Saddle rail broke yesterday...

any advice what to look for on a saddle? I have only bought saddles attached to bikes. I have a chance to upgrade any recommendations?

get one that fits your butt or you'll be sorry. A saddle that is comfortable to one person sucks for another. A lot of people here sing the praises of Brooks but I got one and it was by far the most painful experience of my life. A lot of shops offer loaners and try it before you buy it options so it may be worth visiting your LBS to see if you can try some different ones before buying one

Go to a bike shop , sit on the saddles they have .. it's between your arse and the saddle ..
there are Thousands of different saddles made.

some are 'Take-Offs' .. people buy a new bike but want a different saddle
than it came with, and they take the original one off . & resell it.

it's like new but less than if you got the same one with the display card on it, .. packaging ..

This is one instance where it pays to have brains where everybody keeps telling yours are. There's no rules here. If your old one was comfortable try to match it as close as possible. But that's only a starting place because saddles that look alike don't sit alike.

Saddles are like shoes, you can't tell except by trying them. Even so, some feel great in the store and are nightmares after 10 minutes, others, don't feel so great immediately and end up super comfortable.

If you don't know what you like then call around to your local bike shops and find out if they have fleets of test saddles. The better shops do. Go talk to them narrow it down and test a few.

There's hundreds of saddle threads.....because there's no answer. The best that you can hope to get is individual opinions to what requires a private answer.

You could start with popularity. I just bought a Profile Design Tri-Stryke. Very popular. I rode it 38 miles and have yet to recover, several weeks later. I like Specialized BG saddles....all the way from the sub 200g Toupe and Romin series to the 330g Rival.

Price is always a consideration with saddles. I have a $28.00 Charge Spoon that I love. I use it around town and wear any pants that I want with it. It's a great value. Most people give it good reviews, but it's a saddle and can't be a one size fits all.

I ordered this one last night

I figured I would give it a shot. I never thought about going to a local bike shop and asking for any they had taken off of a bike they sold. I have just ridden the saddle that was on my bikes. I have not had a problem with at least 4 different saddles.

the saddle that broke was on my MOtobecane fantom FX I am surprised it lasted and was for the most part comfortable because it looked cheap.

Look for a saddle company that has a no questions asked 30 day return policy. Additionally, look for a saddle that is the same model with different dimensions.

At $40 that looks great. Report back. I have a San Marco Aspide on the road bike right now and have been toying with the idea of an "open"(w/cutout) saddle---for cooling.


Do you have any suggestions of such a company**********

Bontrager is a good start and usually you can find a dealer near by. I little more expensive but, your butt will thank you after 1,000 miles.

What's your riding position. Do you sit upright like Mary Poppins, tilted forward at 45 degrees like many commuters, or much lower like a racer?

Brooks leather. the 2 biggest things that changed my cycling life were brifters and a Brooks leather saddle. seriously.

I will let you know how it works. I switched my seat from my road bike to my commuter (CC with rack) So we shall see how that goes tomorrow.

My seat is flat... I am experimenting tomorrow with it tilted slightly down in the nose. It felt good on a cruise around the neighborhood as best as I could tell.

[MENTION=134410]rumrunn6[/MENTION] I rode with a guy who has said the same thing about his Brooks saddle. That is on the list for the TOURING/ commuting bike if I can convince the Mrs. I need it. Trying to decide if I should sell the road bike to start the fund for the touring/ commuting bike. I like the Kona Sutra, Surly dLHT, or the Salsa Vaya2

You can also try tilting it very slightly up. That stops you sliding forward onto the narrow part.

just an FYI my Brooks is on my road bike. if I were commuting I would have to reconsider due to weather related issues. but if you're a fair weather rider, the Brooks is great on a road bike!

i dont want to have to worry about my seat if I am riding home and I get caught in a storm bad enough worrying about my not quite waterproof panniers.

after riding in this morning I dont think that I tilted it down in front at all. It felt pretty flat and comfortable.

Seat arrived yesterday. it looks pretty nice. Definitely feels lighter than original seat. I will attempt to install tonight.

Serfas has some decent offerings & most bike shops carry that or similar brand.

- Andy