FR4NCH1SE

Hey Folks, been a while since I posted, well I want to buy a new saddle. I want a saddle that becomes my new friend, one that I will transfer from bike to bike. I have some parameter thou.


- It must be affordable, I am willing to spend <= $40

- must be comfy, not rock hard but not soft as butter either

- I have wide hips and I have a fat ass, I weight 235 lbs. Clyde up in this *****
my sit bones should be wide?? so my seat should be wide?

Help me narrow down a saddle, so I can search for the best deal for that particular saddle.

Thanks.

superslomo

Used Aliante with titanium rails on ebay?

iam7head

i would go to your lbs to check them out, most of the display saddle you can have it mount on a trainer/bike so you can actually sit on.

every butt is different but if you must know, my quest for comfy saddle ended with selle italia gel(mag rail) for my road bike and selle italia "classic" flite(ti rail) for the SS/FG

both are not exactly lightweight by today's standard but I could care less.

forte also have a couple low buck saddle, made in italy(probably outsourced) ranged from 40-100 buck, looks like a stripper version of the more popular selle italia saddle(classic, SLR, etc, sans the ti rail and cf)

Captain Insano

Take a look at the Terry Liberator Y Gel saddle. I'm a lesser Clyde (6', 205), and it works great for me. Soft, but not too soft, and a wide back end. They're more than you want to spend (~$70), but you can't put a price on a comfortable tukus.

Randochap

That's a tall order. All that for $40? Unlikely, but I'd scout the used forums for a Brooks B-66. You never know.

Velo Dog

I'm about 240, an adult cyclist for 40 years, and I'll never, ever buy any saddle but a Brooks B-17 as long as I live. I have them on three bikes. They're out of your price range (mine, too, now--I've had two of mine for years), but I did find one new in box at a thrift shop last year for $4.50.

rcummings1

I like the WTB Speed V Comp saddle at Performance. I use one on both my cross and road bikes. I'm 210. It's on sale right now for $24.99 down from $40.

https://www.performancebike.com/webap...00_20000_68502

Reviews: https://www.mtbr.com/cat/controls/sad...55_140crx.aspx

plasticmaam12

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...or+Saddle.aspx

Chromoly rails, fat profile, more or less.

fa63

Take a look at the Selle Royal Respiro.

Jquest

https://www.leaderbikestore.com/pd-saddle.cfm

This looks like a knock off of the Regal. If it's got the same dimensions....it should work pretty good for ya. AT 38 beans...you can't beat it.

rangerdavid

i got the selle italia gel flow max before i lost 35 lbs. i still use it cuz its nice and comfy, and i'm still over 200. it is not less than $40 though. you may have to reconsider your price point.

mzeffex 

Nobody mentioned that weight doesn't affect sit bones. You can have narrows sit bones and be 300 pounds, or wide ones and be 140.

kbtommy

Get your butt measured - your LBS will probably have one of those cushion-butt-measure thingies (I'm particularly eloquent today). Specialized makes saddles in various widths, other companies probably do as well, I'm sure. I have the Alias, and it's perfect for me, but appears beyond your price point.

That price range is tough though. Options exist, for sure, either used or some of the off-brand stuff. If you've got a Performance store near you, it might be worth your time to go and check a bunch out. Their return policies are sometimes more forgiving than a lot of LBS's.

PlatyPius

Yup. I'm 290-300, depending on the day, and the most comfortable saddle for me is the Brooks B17 Narrow.

sced

This is easy.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200276_200413
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_10000_201504

I have the newer one that I got with that 30% coupon off when Nashbar revealed my credit card info to the world (just kidding). It's long and gets wider at the back so there are lots of different positions for your butt. For me more comfortable than the Rolls and Regal.

PlatyPius

The fake Arione? Seriously? The cheapy OEM saddle that comes on $600 road bikes and gets tossed after 2 rides?
You have a strange arse, sced.

clausen

At 155 mm wide it's still wider than most road saddle.

Your sit bones width also changes based on hip rotation, the more upright you sit the wider it is. I suspect the set up is not that aggressive, so you need a wider saddle like a Brooks or Selle San Marco Regal.

Remember it's saddle not a seat. You need to ride it, don't just sit on it. Firmer the better.

sced

So what makes a real Arione better than a fake one? I have real Rolls and a real Regal and the quality/workmanship doesn't appear to be any better than my presumably made in China Nashbar saddle. They are very simple devices. At the large multiple differences in price how can one go wrong.

genejockey 

As others have said, it's a mistake to assume that you need a wide saddle just because you're a Clyde. You might or might not. For me at 215 (on a really good day), I need a saddle that is wide at the back for my wider sit-bones, but also is narrow through the middle. The Regal was wide enough, but the transition from wide back to skinny nose was too gentle. I ended up wearing out the legs of my bibs and tights from them rubbing on it as I pedaled.

The saddle I ended up with, sadly, is no longer made. And I bought all the leftovers I could find at the one store that carried them. They cost me, IIRC, $80 a piece, and worth every penny - NO sitbone pain, NO numb Johnson, no prematurely worn out bibs.

Don't skimp on your saddle. It's your most intimate interface with the bike.

PlatyPius

I was commenting on the fact that almost no one else I know who has owned that saddle has liked it.

The differences between the real Fizik $100+ one and the cheapie knock-off one would probably include:
a) R&D costs
b) There are many different grades of plastic for saddle bodies
c) Foam - this is where I see the biggest deviation, usually.

That said, if the Nashbar one works for you, then you're lucky. There's no reason to not use a $20 saddle if you CAN use a $20 saddle.

wookv

+1 to all who said get your butt measured. Also, OP, you did not mention how far you're riding, I can tolerate any saddle for 1-1.5hrs, but anything longer is just punishment.

That said, $40 is hard for most of the major brands. Yes, you can get store brands (like at nashbar), but the problem is that with a saddle, you won't know if it works until you try it.

So, I'd suggest:
First, Get your butt measured at an LBS.
then, either
1. Get a off-brand saddle that fits your measurement IF you are riding short distances
or
2. Find a LBS that's willing to work with your budget and let you try and return what they have. REI is also a good option. Instore brands that I can think of are serfas or WTB.

Good luck on the search, it's a engaging but fun process. FWIW, I did the ebay buy and sell route, but I was looking for a saddle that I could stay on for >5hrs (my budget was $100-150). Let us know what you get!

Jynx

I am going to disagree with all these wide saddle suggestions. Many wide saddles just cause more chaffing. I am a clyde now and run a Selle Italia SLR. Most comfortable I have ridden and I tried tons of saddles.

dstrong 

I believe the term you're looking for is Ass-O-Meter. (because you can say Ass).

dgasmd

Unlike common believe, sadle comfort has very little to do with soft vs hard and less to do with size than with shape. Not all asses are made equal, but a lot fall under the same general categories. Otherwise not 2 people would ever run the same saddle. Unfortuantely, due to time and cost, it is a matter of trial and error. I went through 5 saddles before settling with the Selle Italia SLR flow. My hips and butt are actually much bigger than my friend's and he runs a Specialized toupe at the widest size they make. To me, that saddle feels like an ass hatchet.

I wished there was a saddle loan program from somewhere that had the 10-15 most commonly used saddles AND that would allow you to pick which you want to try for a fee. CC has something similar, but more than half of the saddles are crap, and they don't have a lot of commonly used saddles in their plan. It is better than nothing I guess.

wookv

I'm assuming you're talking about competitivecyclist.com

I looked at it back when I was looking for a saddle, their rates are very high and on top of that, with their program they send you a bunch all at once and you have to try them within 1 week, given that you need put in a decent number of miles to figure out if the saddle likes you + time for your tush to recover from the ones that turture you, you have to ride a lot within that week. I guess that's why the website is called competitivecyclist and not rideonweekendcyclist.com or rideforfuncyclist.com