CenturionIM

I recently bought a trek 2.1. Went on a 20 mi ride and the saddle was seriously a pain in the ass, both figuratively and literally.

So now I am looking to replace it but I don't know what to get. I know there are some awesome saddles out there but I would like to keep this under 50$. material does not matter as long as they feel comfortable for long rides and last a reasonable amount of time.

Some local candidate I found:

Selle Italia Turbo (Really like this one, is it worth 45$ though?)
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/3566794160.html

Soma Fabrication:
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/3566797163.html

rkwaki

Very difficult to answer. It would like asking someone who should you pick for a wife, everyone is so different.

I LOVE Selle Italia SLRs, many people don't.
Many people LOVE Fizik saddles, I hate them.

See if there are a bunch you could try. Get to a shop that can measure your sitbones so at least you start with a saddle that is the right width.

robbyville

I know you're going to hear this a million times but here's the first. Saddles are extremely personal. My suggestion if possible is to stay off CL and go to a LBS that has a demo program or do returns. I do not live near any LBS and have had to buy some blind saddles and play the return game. I'm 5"7 about 152 lbs 32 waist (not sure that any of this matters), I like a saddle in the 140-145 mm wide range. WTB has been great for me (deva gel).

Specialized has a great rep in saddles if you have a dealer nearby. As if today I picked up toupe expert rbx that I will try out and report back on. They have a lot of saddles in your price range. People also seem to like the fitfzik line but I've never tried one.

Again it's really a try before you buy if you can

Good luck

RoadMike

I love my fiziik Arione, but thats me. depending on your flexibility, sit bone width, and personal taste, you may or may not enjoy it.

Remember one man's perfect saddle is another man's a$$ hatchet.

banerjek

You might want to hold onto your current saddle for awhile and see if you can get used to it or you might just wind up buying a bunch of saddles that have the same issue.

CenturionIM

Thanks for the reply. On my previous sold (BD) bike, I had this saddle which I never had a problem with. It says "Velo" on it but BD does not list the exact model. Does someone know what is it? Will email bd too. It looks like this:

Shimagnolo

Well, since the OP goes by the name "theEconomist", that would call for a U.K. saddle: Brooks

TrojanHorse

If you never had a problem with your BD saddle, I'd say call them and see if you can order one.

There's no benefit at all in speculating what saddle will fit your butt.

mihlbach

Try tweaking your saddle position and saddle height before giving up on it. Theres nothing magic about any particular saddle...they are mostly about the same. As long as the saddle is sufficiently wide for your ishcial tuberosities, getting the position right is more important than subtle, almost imperceptible differences in shape.

A lot of people will tell you that saddles are highly personal, but this is mostly nonesense. No saddle was designed specifically for any individual persons ass, and none of then are really scientifically designed anyway. If the minute differences in the shapes of different brand saddles were really significant on a person-by-person basis, then it would very unlikely that there is a saddle out there that accidentally matches you behind perfectly.

gundom66

Ever tried Bontrager's new Paradigm? I sweat the guys at Trek swears by it. I maybe looking into replacing my saddle since a lot of my friends who owns a Trek says stock Bontrager saddles suck. Let's see how my @$$ feels by next weekend (getting my final fit tomorrow). If price is the question, I guess I can give that $120 Paradigm a try with their measly 10% discount, but a lot of people are saying that the Romin EVO is the shiznitz...

lesdunham

A saddle it probably the most personal item on the bike. The right fitting saddle for you is a journey sometimes. What fit on your other bikes? Probably gives you an idea of contour for your comfort. I did switch to Selle SMP last April and it is the ONLY saddle I will ever ride unless someone has a gun to my head. I can get on/off the bike and there is zero aprehension. Hope you find what is best for you.

YOJiMBO20

You can type ass, people.

If you have moral convictions against it, I'm sorry to tell you that typing a$$ and @$$ are no different. Just type butt, rear, or gluteus maximus if that's the case.

/rant

gundom66

OHHHHH!!! YOU CAN type ASS!!!

trescojones

cant lose with a giles berthoud galibier

TrojanHorse

Do not confuse "personal" with "unique"

Obviously, there aren't 42 million saddle combos out there but pretending that any and all saddles will feel similarly good is just silly.

Hapsmo911

Find a shop with fizik loaners and try those. I spent A LOT of money before I found the Taupe.

catonec 

+1 on the fizik brand.

I ride a antares

Hiro11

You need to ride at least 100 miles on a saddle before you can tell if it's going to work or not. I'd go for a few more rides before buying something new.

coasting 

This guy speaks truth.

Even on a saddle I know my ass likes, if I haven't ridden a while, if I start riding longer rides my ass will hurt. I think if a saddle hurts quickly then it is probably wrong for your ass. If it takes a couple of hours to hurt, then it probably isn't wrong, just that your ass has not been on the bike enough recently.

Elduderino2412

Some bike shops have test saddles they will let you borrow to figure out which one fits. I know pretty much all specialized shops do this.

.....or just take a picture of your butt and i will try to guess which saddle fits the best.

TrojanHorse

Please send ElDude a PM if you do that.

vwchad

More of the same from me.

Try some adjustments on yours and put some miles on it. I put about 1200 miles on my stock saddle before I decided enough was enough. I had some numbness issues with mine on longer rides. I now ride a Fizik Arione. A saddle test program at your LBS is best, that is what I did, if you have one available to you.

I've been trying to help my wife out with saddle comfort issues. She doesn't seem to believe me that she needs to be on the bike for more than 5 minutes to determine saddle comfort.

iTrek

Trek 2.1 has the same saddle as the 2.3 which I have. I was convinced I needed a new saddle for the first 300 miles then broke down and got a fit, now I'm happy with the saddle I have.

CenturionIM

now that I think about it, maybe the pain is caused by the saddle set too high. Will try further adjustment and riding time before replacing it.

period3