bcpriess

I've been primarily riding Brooks B17 saddles since 2004, and I've never owned a pair of padded shorts, never used chamois butt'r, and never had issues with sores, regardless of the distance and roughness of the ride, thus I have never been compelled to do anything about my body-saddle interface. My theory is that the smooth surface and suspended nature of the Brooks more or less eliminates the friction that would otherwise cause chafing and makes it unnecessary to use special equipment. My limited recent experiences on non-leather saddles suggest that when using synthetic saddles there is a lot more friction and a lot more need for special shorts, butter, etc. Do others share this experience?

10 Wheels

How many 100 mile rides have you completed?

wheelsmcgee

Makes sense to me. Never had any chafing on my brooks, although it is now relegated to my trainer and I don't do long rides on it anymore...it is very firm for my tastes and I had some numbness issues on mine during long rides (although to be fair, I have since learned that pedaling out of saddle briefly every so often can be a big help).

I can't imagine a better saddle than my selle anatomica NSX. Similar idea to the brooks, but more "give" and seems to better conform to the rider. It looks a little funny all stretched out like a hammock, but that doesn't bother me.

I do wear padded shorts and chamois butter on really long rides for a little extra insurance.

canklecat

My last two bikes have come equipped with Lycra covered saddles with firm, resilient padding. Basically serves the same purpose as padded shorts.

This is usually comfortable enough that I can wear ordinary underwear (tho' I prefer Champion wicking fabric boxer/briefs -- very comfy) and baggy shorts, jeans, whatever. Good enough for rides up to 60 miles, the longest single day rides I've done the past year, often combining smooth and bombed out pavement, chip seal and gravel.

The overall effect is about the same as wearing chamois leather padded wool shorts years ago with a hard saddle on my road bike.

The difference is that when the bike saddle becomes damp from perspiration it dries quickly. During recent rides in warm, muggy weather the Lycra fabric and surface of the foam was damp. It dries very quickly.

Can't say the same for my padded faux-chamois shorts that I've worn occasionally. Those things take much longer to dry on my body.

As a result, I'm considering the Serfas Tailbones saddle with pressure relief cutout for my next saddle. That pressure on the urethra during a long ride is the only discomfort I've experienced with these Lycra covered padded saddles. The Serfas Tailbones use the same Lycra covered padding, but with more variety in styles, widths, etc.

Craptacular8

I do tend to wear the padded shorts for longer rides, as I'd rather not find out if the lack there of is going to cause a saddle sore. I ride b17's, Selle Anatomica, and C17 carved....if synthetic causes saddle sores and the need for lube, I'd think I would have noticed it on the C17. I've tried Terry saddles, and a handful of other minimally padded traditional road saddles, but have not found a winner yet in that genre. I ride on roads and gravel both. I've only ridden metric centuries so far though.

trailangel

Yes

rhm

Yup, that is my experience. I've never found any padded shorts that worked for me.

Anticipating @10 Wheels' question, I don't know, maybe 80? I'll admit my posterior was a bit sore on Sunday when I finished the 600k.

79pmooney

Plastic covered saddles can be just as smooth as leather. Leather covered plastic saddles have a surface that is leather. 70 years ago, all saddles were leather. Racers started wearing riding shorts with chamois leather pads probably 120 years ago.

That you can go without riding shorts in comfort says that the seat you are riding is a very good fit for you or that you do not ride hard enough or long enough to need more. I raced a leather covered saddle I loved but cannot imagine not wearing riding shorts for the 400 mile weeks in hot temps and high humidity month after month.

Friction on the seat surface is a plus or minus depending on your riding style and what you are trying to do on the bike. For the most part, it makes very little difference either way. I used to race saddles that came with suede finish to the leather. By late season, it was as smooth as polished leather. I never noticed a difference. Smooth is when you slide back and forth on the saddle, something I did a lot and also a reason I hated traditional Brookes style saddles. I would spend real time on the rivets at both ends. That riveted leather over steel nose was not fun.

Ben

bcpriess

I just did the DK100 on mine, and I've been doing long rides to prep for it since March, and have yet to experience any soreness as a result. Been using 35-55psi 40c tires on a steel frame, and I'm about 6-1 / 175# for what that's worth. I rode a Specialized Crosstrail much of the fall (needed a quick fix for persistently questionable MUP trail conditions before I got a gravel-oriented ride) with a synthetic saddle and anatomical cutout, and I did experience chafing on it on shorter rides (25-30 mi).

rhm

I agree with pretty much all your facts; just my experience/conclusion is different. Goes to show that we all need to figure this out for ourselves.

In my opinion, the advantage of the solid leather saddle (Brooks-type) is that the leather wicks away moisture so much more effectively than a thin leather layer over foam. This is a great advantage on a dry day. On a wet day, not so much.

u235

For me... it is moisture build up that starts the chain of events that gets the process going. Manage the moisture and I keep the problems away. I've never had a seat that can manage the moisture problem alone. I wear random cheap padded shorts and this only becomes an issue on the longest rides (5+ hours) on really hot days. All other times, I am fine. Where a "better" seat may help me a little and is the second and more important reason why I choose to wear padded shorts... After about 3-6 hours of trail bumps my legs start to get a little tired which means I lazy up with my shock absorption technique which then transfers more of the shocks to my seat which then causes some butt fatigue. I only trail/gravel that long, maybe if i was road riding for that long that problem would not happen.

canklecat

That's why I like the Lycra fabric covered saddles with dense, resilient foam. Better handling of sweat than my padded shorts. Firm enough to be reasonably efficient without bouncing or squishing around. Just enough cushioning to make chip seal roads tolerable. And when my legs tire after a long ride (like Tuesday), I can just sit right down in the saddle with all my weight and loaf my way home.

Had to do that Tuesday when I was out later and longer than I'd planned on a day that turned unexpectedly hot, humid and windy. I got lost on a planned route and ended up riding more gravel and chip seal than expected -- I'd planned on all smooth pavement for my skinny tire road bike but got off track. The last 5 miles were exhausting but I just sat heavily in the saddle and made it an easy 10-12 mph spin home. The saddle was damp with sweat but I was dry, and everything ached except for my sitdown places.