the cyclops

The new commuter seat finally arrived for my jamis allegro 1.
Its a BIT wide,but as the stock saddle,and the WTB saddle I have were terrible for me,I sure hope it does the trick for me on those long ride...It got great reviews,but I guess if all else fails,I can always use it as a love seat
Anybody else use something this big on your ride?

AlmostGreenGuy

My Brooks is extra wide!!!!

GeoBigJon

Both seats look nice, what model of Brooks is that?

AlmostGreenGuy

It's a Brooks B68. I believe that it's the widest un-sprung butt supporter in the Brooks line.

Kind of funny. I appear to have no a$$ whatsoever. But my seat bones are far enough apart that I need a very wide seat.

the cyclops

That brooks is wide!!! Doesnt look to "cushiony" though,but its a brooks so Im sure she rides good! One of the reviews for my saddle said that "It was as good or better than any saddle he has owned,brooks included" Now thats quite a mouthful for the saddle being only $40,but I got it on sale at jenson for 14.95 deliverd,and again great reviews,we will see...My friend who is a serious road bike rider said I should go thinner,not wider?But I hope he is wrong.

borobike

I've got a Serfas Dual Density saddle which is about as wide, and also has a groove down the center for relief on the trouser furniture. I've found it to be good so far. It's a little different looking than yours, but probably similar in feel. Mine also has 'E-Gel' and was recommended to me by a bike shop owner for longer rides.

EDIT: might as well post a pic...



I'm not sure if having too wide of a saddle is as much of a problem as having one that is too narrow. The only truly narrow saddle I've tried was the stock seat and it wasn't pleasant at all.
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the cyclops

how long you had it now,or how many miles on it? Comfy after 30+?

borobike

I probably have about 50 miles on it now, but most of those were short trips. I'll be able to give you a better report after tomorrow's group ride which should be 20+ miles. Unfortunately the motor's not quite ready to go 30+ yet, but it's working on it. :\
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the cyclops

LOL!!! I see,well let me know what you think.Im gonna try and do 30 or so tomorrow also,we will both report back with either happy butts or tender butts I wanna ride more than I do but the area is not bike friendly so to speak,so I do much more running than riding.
So that must be new also if you only have 50miles on it? I didnt see that one when I was looking for new saddles.

borobike

Will do! I bought it on Monday I think, but I'm not surprised you didn't find it...I went online trying to find reviews but couldn't find my particular saddle either, although I saw several other of the Serfas Dual Density style saddles. They do seem to get pretty good reviews.
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the cyclops

Dont get me wrong,I would like to have a nice leather brooks saddle,but for the money these seem to have nice reviews.

borobike

I only made it 6 miles before I had a blowout

But, those 6 miles were pretty comfortable. Once the bike shop opens up and I get myself another tube or two, I plan on riding around a bit more so maybe I can share more thoughts later.
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the cyclops

OH THAT SUX!!!!!!!!!! I havent even got mine out yet But when the misses gets back to watch the devil...I mean my son,Im heading out the door! Its supposed to be only 85ish here today so Im ready for a nice long ride.

robyr

Not to rain on this parade, but those gel covered super cushy seats will cause some serious circulation issues if used for longer rides. I am all for wide-ish saddles though. Firm, wide, and seat height set correctly is the best way to avoid pain from my experiences.

borobike

Good luck on your ride cyclops! I'll be going on one here myself in a bit. Tires fixed up and ready to go.

Despite the 'Gel' labeling, these are pretty firm...not the firmest out there for sure but pushing down on it doesn't cause the central relief area to pop up much if any at all. So far my only complaints haven't been pressure related but more sliding around on the saddle and chafing, but that was before I got cycling shorts. Wearing the shorts transforms the experience but I haven't ridden on it long enough with them to give a good opinion.
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borobike

Well, I made it back from my ride. Long enough to tell what issues could pop up in longer rides.

I didn't really have any problems except my right side sit bone, and I know why that is. When I shift, I have to lift my right hand off the bar, and that puts more pressure on that area, as well as my left hand which I can also feel. Sometimes while shifting I could feel a little more pressure on my right butt than I'd like. Even now I can feel a little residual discomfort, but my left side is okay.

Didn't have any chafing or soft tissue pressure problems. I think my butt just needs to get accustomed to this seat. This is the first seat I've had that actually puts pressure on the sit bones and nowhere else, so I think that might partly be my problem.

So basically, from what I know about saddles this one seems to do what it's supposed to...no chafing or lost circulation, support in the right places, but my butt bones (or well one of them) isn't liking the pressure too much. Hopefully I just need to get used to it. It's a good excuse to upgrade to brifters but that isn't in the budget right now.
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the cyclops

Yeah,I rode about 10miles today and huge difference!!! Now I do know that a leather brooks or similar saddle ($100+) is surely better after it gets broke in,BUT this saddle has great reviews,from a reputable company with a different technology than just "gel"...

borobike

Cool video, that explains why the gel in these saddles doesn't work it's way into no-no zones. Now I just need to break in my backside, and I'll be good to go!
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borobike

I wanted to bring this thread back from the dead for an update. My butt has broken into this saddle and now I have no pain or numbness at all...it's great!

Even after a long ride I have no problem (aside from being sweaty and tired) hopping right back up on the saddle again, to me that's the mark of a good one.

Every now and then (but very infrequently now) I still get that butt pinch over my right sitbone if I hit it just right and I'm not wearing cycling shorts...but it's not very painful at all and I probably wouldn't even notice it if I hadn't already had that problem.

Also occasionally I find myself scooting around a bit on the seat just to adjust the pressure I guess, but it's not really out of discomfort so much as getting a new position, which I frequently do even off the bike.

So on the whole, I have to give this one a thumbs up, gel and all. Serfas made a good one here.
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the cyclops

+1 I agree.My seat is great,we will see how long it last,and the comfort last but for now I couldnt be happier,especially since I paid 10 for it