Just got "back in the saddle" after 35 years. My butt is killing me after a few short rides of no more than 3 miles. I've read that a sprung saddle would help greatly. What do you think?

Thanks.

Dave

One popular Sprung saddle is Brooks , traditional leather , with 2 coil springs.. been made for 100+ years .

Another approach , spring suspension seat posts.. with whatever saddle you choose,

or continue searching through the thousand or so saddles in search of the one your tush likes best...

Brooks B-66 here. I've had it four years and it's still hard as a rock and I love it. If the springs flex at all I can't tell it while riding.

DaveYuhas, what type of bike are you riding? Upright comfort bike? Touring bike with drop bars? Sport bike with drop bars? Mountain bike?

I have a Brooks B-66 on my Raleigh Superbe and like it fine, but I don't think I would like it as much on a bike with a less upright seating position than the Superbe.

Saddles are a very personal choice, but I would suggest that if your bike is a road-type bike, with dropped handlebars, a sprung saddle might be less than ideal. If, however, your bike is a more upright bike, like a hybrid or cruiser, a sprung saddle could prove to be quite satisfactory.

Not a butt joke, but give your body some body some time to adjust! After all, you have not been riding for 35 years. Perhaps it should be remembered that Brooks leather saddles need some time to "mould itself" to fit a user's butt. I'll bet thst is your issue too.

in about 2005-6 I purchased (on eBay) 3 different B-17s that were hardly used at all. I'll bet the sellers did not allow enough time for break in. I use all 3 and have taken the time to break them in. Initially uncomfortable, but as I sweated more as I rode the leather became more pliant etc. No need to put Proofide, Dubbin, Neatsfoot Oil, or anything else to hasten the break-in. I wonder if spring seats would help. But then I have used those seats for 50+ years.

I have a Brooks Champion Special on my Long Haul Trucker. Its the same shape as a B17. I have a B17 on my regular road bike. I have found the size and shape to be a bigger factor in rear end pain. However, my back feels much better with the springs after a long ride.

I got a Brooks sprung seat when I returned to cycling about 12 years ago because of sore butt syndrome. I quickly concluded that I was better off on an un-sprung saddle. I have been riding a Brooks B17 most of the time since I switched and I like it. I recently got a Selle Anatomica for my spare bike and I like it too - maybe better than the B17.

I am riding a Brooks Flyer (a sprung B17). It replaced an unsprung B17.

I weigh north of 260#.

The springs are so stiff, they do not make any difference, I can barely tell they are there.

In the early days you want to ride more upright (probably need a hybrid or other 'relaxed geometry' bike). A wide saddle (like a B66) will serve you better until you start riding 15+ miles. I am not sure that it is worth paying for a B66 for short distances, you will likely outgrow the bike, and once you go to a more aggressive 'lean forward' stance, the B66 will be a hindrance.

I used the Serfas Rx 921V for about a year, as I moved from 4 miles to 30 miles rides. The I got the B17 because the Serfas was getting really hot (the gel) after about 20 miles. The B17 was great, but I wanted a bit of springiness going around the patched up Houston asphalt roads. I didn't get it...

However, the tan Brooks Flyer with matching Brooks handlebar tape make my steel olive color Novara Randonee look special

A hybrid - Trek FX 2. It has flat handlebars.

I'm currently riding a Trek DS 2. No special seat, but I ride with padded shorts or riding pants. Give them a try, I'm recovering from a mishap at the end of April (not on the Trek) and did 17+ miles today, tired, but my butt's not complaining.

My Talus came with a sprung Avenir that I swapped out for a Serfas competition seat..that made that bike just flat-out MEAN. Finally this year I put a sprung Serfas on it. And I might put a sprung seat on my F2000, but I've gotta get the shifters sorted out before I do that.

I put in 2k miles on a Brooks Flyer. Never got the payoff. It's a beautiful, cruel thing. Antique leather, hand hammered copper rivets, and ass pain all go together.
Using a Selle Italia now. While it's not total butt Nirvana it's much better.

Don't get me wrong. The Brooks B17, or the Flyer, are very comfortable saddles for me. I just hoped to lessen the shock when I hit the numerous anomalies while riding around Houston.

The verdict is that a Flyer will not isolate you from the road shocks any more than the unsprung B17. However, both saddles are comfortable, especially after they were broken in (about 40 mi. for the B17, a little more for the Flyer)

A sprung saddle might help on road jolt but not with straight pressure.

For straight pressure: be sure you fit your bike, with your weight suspended among your seat, hands and pedals; lift yourself off your saddle for some pedal strokes every so often, and in general over bumps and holes; wear seam-free bottoms; try some cycling specialty low friction (chamois) shorts; try some cycling specialty padded (foam or gel) shorts or undershorts. And understand it takes time and gets better.

Saddles have been the most swapped-out component on bicycles for ~125 years. What one rider finds excruciating another will declare nirvana. Most shops have a bin of take-offs. Saddles I've seen recommended by multiple posters here on Bike Forums include the Ergon Evo Gel, SQLabs 610 and the WTB Volt. YMMV.

For traditional leather sprung saddles, there's the Brooks 66, Gyes GS14, Lepper Concorde 800 and Persons Apollo (among many others). There are also suspension seat posts from numerous manufacturers in a spread of price points.

My wife has a brooks leather, sprung saddle on her bike and still gets a sore bum. I have had a ride on it and cannot feel the springs move at all. A spongy seat post might be a better idea.

Yep. I have a sprung Electra saddle on a suspension seatpost on my trike.

I have a Cane Creek Thudbuster seat post* under an un sprung saddle..

* Includes several densities of elastomer blocks , chosen for your weight .
that way the suspension is weight adjusted..






...

you may transition to a gel comfort saddle .
springs wont make the hard leather feel any less firm..

once used to being back on the bike, then shop for a different saddle ..

multi-month tours* on un sprung Brooks Team Pro ,
wearing un padded but lined bike shorts .

*88, 91,(& my 50th year) , 97..





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I have a B66 (or is it a 67) on a Raleigh Superbe and a Flyer on an '84 Trek 400. Planning to get the B17 for my old Giant OCR3. I think maybe the Flyer flexes now and again?

Hybrids are a curious thing. They appeal to us because they are not upright old man things, but are not bent over drag your nose on the ground go faster things. What saddle works with an "in between" body position? Logic seems to say an in between size saddle, but no, that is not always the case. Go to a shop that is willing to move saddles around and let you ride them for an hour at a time. You will find something that works.

As for me on my go faster bike I use Brooks Pro or Sella Italia Turbo. On my cruiser it is the Cloud 9 saddle. Works very well and has springs! The mountain bike has an "in between" size and it works well. It is an old specialized Body Geometry saddle, original model. Body position is just about the same as a hybrid. Used to have a Brooks Flyer with springs on it, but found I needed more setback and the rails were too short to allow it.

I run a Brooks Flyer Imperial (with the center cut-out) on my Trek DS3. I also run a higher stem and 50mm riser bars to help with shoulder and cervical vertebrae issues. I've had the bike for two full seasons. The first, I used the stock saddle for half and a Selle Italia Gel Flow saddle for the other half. Both were uncomfortable after 12-15 miles, because they didn't fit my sit bones properly. I've been using the Brooks this year and it's been excellent right out of the box. I will say that I tend to bounce when doing higher cadences, but my butt still stays comfortable. I've done 30 miles without issues.