mdilthey

To anyone following this saga, the Fizik Aliante didn't work at all. Popped a Selle SMP Glider on, loved it, switched to the SMP Striker, love that even more. My shop will let me keep the SMP test saddle over the weekend, but this may be it.

I'll just mortgage something to afford one, no big deal!

veganbikes

Opinion is different from fact. My opinion is it is wrong to exploit someone, but the fact is someone is being killed for a saddle, that doesn't change and is not opinion.

It is always a shame when someone is proud of killing someone especially for non-survival reasons. It is not like you cannot get a comfortable non-leather saddle, there are tons of options including at least one that contains no plastic and is made by Brooks. Plus with the organic cotton saddle you aren't polluting the earth as much as you are with leather or less so with PVC.

phughes

So, your answer is to throw away the hide of cattle killed for food? To be truly respectful of the animal killed, you should fully utilize all of it, or it is wasteful.

Now, if you advocate no killing of any animal for any reason, food or otherwise, what will you do with the cattle, chickens, pigs that are living? Do you turn them loose and let them roam free? How will you control the population? Where will they get their food? Do you know anything at all about farm animals?

I understand you are a vegan, good for you, it is a lifestyle you prefer, many don't though and this forum isn't about food choices. The OP is looking for advice on seat selection and you are turning it into a personal crusade. Please, and I ask this respectfully, stop. I can respect you, but please respect others.

gandrimp

Being self employed in the farm industry does make killing cattle survival for me. I name the calves we grow to eat. You should see the jersey calf named "burger" come running for its meal. Cattle are raised to be eaten, why waste the hide by not making saddles (bike and horse), jackets, seat covers, gloves, ect. I'm not trying to change your mind on this subject, just know I'm a meat eater for life.

DropBarFan

I'd like to see a saddle database where folks fill out a simple form ie height/weight/sex/riding style/saddles used etc. Would simplify a lot of the long saddle threads. Sure it's an individual choice but a nice little database could help narrow things down. There are so many different makes & models you know.

BTW I was sorta fooled for a moment by the "ANUSS" (Anatomical Universal Saddle Selector) app for Ipads/smartphones. ( April Fool's Jokes | Bicycling

phughes

That's a good idea. The Surly LHT Google group had a spreadsheet that listed people's measurements and respective frame size, stem size, handle bars etc. It was nice.

veganbikes

I am simply stating that exploitation in any form is wrong. If we stopped exploiting them, these animals wouldn't be bred anymore and would live out their lives peacefully. Animals being bred for the various exploitative industries usually have most of their natural behavior bred or forced out them. The animals themselves aren't magically reproducing on their own, we are doing it and we can stop it and stop exploiting them. If we do that we can help eliminate a large portion of hunger from this world as most of the food we grow ends up going to animal feed. I think maybe it is you who do not understand farmed animals.

If you want to talk respect, then stop exploiting animals! Otherwise what respect are you showing others? There is nothing respectful about exploitation.

If you are going to talk about a subject that has differing views you are going to have people disagree with those views. It is part of discussion. If someone is going to say exploitation is ok, someone out there is going to say it is wrong. If you cannot handle something like that maybe an internet forum might not be a good place for you.

That is not survival. When I say survival I don't mean keeping your job or having a home or anything like that, I mean actual survival as in you have nothing and you are trying to stay alive. More of a wilderness type situation. You can still make money and live a comfortable life without exploiting others. I know a whole lot of people who are living proof of that.

I said I was a meat eater for life, than I actually realized my impact on others and changed my tune. I didn't stop eating animal products because I didn't like how they tasted.

Ya'll should talk to Howard Lyman (ex-4th generation cattle rancher) or Howard Brown (former beef and dairy farmer) or see some of the talks from Virgil Butler (former slaughterhouse worker). Howard had one of the largest operations in the U.S. and he is now vegan and seems to be doing just fine in fact maybe even much better.

fietsbob

.. well if Bernie Sanders becomes President he may slow down the rate of exploitation ,

(if he is Let Live long enough to be inaugurated)

but Capitalism is fueled by the surplus value of your labor, that you do not Get.

D1andonlyDman

To me, a cow dying to make a Brooks saddle is more noble than dying to make hamburgers, shoes, and baseball gloves. It's not like the cow wasn't going to be dying to make products anyways.

phughes

Many of my friends are vegan, we get along just fine. We go out to eat together, and if they eat at my house, we make sure we have good options for them. They respect me, and I respect them. It is not that I cannot agree to disagree, it is that this is not a vegan vs omnivore forum. This is a bicycle forum. The OP wants information on a saddle that will work well for him.

fietsbob

Brooks says their Un-dyed Select leather comes from happy, grass finished cows, raised in social-democratic Sweden..

I doubt the OP will be happy sitting on just a collective Opinion , they still should go try sitting on more saddles .

mdilthey

Workin on it. Day 2 on the Selle SMP.

erig007

From what i read it is said that they take only leather that have a specific thickness which means if it isn't according to spec it is a no go.

Another thing that i read is that some of their leather spec requires that cows live longer than what it is required for food so i don't know how they deal with this.

https://bicyclingaustralia.com.au/201...-factory-visit

phughes

Good luck! It's a good saddle. I hope it works for you. Finding a saddle that works well for you can be a pain in the...well, you get it.

todd92371

Lord. Who cares why a person wants a non-leather saddle. So what... different folks have different opinions. Maybe one person doesn't want to hurt cows. Maybe another does. Why can't we just accept the differences and stay on topic. A non leather saddle. Does it really matter why?

fietsbob

And if the poster's Posterior does not like it, My opinion and saying what I bought, that is OK, is rather meaningless .

elcruxio

Ehhh. The Cambium would be nice but it's just waaaay too narrow. Brooks needs to step up their game a bit and start living according to science and not to some ye olde wisdom about saddles...
We really need more 'suspended' alternatives anyways, since the idea of a convex non suspended seat is actually pretty flawed, especially if the seat isn't completely flat.
I've been thinking that nylon fabric might be a an interesting material for suspended saddles, but it may be a bit difficult to shape. Maybe create a laminate form of some sort? Then again, creating the frame and stretching mechanism from scratch will probably be way out of my league so waiting for the market to answer.

Anyways, I'm pretty much forced to use suspended saddles, which at this point means leather. Actually meaning the Taiwanese made brooks copies, which seem to be better than brooks in every way. I'd use Gilles Berthoud if they also weren't too narrow.

cyber.snow

So all the discussion about cows being given equal rights and all.

What saddle did you go with?

I had the same issue with the saddle that came with my Felt V85. Saddle was OK for the first 10 miles or so and then front parts would go numb and back parts would ache. Standing up riding would help for a little while to get the circulation going, but wasn't a pleasant feeling. I tried all the seats I had in my biking box and still no relief. I contacted a friend at Amazon and they set up a plan where I bought about 6 saddles that were highly recommended and I tried all of them on several rides that ranged in the 15-20 miles. I settled on two seats. One was an ISM seat and the other the Selle SMP TRK. I finally went with the Selle and have been really pleased with the choice. The total cost of trying out all the seats ran about $25 and for me was well worth it. Along the way, I did try the Brooks B17 and found it to be comfortable in the back side but still got that numb feeling in the front.

Am going to a more touring set up in the next couple of weeks with either a Surly Disc Trucker or Trek 520 Disc (on sale right now), not sure if the riding position changes a lot and if less pressure is placed on the perineum area, but have the feeling that I will soon be in the market for another Selle product.

phughes

The last he posted, he was on a Selle SMP.

cyber.snow

Got that, thanks...was wondering if he settled for the striker or not.

Viking55803

No one has mentioned the Selle Anatomica - a leather saddle made in Wisconsin, perhaps from old dairy cows. I've been riding the Selle Anatomica with the cutout which is super comfy but starts sagging too much for me. I just got my Brooks Cambium today and will give that a go. It sure is pretty!

mdilthey

THE FINAL VERDICT.

Thanks to my shop, I had a lot of time to test. Most saddles got a full day ride.

I tried out the following saddles:

Fizik:
Arione
Antares
Aliante

Selle SMP:
Striker
Glider
Pro
Drakon

WTB:
Pure-V (Original Saddle)
Volt
Rocket
Silverado

Brooks:
Cambium

So, what was the verdict?

All the Fizik saddles didn't have enough soft padding for me. I needed a firm base with a soft pad to absorb road buzz, since my rear has no natural cushion- it's scant muscle and then bone.

All the SMP saddles felt pretty good. The best of the bunch was the Glider, because the profile was flatter in the center rather than having to prominent "ridges" astride the open center. That flat area felt best to sit on, or just behind. Still wasn't perfect...

The Brooks Cambium felt good, but I didn't love it and ultimately hated the cotton top. Cotton? Really? It reminds me of their $200 waterproof panniers with cheap-looking cotton straps and hook closures. It's not 1850 anymore, and I hate the mixing aesthetic between modern and vintage.

The WTB Pure-V was almost the best. I almost resigned myself to just having constant pain forever and ever. And then I found.. the WTB Rocket! The 2015 update to this is absolutely plush, and the narrower, thicker profile is perfect for me. It fits like a glove. Best of all, it doesn't break the bank like some of the other saddles I was highly considering. Time will tell if the cover holds up to regular abuse.


First Place: WTB Rocket

Second Place: Selle SMP Glider

Third Place: WTB Pure-V

erig007

The fact that you've settled on the WTB rocket tell something. Among all the saddles above the WTB rocket is the one that seems to have more padding and a flatter and bigger surface at the rear and front areas.

pressure = force / area

DropBarFan

WTB Rocket available in 3 widths & 4 rail types from carbon to steel. Plain-steel Comp is only $40 & cromo Race only $60 list. Ti Team version only a tad more than half the weight of Brooks B17 Ti. Lots of WTB touring fans & $40 is far less than many other saddles. Over the years I've found saddle price/prestige has near-zero correlation w/comfort.

BTW at LBS I asked the mech (younger guy) if they had a saddle sales bin--I had to explain about shops selling stock saddles that were changed out by bike buyers. I guess swapped-out bits are just shipped from LBS to EBay brokers or whatnot nowadays.

mdilthey

I got the chromoly rail comp, middle width. Great!

I feel like all of Bike Forums has an accurate mental image of my rear end now.