Soft Gel Saddles
10-30-22, 09:40 PM
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Soft Gel Saddles
I am on the hunt for a good soft gel saddle. For some background - I have a Brooks Flyer Special saddle that I've been riding with for years. With regular bike shorts it is a great system for me.
However, without padded bike shorts I need some extra cushion.
A few years ago I did a tour of a few weeks (in 2 parts) and I wanted more saddle options to switch around if I got to that point. So I found a gel saddle cover that slips over the Brooks. For areas where I needed to jump back on the bike to go to a latrine at a trail head it worked OK.
Fast forward to most of this season - I have been using my touring bike as my commuter about 90% of the time. So I am not switching in and out of bike shorts on either end of my commute I've been using the gel saddle cover. For the short (under 3 mile) runs each way it has been comfortable enough. I wouldn't want to do a day trip on the gel cover, but I am not on the bike long enough each way for any soreness to develop.
That having been said - the problem I do have with the cover is when I stand up off the saddle (such as crossing grass/curbs between parking lots) I knock the cover a bit and it doesn't sit right on the Brooks underneath. That makes it quite uncomfortable.
So what I am after is a gel saddle that has the same type of soft gel the cover does, but in a fixed saddle that won't shift around on me.
I am not opposed to a relatively narrow saddle in the form of the Brooks Flyer, for example, but I wouldn't mind trying a bit wider saddle for something different. Considering it isn't for performance or distance - strictly commuting comfort - I am a bit more flexible with what I'm after.
I will say that I did order a saddle a couple weeks ago from Amazon. What I got is not a soft gel saddle. It is padded, but I find it still too hard for comfort.
Thoughts? What should I consider that is actually soft gel?
However, without padded bike shorts I need some extra cushion.
A few years ago I did a tour of a few weeks (in 2 parts) and I wanted more saddle options to switch around if I got to that point. So I found a gel saddle cover that slips over the Brooks. For areas where I needed to jump back on the bike to go to a latrine at a trail head it worked OK.
Fast forward to most of this season - I have been using my touring bike as my commuter about 90% of the time. So I am not switching in and out of bike shorts on either end of my commute I've been using the gel saddle cover. For the short (under 3 mile) runs each way it has been comfortable enough. I wouldn't want to do a day trip on the gel cover, but I am not on the bike long enough each way for any soreness to develop.
That having been said - the problem I do have with the cover is when I stand up off the saddle (such as crossing grass/curbs between parking lots) I knock the cover a bit and it doesn't sit right on the Brooks underneath. That makes it quite uncomfortable.
So what I am after is a gel saddle that has the same type of soft gel the cover does, but in a fixed saddle that won't shift around on me.
I am not opposed to a relatively narrow saddle in the form of the Brooks Flyer, for example, but I wouldn't mind trying a bit wider saddle for something different. Considering it isn't for performance or distance - strictly commuting comfort - I am a bit more flexible with what I'm after.
I will say that I did order a saddle a couple weeks ago from Amazon. What I got is not a soft gel saddle. It is padded, but I find it still too hard for comfort.
Thoughts? What should I consider that is actually soft gel?
10-31-22, 03:55 PM
#2
Senior Member
You're probably best off going to a physical retailer and poking the saddles with your fingers.
If at some point in the future you want to give leather saddles a second try, I'm a fan of the Selle Anatomica saddles. They are soft from day one and don't have a leather break in period. I've been using this brand for almost ten years now.
If at some point in the future you want to give leather saddles a second try, I'm a fan of the Selle Anatomica saddles. They are soft from day one and don't have a leather break in period. I've been using this brand for almost ten years now.
11-01-22, 12:48 AM
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11-01-22, 06:47 PM
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Selle Royal Lumia
This clunky looking saddle came on a used bike I picked up, and it's surprisingly comfortable. That cutout near the back shows the "gel" material underneath. I've put it on my commuter and it works well with regular bottoms. I haven't done rides longer than 25 miles on it, though.
