Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Saddle for trek fuel ex 8

I have a trek fuel ex 8 and it came with the bontrager race saddle. The saddle it came with is 146mm wide. I am 6'6" 300 pounds and this saddle is very uncomfortable even after only 2 to 3 miles. I went to the lbs and used there tool to measure sit bones and it says I should take a medium width seat in the 146 range. There are no decent seats at the lbs in my area so it looks like i will have to order and just try something. Was wondering what other people similar in size are using. I have heard good things about the wtb but there are alot of models kinda hard to decide. I mostly ride xc and some road. I have a feeling maby I need a little bit wider seat then they suggest but i dont want a big honkin seat. Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. I dont mind ordering a seat and trying it I just dont want to have to try more then neccisary if I start in the right direction I may be able to save some money.

Thanks in advance

Really wide seats are bad. If you get too much of your seat onto the bikes seat then you will eventually get numbness, and possibly pinch the sciatic nerve. I'm finding that I'm most comfortable sitting on the nose of my saddle, with my "Boy's" off of the front. So I end up sitting on the narrow part of the saddle. I get the most freedom for peddling, and less chafing.

Jerry

I agree I do not want a big wide seat just something a little more comfortable. I find my self wanting to stand up and ride because I am so uncomfortable. I had a wide gel seat on my old hard tail and it was not good for chafeing. It was also hard to ride aggresive because you get hung up on the seat so easy. Just dont want to buy seat after seat tell i find a good one but I might have to.

Unfortunately, the only way to know if a saddle is going to work is to test it for yourself. I once bought a very expensive saddle that everyone on BF raved about. After a 15- or 20-mile ride, I had the only saddle sore of my bicycling career and was off the bike for a week while it healed. Needless to say, the saddle was returned to the shop where I bought it...

WTB makes nice saddles but, as you've noticed, they come in a confusing array of sizes. I like the Rocket V and the Speed V and have also been told that I need a saddle in the 145mm range. My current mountain bike saddle is a Specialized Phenom; it came with the bike and hasn't been a problem on the 5-10 mile rides I normally do. If I were doing longer stuff, I'd probably buy another WTB.

FYI, most saddle designers seem to assume that you'll be wearing shorts with some sort of padding in the seat. If you haven't tried them yet, I would highly suggest you do!

I am having a hard time admiting I am not a teenager any more and my body cant take as much as it use to. I have not had a chance to try padded shorts. I do wear riding shorts but they are not padded. I will try and buy a good pair of padded shorts but I think I will try another saddle also. Thanks for the advice. I know saddles are personel but I have to start somewhere so it sounds like the wtb isnt bad.

I am having a hard time admiting I am not a teenager any more and my body cant take as much as it use to. I have not had a chance to try padded shorts. I do wear riding shorts but they are not padded. I will try and buy a good pair of padded shorts but I think I will try another saddle also. Thanks for the advice. I know saddles are personel but I have to start somewhere so it sounds like the wtb isnt bad.

Try to find a store that's a member of WTB's demo program. They should have 5-6 different WTB saddles that you can borrow for a test-ride. I can ride anything for 5-10 miles; it's the 10-15 mile range where I really start to notice any problems.

FYI, even teenagers wear padded cycling shorts... if they're smart!

Edit: BTW, padded shorts doesn't mean that they have to be lycra! There are plenty of mountain bike shorts that have decent padding and look like normal shorts. Or you can buy padded underwear and use it with regular workout shorts.