trippn1

I am new to riding and I have a 2 month old LeMond Chambery with a Bontrager Race saddle....I went on my longest ride to date this past Sunday, 20 Miles, and the saddle is a bit uncomfortable. I am 6'4" and about 230 pounds...I really can not afford to spend $100 and get the wrong saddle because my wife will not be down with that.....I am looking for any ideas of which saddle is best for a bigger guy like me...Thank you for any help you can offer.......

Tom Stormcrowe

Look at the Brooks line at https://www.wallbike.com. They have a 6 month, no questions asked return policy.

hammond9705

Saddles are very personal choices, with different people liking different saddles. Many people don't like the stock saddle that came with their bike. Like Tom said, many like the Brooks. If you have a good lbs they will let you try a saddle for a bit and return it if you don't like it.

Are you riding enough to break in your sit bones? Riding with biking shorts? It takes a while to get your butt broken in and used to riding.

trippn1

I have only put about 80 miles on the bike so far.....I have been using biking shorts......Maybe I need more miles to break it in...I have noticed in reviews of other saddles, many people dislike the Bontrager Race saddle. I will prob start riding more now that my crazy summer is almost over. Plus I have a 100 km ride coming up Nov 8th and I really need to start training for it so I don't end up taking a SAG to the finish....lol...Thanks

Thurnau

I agree. Wallbike and brooks is nice. I had the pleasure of visiting wallbike in new orleans and it was a pleasure doing business with them.

Why I like Brooks: I had a bontrager stock seat and hated it. I bought a gel seat and hated it. Neither was comfortable. I bought a Brooks saddle and it was very comfortable after 10-20 miles. I do not feel those hard wires through the seat cushion. Some say it takes much longer to break in, but I think after 20 miles and 2 applications of proofide I think you will know whether or not it is for you.

brewster1972

I just replaced the Bonty stock seat on my Trek 1500 (same seat as yours) with a Terry Falcon.

I wanted a saddle with a low coefficient of friction, minimal padding, and a reasonable price. Brooks saddles fulfill two of these requirements, but at $200 (lbs prices) they were out of my price range. I found the Terry Falcon for $70 after tax and purchased it immediately. The saddle is much smaller than the Bontrager, is made of fairly smooth leather (reduces friction), and had very minimal padding (places your weight on your sit bones and not the softer area around them).

The only question I have left is why didn't I do this last year.

nymtber

I really like my Specialized Alias saddle. no unnecessary padding, flat where it should be, has made my cycling much more comfortable. I got an older model on clearance from specialized for $40. I dont think id try it without cycling shorts, however!

The brooks look nice to me, but only if they were going on a vintage bike, or a steel framed touring bike. Not something I would personally put on a modern day road bike. Maybe im just weird

dave-j

I am also 6'4" and was 230 (now about 10 lbs lighter) when I searched for a comfy saddle. Do yourself a favor and at least look up Selle An-Atomica saddles. The best place to read about them is on the Rivendell bike site. They are like Brooks, but much more adjustable and little to no break-in time. They require a bit of fiddling to get the tension and angles right, but in my experience it's worth it.

Did a 75 mile ride with some buddies last weekend and I was the only on not complaining about my butt toward the end. Can't say enough about these. They are NOT racing saddles, but for me they changed my riding experience.

AndrewCO

The only thing I can say against the Brooks saddle (B17) is that I can't seem to stay on the saddle. I have it tiled all the way up and I still tend to slide/fall off the front of it. Any ideas?

Alathea

They make Brook's B17's in Black, too.

Shinyville

I'm slapping a B17 on my steel touring bike tomorrow!

Alathea

Being leather, you could possibly rough it up a but (distress) and the treat the open leather distressing to create some texture. I dont have a Brooks so I don't know what the pebble is like, but I have an awesome Schott's winter leather jacket that has a nice roughed pebbled texture to it that I helped along.

Alathea

Are these Anatomicas on par with a Brooks? They are half the price at least.

markm109

I had Fizik Arione saddles on several bikes for a couple of years. The saddle was great for the first 90 minutes - after that is became very uncomfortable. So I tried a Brooks B17 from Wallbike three years ago and loved it from the first ride. No matter how long I rode, it was comfortable. The thing was I kept waiting and watching the clock - 90 minutes and beyond - no problem. This was on my touring bike.

I put a B17N (narrow) on my Lemond Alpe D'huez bike and hated the saddle. It was uncomfortable for the first 30 minutes before I would get used to it. It took about 1,000 miles for the B17N to "break in". Now it is as comfortable as the B17 was right out of the box.

I conditioned them the same - the B17N was thicker leather - I think that is why it took longer to break it. So it depends on the individual saddle since they are leather - every saddle is slightly different - as is every user of the saddles.

homebody146

clyde here....brooks 17 from wallingford bikes....didn't need to return it after the generous 6 month period.....their service is also good....when i realized that I could have ordered it with the proofhide treatment for less than full price, i called them. they sent the proofhide treatment n/c and no shipping charge. they'll keep my business.

krazygluon

Well, you could do what I did and chop & lace your B17...mind you thats still a decision I ultimately regret, but it is a choice of many.

My issue with brooks+road bikes is that the geometry of a brooks, even after a chop job just doesn't suit a heavy person riding aero.

I've been trying all kinds of tilt and forward/backward adjustments along with saddle height, and just can't find something that works with my drop bars.

I'm really thinking of going to some kind of fit clinic anyway though, because I was messing with my saddle tilt yesterday and realized that to get my saddle up high enough for the length of my legs, my saddle is now 2-3 inches above the top of my bars...I think I need a stem riser here so that the bars are up high enough to keep me from uncomfortably bending my wrists just to get into the drops.

AndrewCO

Yeah, I'm just tired of falling off the saddle

Thurnau

The leather can be a little slippery, which doesn't chaff up my legs. I would angle the seat to make it level to prevent from slipping forward.

10 Wheels

I wore Two Pairs of bike shorts when I first got my racing saddle.
Use some lube.
Stand up, pedal in a high gear when you first feel some discomfort.
Gets the Blood Circulating in Many Places.
Is you saddle any different from mine?

trippn1

I have read some good reviews on Koobi Saddles.....Anyone hear of them? They are between $100-$150, so they fit the budget....They have a 30 day money back refund, 60 day, 60% money back refund.....Is this a good saddle?

rideorglide

And in the world of saddles that is something special.

Brooks was my first saddle in 197x and I may go there for my next.

dave-j

Selle An-Atomicas are very much like Brooks. Tom Milton, the owner, will back up his product. They're not for everyone, but your problem sounds a lot like mine. If you are thinking Brooks, at least give the An-Atomica a look.

BikEthan

I think in your previous post you said you already had the nose tilted up a little the next thing I might try putting the seat back a little further, maybe even getting a set-back seat post. Oddly enough this helped me with the same issue, I'm guessing this is because my legs are able to compensate a bit for the tendency to slide off the front of the saddle.

I wouldn't attempt to "texture" a Brooks. You're liable to decrease the useful life of the saddle and likely cause yourself future chafing problems. If you do decide to try this approach I'd leave it as a last resort.

Antelope 70cm

I tried a Koobi. The suspension works as advertised. For me the saddle had too much of a crown, not flat enough, so the high crown went you know where. I sent it back. They are a very nice company to deal with. Nice saddle otherwise.

trippn1

I bough a Koobi AU Enduro - FeC Rail - 299 grams - 155 mm width--medium padding - for $87.95. I just got it this afternoon, so I hope to try it out tomarrow afternoon.....Any help on how to make sure I have proper adjustment? My LBS set up my saddle when I bought my bike in May.....I puy the new saddle in about the same spot (I think) as my previous saddle.....I guess I have to ride a bit and adjust as I go.....I will report back on this saddle after I put some miles on it...thanks to everyone for their help...