle is likely to be the smallest one that fits your sit bones and provides a firm support.

Ken

more padding does not equal more comfort. Wider does not equal more comfort. It's counterintuitive, I know, but the most comfortable saddle is likely to be the smallest one that fits your sit bones and provides a firm support.

Ken

I could not agree more. Also what works for one person may not work for an other. Riding position will also affect what will work for you.

I can tell you what works for me and you can use that as a baseline for other comparisons. My Gary Fisher Nirvanna came with a Bontrager saddle that wasn't too bad. It wasn't great, but it worked for me. It was not very wide, but not super narrow either. After about 2000 miles the saddle started to make creeking sounds... anoying, and possibly a warning that something is about to fail. I replaced it with a Selle Royal Ergo Gel seat. Note this seat comes with very firm gel, not the soft mushy kind you find in the department store seats. The seat is also have a deep scultped area for your privates so that there is very little pressure. From the 1st moment I sat on this saddle it fit me like a glove. Even through it is firm and my feel hard to a novice, it supports in just the right areas and provides good support and comfort. Many on this list sware by the Brooks B17 saddle. I might have given it a try except my bike gets used all winter long and gets a lot of rain and snow on it. I figured that synthetic would hold up better than real leather under those conditions.

While in Holland last summer I rented a Batavus and did some fun 40K rides and found the stock saddle a Selle San Marco also very comfortable. It was also a firm gell saddle and my co-worker has one here and also is very happy with it. Both saddles are under $50 and will generally be a lot better than what comes stock on a bike. If you think you are going to ride a lot and don't ride a huge amount in lousy weather then you may want to consider a Brooks saddle. Either get the saddle from a LBS that has a good exchange policy or you can get a Brooks. There are some vendors that have generous return policies on Brooks saddles.

Happy riding,
André

I'm going back to the LBS I got the bike from tomorrow. I talked with them today and they said I could try as many saddles as I want to find the right one.

All I know is that the one currently on the bike does not fit well and feels too narrow for my bone structure - at least right now. I'm sure fit will feel better as I get more and more miles on the bike but I am going to try a couple different ones for now just to compare.

More to come...

Good luck. Finding the perfect saddle is like finding the holy grail. Some people find their saddle right away others go through many. I have gone through 4 so far and am in the process of trying out a Brooks saddle.

I agree that at first blush your back side will say "give me a wider saddle". This may not be what is comfortable when you and your butt get used to riding.

Ride the best one you can find in your original search at your LBS then give yourself some time.
You may be happy or you may decide you want something different.

Have fun and congratulations on your new bike.

you are way better off with a good pair of padded shorts as apposed to a softer saddle.. and some times with a saddle less is more..

My bike came with the Selle San Marco Ischia saddle. After riding it some more, I agree that more padding is not necessarily needed but I do need more support beneath my sit bones. It's just a little to narrow for comfort.

So, tomorrow, I'll be back at the LBS and peruse similar designs but with a slightly wider profile.

Plus - I need a few more 'things' too. :thumb: You know - the 'necessities' of life; lighting, bottle rack, etc... :innocent:

I intend to fully patronize my LBS and support his business.

Also, a 20-40 mile saddle may be fine for most rides, but suck when you need to go 60-80-100 miles.

Also, a 20-40 mile saddle may be fine for most rides, but suck when you need to go 60-80-100 miles.

So true! I could do 40 miles on a stock Bontrager saddle. But 41 miles would kill me!:D...I use the Terry Fly. 80 miles right out of the box was sweet. Got a couple of them!:D

Saddles are like shoes, try before you buy and reject any that cause even minor discomfort.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=239158 - old clydesdales saddle choice thread

Good summary thread - http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=6477761


Any Specialized dealer should have the Body Geometry Fit System that actually measures your personal sit-bones width:

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/specs/saddlefitgauge.jpg

. . . and they have varying widths of BG saddles to accomodate you and your riding style:

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/specs/saddlewidths.gif

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/specs/BGsaddlewidthchart.gif

That's the only quantifiable means I know to get close - - the rest is (literally) seat-of-the-pants evaluations.

But maybe it will help.

Personally I can't stand the Body Jihad line; but that is just me; YMMV.

The only way to find the perfect saddle is to have the perfect butt.

The only way to find the perfect saddle is to have the perfect butt.

I always keep an eye out for it. :D

I've heard countless good things about WTB saddles, I'm planning on replacing the Specialized BG saddle on my MTB with either a WTB Pure-V or SST. The BG has some seams that bother me.. :P

My favorite saddle, bar none, is the Brooks. On longer rides, for me, nothing else does it. That's for me, and remember the break-in period can be kind of a pain. Just remember to proofhide it once, then wait a couple days and go for a really long, sweaty ride. After that it's yours.

I'll repeat some of what is above.

-First you need bike shorts, if you don't like the road type try the baggy mountain ones, but with padding
-Second - you have to ride enough to give the butt a chance to get used to riding. Any saddle is going to make you sore until you get a few weeks of riding in.
-Third- (Sounds like you have this) make sure your LBS has a good return policy and will let you try out a number of saddles. There is no way to tell until you have some miles on it.

I'll repeat some of what is above.

-First you need bike shorts, if you don't like the road type try the baggy mountain ones, but with padding
-Second - you have to ride enough to give the butt a chance to get used to riding. Any saddle is going to make you sore until you get a few weeks of riding in.
-Third- (Sounds like you have this) make sure your LBS has a good return policy and will let you try out a number of saddles. There is no way to tell until you have some miles on it.


Thanks to all who have replied (especially markhr's post!) and the advice is spot-on.

I've ridden my bike a lot since I got it but know for sure the saddle is just too narrow for comfort. It does not offer enough support at the sit-bone area and too much of my weight is being carried by the soft-tissue between the bones *ouch*.

A wider saddle will correct this with no problem. Padded shorts will help alleviate the soreness from the sit-bone area but will not do as much to fix a too-narrow saddle problem, correct?

In the end (snicker') you are the one that will know what feels best. I just got my rear sized and was surprised it that the recommended saddle width was between 143 and 155. I would have bet I was like 170 +++ So the sizing at least showed me a starting spot to look, that has likely saved me some time and trouble. For me its now a try until I find the right one situation.

Best of luck in your search for comfort.