pauld3

I posted this in the general section and it was suggested to try here also so, I'm 6'2" and 275 and am wanting a new saddle for my mountain bike and am hoping to get suggestions on were to start, mostly ride on roads, and have road tires on my bike.
Thanks for your time Paul

Trek51

Paul, it's difficult to recomend a saddle as everyones anatomy, needs and riding are different. The best advice is go to your local shop and see if they have a loaner program. Most shops have saddles that you can demo. Good luck.

bigfred 

I second searching out one or more demo/loaner programs.

The correct saddle shape for you will have everything to do with the shape and width of your sit bones, realative flexibility, the way you sit on you saddle, etc. Interestingly overall width and the flesh we carry on the outside have little to do with some of those factors. I'm am in every regard a "large man". Truly "heavy framed" (not just an excuse for my weight), broad across hips and shoulders, reasonably tall at 195cm, size 51 shoe, etc. Yet, I find saddles that fit into the "medium" width range most comfortable (Selle Italia Turbo, etc).

When I recently examined if there might not be a better saddle for me I demo'ed/trialled saddles from three different LBS and was absolutely open and honest about that fact with all. I ultimately purchased from a fourth LBS who was running a sale on a saddle that the other three didn't have on hand. This, like clothing and shoe purchases is an area where LBS's can actually provide some real added value and we can support them by utilizing this fact and eventually purchasing from them for the privelege.

If you have no idea where to start, find a Bontrager or Specialized dealer. Both will have a sit bone measuring device that should help get you in the ball park. Then listen to what they have to say and perhaps visit a few of the saddle manufacturers websites that provide general selection guidelines around torso/pelvis flexibility. With that, you should have a reasonable starting point for trialing saddles. It's not uncommon to try a half dozen or more saddles before finding "the one" shape for you.

Good luck,

bandit99

I just bought this Planet Bike saddle for around $40.00 https://ecom1.planetbike.com/5020.html. I'm 6'1" 330lbs. I'm only doing about ten mile rides daily but it seems so much more comfortable than my stock Bontrager saddle. I was able to do a twenty-one mile ride the other day. With the Bontrager saddle I could barely do the ten mile rides due to pain and numbness but with the Planet Bike saddle with the anatomic cut-out I ran out legs and did not stop because of saddle fatigue. I looked at the Selle Anatomica and the Selle Smp Plus but had a hard time justifying the price.

rdtompki

Paul, you also need to be patient with any trial saddle. There are three degrees of freedom in saddle adjustment - height, fore/aft and pitch (tilt). Small changes in these adjustments, particularly fore/aft and pitch can have dramatic effects. I'd read some threads on saddle adjustment and get advice from the staff when you buy a trail saddle. I went through 4 Specialized saddles, but could find one that works for me - you may have first hit success. Good luck.

irwin7638

All I can offer is here.

Marc

digibud

Recommendations for saddles are truly impossible other than in the most general terms. They really are that individual. But some generalities are worth mentioning.
When you look at a saddle from the side you will notice that some are nearly flat, while others curl up at the back. The curl at the back is more typical for road saddles. Look at some big names and compare their mtn saddles to those they sell as road because you'll also see that the group of mtn saddles will vary from those that are nearly like a race saddle to others that far from it.
Mtn saddles also typically have a shorter nose for easier dismounting and a bit more padding, but how much padding you want is one of the critical individual preferences only you can decide.
The best way to do this is to buy several saddles from companies with liberal return policies. There was another thread on just this topic where I made the point that you can order from Specialized.com (whatever the url is) and return with no problem. Order 6 saddles and try them all, returning what you don't like. REI has a no questions asked return policy and there are several net vendors that also have liberal return policies, allowing you to try out some fizik and other brands while you're at it.
If your local shop will let you take a saddle out for two or three days or more, all the better but sadly, many lbs don't allow that, and a single hour or two ride is not enough to know if you like a saddle. Best of luck.

Shepp30 

Hi Paul...I am a hefty rider - 220...I love my Brooks B17 after years of contemplating one. Yeah, they carry a bit of a hefty price tag but if it allows you to sit on the bike for longer periods or more frequent rides, it is money well spent. As others have commented, mine was the most comfortable seat I have ever ridden right out of the box - though others have experienced just the opposite - part of the reason it took me a while to bite the bullet and get one. They're pretty popular though, figured I could get most if not all of my money back if I didn't like it.

JohnDFW

Same here. I use the same A.R.S. seat on my road bike and love it, got it off of Amazon for cheap and wear the medium cost Pearl Izumi bib. YMMV.

MRT2

I ride a Brooks, also a Clyde (about 240 lbs, currently). Pretty happy with it so far. Have been riding on it since I bought my new bike last summer.

MRT2

I rode that saddle for a couple of years. It was OK but I didn't love it. Curiously, I put it on my wife's bike and she really likes it.