Decent plastic saddle to replace Brooks for the winter rain
 

If you don't ride a Brooks, what do you use? Looking for recommendations, preferably around or below $60. Criteria are comfort, price, and style in that order. This is just a temp saddle for bad weather. I know I can ride my Brooks with a plastic bag or cover but I'd just rather not hassle. Besides, plastic bags are not impenetrable.

I could use my stock WTB SST saddle that many people complain about and spend the money on an upgraded seat post, so I can just switch saddle/seat post combos as needed.

The other option I was thinking of was a Soma saddle.

My favorite non-Brooks saddle are the old Avocet touring models. They have nice vinyl and are comfy, of course not something can be bought new.

You could just put a cover over the Brooks -- a plastic shower cap would work well or a bag. I always have a bag stored away in the handle bar bag or pannier in case the weather turns bad while I am out.

Didn't your brooks come with a rain cover? I have a spare one if you need one, both my saddles came with one.

I have one and it'll keep the rain at bay for a bit, but if I'm inside for any longer than say 30 to 45 minutes, it gets wet inside. 2 hours and longer and it's soaked. I was just looking for non-leather saddles. I'm actually thinking of upgrading the stock Kalloy seat post on my bike, though.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...ed=0CD4Q8wIwBA#

People rave about these though I prefer a Brooks :)

Oops thats a leather one ^^^^^^^^^^

Heres a nylon one
http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...ed=0CFwQ8wIwAg#

Yeah the Brooks come with a rain cover. Or mine did any way

I am so appalled by having a Brooks saddle pushed down the throat in any possible saddle discussion, even one explicitly orthogonal to a Brooks saddle, that I'll abstain:).

Since one can rarely be 100% sure that it won't rain in Iowa, I've gotten used to keeping a 1-gallon Hefty plastic bag with me at all times. So far, the condensation that happens inside on rainy days hasn't caused any noticeable harm.

Must suck to have a winter where all you have to dread is rain. ;)

- Scott

I'm actually for the opposite, though. What non-leather seat is affordable, kind of good looking, and comfy?

Hefty bags might be better. Market bags definitely have tiny holes poked in the bottom for whatever reason so they absolutely suck as rain covers. My Brooks cover was great for riding because it maintained the shape of the saddle, no awkward plastic flapping about your nethers, but I wouldn't really count on it to repel water for too long when left out without a rider's bottom to shield it. I haven't had experience with Hefty bags but I know shower caps work well and they have elastic edges, 2 work better!

I'm currently using a Specialized Milano Sport saddle. It's not nearly as nice looking as a Brooks B-17, but it's not horrible-looking, either, and it's very comfortable, especially over longer distances, kind to male anatomy, within your price constraints, and, best of all, utterly weatherproof (no need for a plastic bag).

I commute daily in all weather on a Brooks, and I've found that using a heavy duty plastic shopping bag keeps my saddle dry in all conditions while locked up on the street. I've been doing it for years with no ill effects.

As for riding in the rain or snow, I simply ride without covering the saddle. I have fenders which shield the underside of the saddle, and my butt shields the top.

FWIW, I ride a lot in the rain and snow.

thanks. It's about what I'm looking for. With my Specialized gloves, tires, and maybe saddle, I'm going to have to peel the decals off my Surly and put Specialized on there. It's hard not to buy their products since my LBS is a dealer.

I just use a WTB that came stock on my MTB. It's not really comfortable (too wide and soft) but ok for a short commute.

Likewise, I commute year-round in Seattle rain on a leather saddle and don't have any trouble with it. Fenders keep it dry from below, my body keeps it dry from above, and when parked or on a bus rack, I use a waterproof drawstring bag over it to keep it dry.

They make plastic bags better these days, I wouldn't deal with a seasonal saddle rotation. If I rotated my brooks off I would leave it off unless my butt demanded otherwise.

For my 10-mile commute, I find that I can use nearly anything that's properly positioned (with suitable bike shorts). For longer rides, I like the Specialized Toupe or Specialized Phenom, neither or which is particularly cheap.

If I were in your position, I'd probably spend the money on a second seatpost and use the WTB.

Bike shops have Take-offs, when people buy a bike but don't like the OEM choice of saddle.

See what they have ,maybe ride around a while on it.

comfort is between you and the saddle ,
my butt has its own dialog with the saddle i got.
Its not up to me, its your butt.. :innocent:

I have packing taped thick plastic over my Leather saddle , before , and left it on.
won't benefit from any breathability riding, in my rain gear trousers anyhow.

Now, I have a Fizik Vitesse on one bike a Avocet touring 2 on another
[It's leather covered , so a poly bag goes on it.. ]

lots of nice thinly leather covered saddles, but they won't stretch and sag if saturated
with water, since the nylon base supports the tension..
rather than tensioned leather doing everything..

several of them are.. my favorite saddle cover : the bladder from a 5L wine box.
its a square of 4 layers.. cutting out the valve and slitting a diagonal line
in one side, there is still the edge welded 2 layers on the opposite side..
to keep the 'product' in, it is impermeable..

This is what I mean: even when you explicitly state no interest in Brooks, 2 out of 3 (rule of thumb) advices will be to use Brooks anyway:).

Breaking with my original promise, a precondition for a comfortable plastic saddle is that it needs to be decently profiled, in any projection you look at it. If the saddle looks like a piece of log in some projection, it presumably feels like that when you sit on it.

Surprisingly you can find comfortable saddles around the lowest price bin. My favorite has been a steel sprung touring saddle sold under a variety of names, Avenir, Velo and Endzone with adjectives Plus/Plush and Comfort, which you could have for as little as $16. I am sure you can find a descendant of that saddle, unfortunately with some elastomer suspension now. Look along the line of Velo Plus Comfort. Otherwise check saddles offered as touring but for those comfort usually combines with substantial weight. On the lighter side Selle SMP TRK is very good. I'd go for a woman version, irrespectively of your gender.

For rain riding, spraying the saddle with a water repellent such as for shoes will help. Surprisingly, even a cloth covered saddle will work then.

+1
I'm not sure why people are so worried about getting the saddle wet.
I let mine get soaked (it is proofided) and so far, no issues. I love my Brooks, but if my practice of not covering it when it is wet means that I somehow ruin it prematurely, then I will replace it with something more practical. It's a saddle. It SHOULD be good for all conditions with no special treatment. Okay, rant over :D

To the OP - The Terry Liberator series comes to mind.

Why is the elastomer suspension unfortunate?

Because it does not bounce back as well and deteriorates over a long time.

I adjusted the WTB saddle perfectly and took it for a 20 mile ride. While, it wasn't excruciating, it certainly was not pleasant. I almost constantly felt the discomfort of the slightly squishable material pressing into my perineum. At times, I forgot about it momentarily, but I couldn't do it daily...unless there was a week long storm. I think I may just upgrade my seat post and match the WTB with the Kalloy seat post. I hear this socal winter is going to be a wet one...

You might want to check out the Fizik Vitesse. They retail for more than $100, but you can often find them on eBay for much less. Fizik markets the Vitesse as a women's saddle, but it is nearly identical to the Aliante except 1 cm wider (15 cm total). I was using Brooks B17s on my road bikes until I picked up a Vitesse in a swap. I liked it so much that I've now put them on all of my bikes. To me, the Vitesse is more comfortable than a B17 and weighs less than half as much (with the ti rails version); it has a pleather cover. The most I've paid for any of my Vitesse saddles is about $40, and most I bought for about $20.

I live, ride, and commute in Maine and rarely cover the Brooks B-17 on my trusty steed. Only when the rain and snow are out of control do I cover the saddle. Otherwise, Proofide the heck-outta the underside, use fenders and bring the bike inside during the work day. I will say this, I do reach a point in the year when the weather IS too much for commuting.

The saddle I use on my snow/ice bike is the WTB Aviator Comp Black. Synthetic shell (the 'pro' model is a canvas shell, it's a comfy, thick DH/Freeride type saddle that can take a licking.

I like the WTB pure V pretty well, it looks pretty dumb but feels all right. I like my brooks better but it suits me almost as well, I'm building a rain/snow/nasty weather bike and the Pure V is going on it.