Road Runner

I currently use a Brooks B-17, and it does quiet well. I do some times have numbness when climbing, and on long rides. I have been reading about the Selle SMP Strike saddle. It sounds too good to be true.(we all want to protect that prostrate) Does any one out there use this saddle? There are several grade of this saddle, each one with more or less padding and a different size base. I would sure like to try the PRO, but the shops don't have a return policy like on the Brooks. Thanks for any input.

markbic

I am riding the Pro now. I do not have a numbness problem but it gets unconfortable after 25 miles or so. The jury is still out. I figured out that my seat was slipping back and the nose was tipping up. I just fixed this and will be going out for a couple of long rides in the next couple of days. I will report back if I have a different experience.

FWIW the LBS owner says that he has only had one come back out of over 100.

tourist

Tried a Specialized Alias BG and a Specialized Toupe Gel. For me I've never ridden a more comfortable saddle.

ronjon10

You should stand on climbs, not to mash up the hill, but just to get the blood flowing. When I climb in the saddle I put a lot of weight on the saddle. I used to get numb. Now I get out of the saddle for very short stints and it helps the boys a lot.

I've got a Toupe Gel. Jury is still out on that saddle. It's comfortable, but I get saddle sores from it. When I don't have the sores, it is awesome. I've also got a Brooks swift I've been too lazy to try out yet.

Saddles are a personal thing. What works for some, won't work for others. Good luck!

genejockey 

The right saddle for you, nobody but you can tell. BUT, there are a couple things to consider. First, when you sit on it, after you've been riding for a while, where do you feel the contact - sit bones? Or perineum? The first is good, the second is BAD.

For me, the best saddle is wide at the back, and FLAT from side-to-side. A LOT of saddles seem to be "crowned", i.e. they're higher in the middle. It also needs to be FIRM, so that the weight stays supported on the sit bones. This is especially important for us Clydes, because we press on the saddle more. If you find yourself having numbness issues, you have the wrong saddle, or the wrong position, or both. Yes, you SHOULD stand up occasionally, but numbness is a big warning flag.

You might not be able to tell the RIGHT saddle in a short test ride, but you can probably eliminate the WRONG saddles. IME, a saddle that feels "good" on a short ride, because it distributes the pressure evenly will leave you with numbnuts on a longer ride. Find an LBS that will let you try a couple saddles, and pay careful attention to where you feel the pressure. Sit bones GOOD, perineum BAD!

YMMV, of course.

MillCreek

My experience is similar to the above poster. My new favorite saddle is the E3 gel, that I bought for $ 25 on sale at Performance.

solveg

I had to look up perineum, and it totally confused me. I'm not sure how you can sit on it...your "sit bones" would get in the way, right?

I'm on a B-17, and when I sit on it, I get a quick "ouch" response, especially if I took a day off, but as soon I start riding, I don't notice the saddle at all. The "ouch" comes from 2 bones in my rear that are very* close to the edge of the saddle.

I move my bottom every time I switch hand position. When I'm down in the drops (which is where I like to be a lot because it keeps my shoulders and arms in the right position so I don't lock them), I have no idea what I'm sitting on. I just can't tell. The only time I feel my saddle is the first few moments, but I haven't gone over 10 miles. However* the saddle has less than 70 miles on it, and I don't wear biking clothes.

Does this all sound like it's OK? Or is the fact that I'm so near the edge of the saddle reason enough to switch saddles right now, since I can return this one?

genejockey 

Not noticing it is good, especially at first. As you build up your mileage, though, don't be afraid to reevaluate.

I rode for most of a year on a saddle that MOSTLY worked. When I got to riding over 40 miles at a time, its flaws became apparent. I stayed with it, because it LOOKED so good. Then one day, on a climb, I noticed numbness in an area that SHOULD NOT be numb.

Oh, and an important discovery I made - if you spend $200 going through 5 or 6 saddles, and finally find one that is JUST RIGHT, buy a couple of them. The company that made my perfect saddle went out of business. In fact, I can't reveal the name of the saddle until I go to the one store I think may have them and buy up their stock.

chunkyd

I ride the B-17 narrow and i LOVE it... i need to put it on my new bike.

This new saddle i can feel my sit bones are too wide so the soft tissuses get the weight! all as we all know uch it's a velo cheapy i believe.

Solveg- from what i read alot of ladies like the terry products but if the brooks feels good now when it breaks in you'll be in heaven. Also i was the same way about cycling clothes being a big guy and all, but you'll notice a world of difference once you work up to longer rides.

Keep riding everyone and be safe!

chipcom 

Get out of the saddle from time to time. Split your climbs in and out of the saddle, get off the saddle when stopped, stand when starting again, shift your position from time to time on long flats.

I hurt my back last weekend and I can tell you, the last few days stuck mostly in a chair has made my butt sorer than any bike!

Stujoe

That is exactly what I do. My longest ride so far has only been 32 miles in about 2.5 hours but it wasn't a huge problem. I did 32, 15 and 28 last week in 3 consecutive days and I could tell any soreness was just from not being used to that many miles (and being more soft than firm back there) and not from poor fit or placement, etc. No numbness, true pain or other warning signs. More tired, I guess I would describe it. lol

I do the same thing with my hand positioning. Move them around a little, keep a lighter touch, take a hand off now and again. Shake it out. I try to remember to ride loose too and not tense up. I find myself tending to grip too tight and tense up too much when I push myself.

Obviously serious pain or numbness is a red flag that something is not right but I think I can extend my comfort time by remembering not to lock my body into one rigid position for hours at a time. It is a lot of weight to have on just a few points of my body (hands, butt, feet) so changing up helps me I think.

chipcom 

Moving around is a great tactic to keep the ole blood flowing, but don't get me wrong. The key is striking the proper balance of support between your arms, legs and butt. Fit of the bike and saddle position are important first steps.

Stujoe

Definitly. I could feel the difference when I got my new bike and everything just right for me. It was great to have the right reach to the bars and length to the pedals. It was close to perfect when I left the LBS with it but I did adjust the seat just a bit after a ride or two. At that point the right bones seemed to hit the right points on the seat. I even marked the saddle height and position after that ride so if anything happens I can get it back to this point. lol

alanbikehouston

The only "modern" saddle that might be superior to a Brooks is the Specialized Body Geometry saddle, and the "clones" of the Body Geometry (the Toupe, etc.)

If you are having problems with the Brooks, it may be you are rotating your pelvis forward, putting weight on the crotch area that ought to be back on your sit bones. Raise your bars so that your hands are level with the top of the saddle. That will rotate your pelvis back, and put your weight on your sitbones.

With any saddle, get off the saddle as much as possible. Raise your rear an inch off the saddle anytime you are not pedaling, such as when you are braking, coasting, or cornering. Try to pedal for one minute out of the saddle every fifteen minutes or so. Pedaling out of the saddle is a great work out, and restores full blood circulation in the crotch area.

markm109

Are you using a B-17 on a road bike with the bars lower than the saddle?

I've got a B-17 on my Blue Ridge where the bars are slighly higher than the saddle giving a more upright position - no numbness or pain on rides. Longest was 70 miles.

On my road bike - Lemond Alpe D'Huez - where the saddle is higher than the bars so I'm in a more agressive position, the B-17 didn't work. I went with the B-17 Narrow which is harder than the B-17 but works well for more agressive riding.

The B-17 is comfortable from the get go, however, the B-17N takes about 10 minutes to get comfortable on and then I don't notice it for the rest of the ride.

Make sure you have the right Brooks for your application.

JumboRider

My B-67 is a wonder. I don't even think about it.

maxwell48

I agree the Brooks , for me , was good to go straight out of the box. I have about 400 miles on it now and it only gets better. I did drop the nose a fraction from the start. I also moved it forward about 1/2" to dial it in.
It solved my problems with saddles. I ride the champion flyer special .

Road Runner

All the advise is good, and thanks for all of it. I don't stand on climbs, unless it's an emergency. I have knees that I am trying to save, and I have a total hip replacement that has high mileage on it(8 years).
I try to ride wisely, and as much as I can. I move around on the saddle and stand from time to time. I love my brooks, and it has been good to me. I looked it over and made the first adjustment in two years, and it feels great again. I talked about saddles with my doctor last week, he is aware that improvements have been made on some saddles. He said to "spare no change" on a saddle that can prevent problems down stairs. He said "Heck, I'll even give you a prescription for a therapeutic bicycle seat to avoid pressure on the prostate". I don't think the prescription will gain me anything, but I got the idea. The specialized saddles really look great, but how do you know. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Markbic about his saddle. That saddle just looks like some thing I would design to prevent contact of soft tissue. I don't have a bike shop that has saddles to try out, so I need to pick the right one and buy it.
I will tell you more about how this plays out. I don't want to advertise one saddle over the other, but if I pay for it, I can talk about it.