you know, from what I hear from people I know, from what I see in stores, and what I see in advertising, the whole business side of "searching for the bicycle seat that is comfortable" thing is probably a big money maker for bike stores and companies. There is always newer and better, and while I have absolutely no issue with new stuff and finding better ways to make things more efficient or more comfortable, my take on it (and this topic of the cost of a given bike seat) is that lots and lots and lots of people buy different seats over the years trying to find one that works for them.
Absolutely there is no given seat that works for everyone, but I strongly suspect tons of people have spent reasonable money on a seat that ends up getting replaced long before it is worn out because they buy and try a different one. Idealy folks will spend X dollars on one that works well and use it for years and years, but I figure loads of people spend 2x, or 3x looking for "the one", and the advertising certainly helps this along.
No diff I guess than with bikes, or cars, or whatever in our consumer society.
That's what really appealed to me about Wallingford Bikes. They have a 6 month guarantee on their Brooks saddles. If I wasn't happy with my saddle at any time those 6 months ... I could return it. The only loss to me would be a small shipping fee. How could I go wrong?
And then, I emailed them and chatted back and forth by email regarding sizing and other questions I had ... and they were more than happy to respond to my emails promptly and professionally. That really endears me to a company ... so few know how to communicate through email.
For the first few weeks, I thought I would have return it ... and then it all settled in and I've had great success with them since.
The way I look at it is ... a good bicycle shop lets you try a saddle for a week or so (I've had a shop or two do that, and I ruled out some saddles that way). A better shop lets you try a saddle for a month or so (apparently Terry does that, and although I cannot ride Terry saddles, it is good that they have a decent trial period). A great shop lets you try the saddle for 6 months.
Happily, I haven't actually spent a whole lot of money ruling out saddles ... and eventually finding a good one.
