Classic & Vintage - Need Saddle Advice

Hi All,

I have my wife's '96 Trek 830 done, but I've run into a bit of a problem. She hates the stock seat. Too narrow and too hard. She's about 185 pounds so she would like something that would fit a larger person, without being a tractor seat. Her objective is to get out on some 20+ mile rides in reasonable comfort, but right now, I'll settle for her to just enjoy riding it. I know she can't be the only heavy female rider out there, so, I'm hoping some of you may chime in and let me know what to look for so I don't accumulate a pile of saddles that don't work. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Walt

That's such an individual thing... whatever works for one person might not work for another. I would suggest that she tries a bunch of saddles and see what feels the best.

You have not mentioned how much she rides now if at all on a regular basis.

Even my favorite saddle is not the most comfortable after a layoff.
With that as a guide, there is the 5 second test, equal to sitting on bikes at the bike store, with various saddles.
From that, the 5 minute test, work with the bike shop to install it on the bike, and let her test ride it at least around the block, get one tolerable for that, then its periodic (daily) and incremental increasing of time on the saddle to get acquainted to it and become friends.

Not a thing to ask a local bike shop on a Saturday unless you are really early, and ask them up front, say you wish to try 3 saddles, how much to do the wrenching so your wife can evaluate them, and buy the winner. If you are reasonable, you will probably find a shop who is reasonable too... some shops might want to sell you a "fitting", but that may not be what you want.

Asking someone to pick your saddle is like asking someone to pick your wife. There is no logical answer and often the most correct answer is the most illogical one. Did I just say that?

velo orange model 8. im 6'4" and 175 with wide hips, and this seat works really well for me.

As others have said, saddle preference is as subjective and personal as any bike component. That said, my wife loves her B67S. . . loves it.

This design is pretty popular among women.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Womens-Anatomic-Bicycle/dp/B000C17N9I

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Cj0fnF2pL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I understand and agree that saddle comfort is subjective. And I'm not looking for someone to say "this is the one for you". More like, "here's something to consider, worked well for us". She normally rides an '85 Ross mtb on 3-6 mile river trail rides with me. I usually ride 10 miles a day on the same model bike (larger frame) and there is a tremendous difference between what looks like similar saddles. Even I think her's is like sitting on a brick. Go figure, I hunted that bike down because I love the feel of mine so much and figured she would too.

Thanks for the input given. And Khatfull. sounds perfectly logical to me.

Walt

Might be worth checking out the SMP saddles. They look horrible IMO, but I only heard big praises about them and how comfortable they are. Not cheap, but it might be worth it to help her enjoy her riding.

Chombi

My wife weighs about the same and she's got a Terry Liberator and she likes it. We got on a couple 20 mile rides every week. The beauty of Terry saddles is they've got a 30 day no-questions-asked return policy, so whether you buy it online or from a local store it's a risk-free trial.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/product/detail/21421/current/liberator-x-saddle-2

My wife just went through a ton of saddles trying to find the perfect one and the clear winner (without any other saddle coming close) was the B-66. It seems like it would be hard but it's actually very comfy and she is able to ride it with no problems for miles.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/saddles/brooks-b66.html

Don't overlook Brooks.

____
Disclosure: I am a Brooks fanatic.

Brooks are great, but it's a big risk, because (1) they're not for everyone, and (2) they expensive. Also, they require more care than modern designs. However, they are, in the end, very durable and therefore a good value, especially if you use it a lot for many years.

Brooks are great, but it's a big risk, because (1) they're not for everyone, and (2) they expensive.
I wouldn't say they're that big of a risk. You can get a B17 from Wiggle.co.uk for $80 shipped, which you could sell used on eBay for $50-60 no problem. Possibly more if you take care to keep all the packaging in great shape and make a nice looking ad. Keeping track of the mileage is a good idea too, so potential buyers know exactly how new the saddle is.

So, while $80 is indeed a bit more than you might pay for a synthetic saddle, that's well worth it should you like the saddle as much as I and others do. And you'd probably only be out $20ish if you didn't like it, which in my opinion is a risk worth taking.