Tandem Cycling - Saddle Report

WARNING - marginally-tandem content!

Had been riding my Terry tri fly gel something-or-other on the tandem and getting ferocious hot spots starting at 60-70 miles. Bought a Selle An-atomica, put it on Saturday night and rode the Giro D'Vino 100K on Sunday. Made one tension adjustment at 30 miles and I still need a bit more tension and maybe not quite so much nose up, but I see great promise for this seat. I had no pre-hot spot syndrome:) If it doesn't work I can use it as a boat anchor.

BTW, perfect weather: mild temps and absolutely no wind. I had no idea there were that many vinyards in the Lodi area. The course is just short of dead flat with a few mild rollers and one short ski slope at something around 11%; bad captain didn't get us in a low enough gear and we suffered for a few seconds. Some course confusion distinguishing between "wine" stops and rest stops, but music, food and outdoor tables in a shady grassy area at the finish.

I have used a Terry Zero Y on my single for years and really like it.
I figured the Fly with the extra padding would be a good choice for the tandem.
I was not, I had the same problem with hot spots and the top was shaped too much like a mushroom.
The Zero Y is more of a flat saddle. I am now using one on tandem and like it there as well.
The Fly is a popular saddle so it must work for some.

Extra padding is not necessarily a better thing. Hot spots are caused by friction and extra padding causes extra friction. That is part of the reason saddles like the Selle Anatomica and Brooks work so well.

The Fly is a popular saddle so it must work for some.

Have a Liberator on the single and a fly on the tandem. I wasn't too sure about the fly, but so far it has worked for one week-long loaded trip, an 80 mile day, a 100 mile day, and several 100 km days. I wouldn't claim I feel no pain after a 100 mile day. But I don't know that a different saddle would help. One day of the week-long trip I swapped saddles with my son (who was on a Liberator), and concluded I wanted the Fly back.

Saddles are definitely a personal choice. I'm still toying with the idea of getting a Selle-Anatomica, but it's a lot of money for an experiment. The Fly (Ti) came with the bike, so even if it would be more expensive than the SA, at this point it costs nothing.

I used to use the Terry Fly, but something changed and the cutout now seems too small. I need a pretty good sized cutout, but at the same time a cutout makes the saddle wider, which gives me friction sores at the saddle edges. I'm now using the Performance Forte Classic, which seems to be an upgraded Terry Fly at 1/2 the price. So far I haven't found a distance limitation, but I'll see for sure when spring brevet season comes round.

Stoker is very happy on her Specialized Jett, a very firm saddle with substantial cutout. I tried it, but it was too wide. The different Specialized widths change the width at the sitbones, but not further forward, where I have my chafing issues. I actually tried the entire Specialized line, even different widths. They all chafed me on the upper thigh/crotch join, even a 130 Toupe.

Never tried the An-Atomica because it just looks too wide, i.e. doesn't taper fast enough from sitbones to nose. I can't ride any pear-shaped saddle.

Wonderful how we're all different isn't it?

For me, shape is the most important factor in saddle comfort; I like a flat saddle that is not too padded. I suppose people who sit upright and pedal leisurely like as much padding as they can get, but I sink too much into a padded saddle and it isn't very comfortable. I have been using a Specialized Alias body geometry saddle for a year-and-a-half now and it's working just fine for me. My wife, however, needs more cushion and shock protection so she has an Allay Nomad 1.1 on top of a Tamer PivotPlus seatpost. I tried a Selle Anatomica once and couldn't get off of it fast enough; it was awful.


I'm still toying with the idea of getting a Selle-Anatomica, but it's a lot of money for an experiment.

I went to the only shop in our area that carries the Selle Anatomica (Angle Lake Cycles) and the owner gave me the saddle to try out! He just said to return it if I didn't like it or come back and pay for it if I did. I even offered to leave my name and address so that he at least knew who he gave it to, but he declined. Now that's service.

WARNING - marginally-tandem content!

Had been riding my Terry tri fly gel something-or-other on the tandem and getting ferocious hot spots starting at 60-70 miles. Bought a Selle An-atomica, put it on Saturday night and rode the Giro D'Vino 100K on Sunday. Made one tension adjustment at 30 miles and I still need a bit more tension and maybe not quite so much nose up, but I see great promise for this seat. I had no pre-hot spot syndrome:) If it doesn't work I can use it as a boat anchor.

BTW, perfect weather: mild temps and absolutely no wind. I had no idea there were that many vinyards in the Lodi area. The course is just short of dead flat with a few mild rollers and one short ski slope at something around 11%; bad captain didn't get us in a low enough gear and we suffered for a few seconds. Some course confusion distinguishing between "wine" stops and rest stops, but music, food and outdoor tables in a shady grassy area at the finish.

+1 on Selle Anatomica. After riding 720 miles of Paris-Brest-Paris (I had pneumonia and had to get a sag for the last 40 miles), it was no problem when I got to Paris to hop on the bike and ride down to the stadium to welcome friends who were just finishing. By comparison, my Specialized Avatar was excruciating for the last couple hundred miles of Boston-Montreal-Boston (750 miles). It took three or four days before I could contemplate sitting on that saddle again.

My wife likes her Brooks Champion Flyer 'S' for her stoker saddle.

Nick

I don't think I've read one negative comment about the Selle An-atomica.

I bought an An-atomica and ended up putting it on my touring bike which I often ride over 100 miles in a day. Best ... Saddle ... Ever.

If I rode my tandem long distances I would put one on there, too, but the farthest I have gone is 82 miles and usually ride much shorter distances, so don't see the need to replace my Terry Liberator, which suits me just fine on the tandem.

If you ride centuries +, I would highly recommend a SAA.

I don't think I've read one negative comment about the Selle An-atomica.

Uhh ... yeamac ... have another look at the last sentence of the first paragraph of swc7916's post! "I tried a Selle Anatomica once and couldn't get off of it fast enough; it was awful." :innocent:

We're all different. I couldn't even begin to enumerate the saddles I've been thru in the years since all of my Avocet Touring III's bit the dust! It's utterly ridiculous.

But a couple of tips for those that haven't found "the one" yet. Many manufacturers have saddle-swap programs that dealers can participate in. (Specialized is one.) Many dealers will work with you on any saddle. Just bring back the saddle in "new" condition in a couple of days if it doesn't work for you, and they'll let you try another.

Speaking of swaps, don't forget here on BikeForums/The Market Place/For Sale there is a sticky thread called "Saddle Swap". Might find something there.

Failing that, eBay is your friend. If you buy a used saddle in good condition and it doesn't work, you can usually re-sell it for the same money a short time later. (I've actually made money trying saddles because I bought from someone who wasn't "eBay savvy" enough to know not to end their auction in the middle of a work day.)

And finally, when you find one that really, really works for you, buy a dozen. Case-in-point - CarbonFiberBoy talks about "something changing" with the Terry Fly, and Specialized changed the Avatar saddle on me. Saddle manufactures love to change their designs for no reason that I can ascertain other than to tag it "ALL NEW AND IMPROVED!!" While the former may be true, the latter is often wide open for debate.

So buy a bunch of "the one" when you find it. 5 or 10 years from now when you need another one and they aren't made/can't be found anymore, you won't be sorry.

What works great on your single bike may not work at all on the tandem.
If pilot or stoker really likes a certain saddle, be sure to buy at least an extra one. Saddles do wear out.
Some don't last too long, others last for many thousands of miles.
Right now, pilot's Sella Italia Flite-ti and stoker's Serfas Cosmos have served our butts well for over 25,000 miles.
No ifs, ands, or BUTTS: saddles are a very individual choice!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

I'm sure there is a conventional saddle (oxymoron alert:)), but what intrigued me about the SAA was the additional degree of freedom. You buy a Terry, Specialized, .... and you've got fore/aft and tilt with which to work. At least with the SAA you can work the tension. No saddle is right for everyone (duh!), but a given saddle may only work on 5% of the population, maybe the SAA/Brooks type saddles work on 15-20%. Worth a shot anyway, but not for the weight-weenie at heart.

Thanks for the reminder, Onegun. I just ordered two more. Been meaning to do that, just hadn't gotten around to it. OOS right now, but at least I've ordered.

I love the Fizik Alliante. Been riding it for about 5 years on both the tandem and my single bike. Fits me perfectly. Saw an interesting seat on the Auburn Century last month. A female Ironman triathlete was using an ISM seat. She rides about 500mi/mo and swears by it. Said it was the only seat she has used that didn't tear her up while riding the tri bars for long periods of time. Having done Tri's for 15 years, I know that comfort in that position is paramount. I'm thinking about getting one for my wife.
http://www.ismseat.com/

I bought an An-atomica and ended up putting it on my touring bike which I often ride over 100 miles in a day. Best ... Saddle ... Ever.

I'm close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but wanted to know if anyone has any comments on durability. How many miles have you put on the SAA?

Thanks!

I'm close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but wanted to know if anyone has any comments on durability. How many miles have you put on the SAA?

Thanks!

Along with the Brooks, it's probably the most popular saddle amonst the randoneuring and touring community. A couple of my RAAM teammates have used them for years. Durability is not an issue with them. They did have an issue with stretch but they are a very "stand behind your product" company. If you have a problem they will bend over backwards to fix it.

Another huge thumbs up for my Selle An-Atomica(s)! I've got one on everyone of my and Kath's bikes including the daVinci. I recently picked up a Brooks Swift (with ti rails) for my fixie (yeah, I got a great price so I bit) and I am throwing it onto eBay tomorrow. And then I'm ordering a An-Atomica. That will be 8!

I'm just sayin....

Dan, I just ordered a Selle Anatomica with longer brevets in mind. The length of our tandem rides is currently limited by how long my wife can be on the saddle before the discomfort gets too high, about 100K. The Selle A doesn't seem to come in a wider version to accommodate a woman's wider sit bone spacing, so I wonder if you have any feedback on Kath's experience with it.

Mick,
I'll jump in with my totally unsubstantiated theory. Changing the tension in the saddle appears to all change the center of pressure and thereby increase/decrease the effective width. It may be that the adaption to a woman's anatomy is compensated somewhat in this fashion. I also think the saddle is wider in any event. When I ride my single it feels like I'm sitting on a postage stamp versus the SAA.

Wife and I both ride SAA on the tandem and and wouldn't consider anything else after our experience with them. Wish we had had them on cycle Oregon last year. Calfee recommended them when we built our tetra and haven't looked back. the only thing bad is the weight wish they had ti rails available

Dan, I just ordered a Selle Anatomica with longer brevets in mind. The length of our tandem rides is currently limited by how long my wife can be on the saddle before the discomfort gets too high, about 100K. The Selle A doesn't seem to come in a wider version to accommodate a woman's wider sit bone spacing, so I wonder if you have any feedback on Kath's experience with it.

She loves her SA! Hey, any saddle after a while is going to uncomfortable but not to the extent that the Terry she was using. It seems to be wide enough for her. I tried not to influence her saddle choice. All I did was put on it her single and had her try it out. That did the trick. I have had to tighten the saddle up a couple of times which helped a lot. Also, with the daVinci ICS she can hop up and stand to give her bottom a little relief whenever she needs it.