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-   -   No bike shorts... what saddle? (https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/153407-no-bike-shorts-what-saddle.html)

benk0 11-14-05 01:35 AM

No bike shorts... what saddle?
 
Only cut-off Dickies for riding... SO...

Is trying to break-in/ride a Brooks Swift an insane idea? Think an SLR might be a better option? My Flite is kicked and I need a new saddle more sooner than later and wouldn't mind getting something nicer with a shell whose shape would conform over time.

Personal experience with saddles of this nature would be appreciated.

TIA.

$0.00/Gal 11-14-05 01:38 AM

I wear 6 or 8 (i forget) panel shorts under my jeans everytime I hop on my bike. Won't ride without em.

habitus 11-14-05 01:43 AM

i'll recommend a fizik arione. i've heard that it's a saddle you either love or hate, and i'm firmly in the corner of the former. have got one on my track bike--so good i'm thinking of replacing the wtb saddle of my other bike with one. it's hard to switch...

and most of my riding is done sans padding. only wear it for rides over 20 miles.

huhenio 11-14-05 07:25 AM

No padding for me, and my saddle is VERY stiff. Get used to it, you will not regret it.

roscoenyc57 11-14-05 07:46 AM

fizik aliante sport is also mighty good for riding sans spandex

mattface 11-14-05 07:56 AM

I think folks rode Brooks saddles for about 80 years before spandex was invented, and the invention of spandex roughly coresponds with the time when Brooks saddles fell out of fashion. Their recent resurgence in popularity probably has little to do with spandex, but I'll wager a significant percentage of Brooks aficianados wouldn't be caught dead in spandex.

In other words MOST people who ride Brooks saddles do so without spandex and/or crotchall padification. Neiter of those things would hurt, but they are hardly neccesary.

huhenio 11-14-05 08:16 AM

Funny you mention padding problems ... I have a pair of padded shorts. After some weeks of not wearing them in lieu of unpadded spandex, they gave me a rash. I lost my tolerance for them, and any added benefits from padding are obsolete for me now. I got used to ride on my sitbones, which require very little padding.

bostontrevor 11-14-05 09:37 AM

Spandex may be relatively new, but chamois is a breed European antelope. Think on it.

Back to the question at hand, if you don't go with a hammock style saddle, I know jrowe is very happy with his Selle Italia Turbo triathlon saddle and has taken it on long rides without padding. It's much wider than the classic Turbo. On the other hand, he hates the Turbo and I love it. I look at his tri and can't help but think it'd be like riding a bar stool.

mattface 11-14-05 09:49 AM

True, but I think the chamois in bike shorts refers to chamois leather which can be made from sheep, goats or deer, or as is all to common these days "artificial chamois". I don't know how long it's been used for crotchal paddification, but for a long time I'm sure.

Anyway the relevant part of my point was that crotchal padification as nice as it is to have is not inherently neccessary when riding a Brooks Saddle. Furthermore I think such padding is intended more to prevent chaffing than it is to pad the posterior. I don't worry about it if I am going less than 20 miles at a stretch, and the saddle choice does not weigh into the equation for me.

tink20seven 11-14-05 09:56 AM

dude is "crotchal" even a word?
if so, i need to start using that more often.
for real

bostontrevor 11-14-05 10:00 AM


Originally Posted by mattface
True, but I think the chamois in bike shorts refers to chamois leather which can be made from sheep, goats or deer, or as is all to common these days "artificial chamois". I don't know how long it's been used for crotchal paddification, but for a long time I'm sure.

Chamois as used in bike shorts refers to the chamois deer/antelope/goat (it's a little of none of the above). Later other leather was used because it was cheaper and more widely available. My point is simply that people have probably been using padded shorts for longer than Brooks has been around.

You're right that its purpose is anti-chafing though. The use of the term padded shorts is accurate enough, but really the emphasis should not be on the padding as that's just a by-product of the chamois.

If your saddle is so uncomfortable that you can't ride it without getting heavily padded shorts then you should think about getting something more suitable. Of course that's not the trend these days.

Anyhow, I know a guy who rides a B17 without padded shorts. In fact he had always used them until he got the Brooks and then it was just so comfortable that he didn't need them anymore except on long rides.

zelah 11-14-05 10:04 AM

the Fizik Dolomiti is my every day saddle and i love the hell out of it, never wear padding

eddiebrannan 11-14-05 03:06 PM

i have a brooks b17 and usually just wear jeans to ride. nary a problem in the nethers

TN! 11-14-05 06:16 PM

old GT bmx saddle with jeans. most comfortable ive ever ridden

roadfix 11-14-05 06:21 PM

When I commute to work, I wear ordinary shorts or pants. Of course no comfort issues because I ride hard slippery leather saddles.

benk0 11-14-05 06:47 PM

I guess that's a general thumbs up for the Brooks w/ "standard" clothing? I'm about the pull the trigger on a Swift... Bulltek Sports in CA. $169, brand new.

spud 11-14-05 09:31 PM

tink recommends the deluxe comfort saddle available at Rapid Transit: http://pi.spud77.com/IMG_1876.JPG

jotog 11-17-05 01:14 AM

I have several Brooks saddles. One of the beautiful things about a Brooks is that nut just under the nose of the saddle. Tighten it and the seat becomes stiffer; loosen it and the seat becomes softer. This is a wonderful adjustment on a long ride day. Enjoy yourself.


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