The Saddle Makes the Man
 

I have been riding for over three years now and had come to the conclusion that saddles and comfort were not and never going to be synonymous. I tried many different saddles with varying results until I sat on my new Rockhopper...and the saddle just fit! :love: It was like a new world has opened up for me. After a few rides on it I decided to put it on my Madone..and it was perfect there too. :D

I'm now looking for longer rides, and can't find enough time to do them. The saddle is a Specialized Indie XC in 143mm.

http://www.specialized.com/media/equ...00_-4005_d.jpg

Very interesting . Just earlier this morning, I recomemded to a fellow to visit his Specialized LBS on account of their having good accs. in stock. I like their products.

You should weigh-in on posts reccomending the saddle. I'm glad you found one that suits.

I had good luck with the indie also. But I had a funny experience- I sat on that Specialized fitter thingie that measures the distance between your sit bones. The saddle width based on that was too narrow for me. 10 mm wider than that felt perfect.

For 6 years after surgery for the Prostate-I had saddle problems. Bought plenty- some worked for a while but not for long. Then in 07 I got the OCR3- That saddle worked- for 3 months. Then Boreas and that worked for 6 months. Got out the box of saddles and found a Flite Max Gel. Fitted it as it was near the shape of the Fizic I had on Boreas and still using it.

The thing about this that is so exciting is that I used to dread rides longer than an hour or so, but this has completely changed the way I look at riding! :giver:

That happened to me when I switched to a Terry Fly Ti saddle. I got it used for next to free, well broken in, leather covered. I was immediately able to ride an additional 2+ hours in comfort.

Just switched to a San Marco Regal from the San Marco Era. Supreme comfort! (But I was quite comfortable on the Era as well. The Regal is just more comfortable.)

I think the trick is to find a line of saddles that work for you and just stick to that line. I started with Cinelli #2 and #3, then went to Selle Italia Turbo, then to San Marco Rolls, and have stayed with San Marco since.

A lot of the randonneurs and ultra-marathon types I know swear by the Brooks, but I think all-leather saddles are too difficult to maintain, and I think they are lying.

Luis

I guess I'm lucky. I'm riding four different saddles right now that all seem to work quite well: a selle Anatomica Titanico, a Specialized Toupe, two Selle Italia SLK Gel Flows, and a Specialized Alias. As I look at them I'll be darned if I can see what the commonality is that makes them all work for me.

I just purchased a different saddle for my TT bike that is made just for TT's. It HAS to be better than the cheap San Marco that came with the bike. Heck, it cost enough.

Something seems to have changed over the years. OK, not just something, a lot of things.
Anyway, I used to ride a ton in the early to mid 90's. Bought several bikes including a Bridgestone, a Bianchi and a custom Klein which I used for touring, plus a CB Zip which I rode actively until this year. I never changed from the stock saddle on any of these bikes. No special orders, just what came on the bike. No discomfort and no pain with any of these saddles!
Fast forward and for me, finding a comfortable saddle recently has been a joke. The only two I'm having mild success with is a B17 and a Specialized Alias. Sometimes I think there is a conspiracy to make seats uncomfortable enough that steady purchases are reaquired to find a suitable saddle. Nothing like a good conspiracy theory!

Finding the right saddle to match your butt is always a major coup. That your ideal saddle happens to be OEM supplied makes it a rare double coup.

Now here's where it gets interesting. New bicycle buyers frequently replace the OEM saddle with something else. Bike shops generally give them a credit for the OEM saddle and throw it into a box to be sold for $10.00 or $15.00 or whatever they can get. If I were you I'd visit every Specialized dealer in sight, check their OEM saddle box, and buy up a stock of those things. When your present saddle dies (and someday it will) that exact model will be out of stock.

In my opinion, if they made the perfect saddle, it would only fit the perfect seat.
Fortunately for me, I have both.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_K6ubMM5tV5M/Ss...0/IMG_1015.JPG

The most comfortable seat I've ever owned. The mesh seat back is wonderful, supportive and never fatiguing. Has about 12 or so angle settings. It even has a pouch inside of the back for carrying things. I can get tire levers, tube, CO2 inflator, multi-tool, small cable lock, car keys, bungle cords, first aid kit, money, and a small water bottle in there. Hopefully I never crash and destroy it, for the replacement cost is $295.

Yes yes, it is well known that we all have different butts and styles...I was just stating my delight in finally finding the one that fits mine. :love: Not trying to sell a saddle. ;)

The amazing thing about your saddle of choice, is that it is the lowest end mountain bike saddle that Specialized sells. Almost no one is ever lucky enough to find a perfect fit on an inexpensive saddle.

Have you tried out any of their higher end saddles to see if they take you to a new level of nirvana?

I was on the Sanoma 155mm.

http://www.specialized.com/media/equ...35_-4140_d.jpg
But it was too soft I believe. As well as too wide. I might look into some of the others now though.

11 of my 12 bikes are fitted with (different) leather saddles and these are all superbly comfortable but the bike that sees the most mileage has a lowly Velo saddle that has been carrying me around for almost 5 years and has gone 10's of thousands of miles on quite a number of bikes.

Velo seems to make a decent saddle at a pretty decent price.

That's funny because, I like to run down to my LBS and buy the saddles that many people swap out for more expensive ones, which I get for very cheap, sometimes $10 for a "stock" saddle. I find these to be quite adequate and sometimes very comfortable.

I have a theory that the price and desirability of a saddle is directly proportional to how difficult it is to pronounce. If I made a saddle, I'd call it the San Marco D'Lapucino Intrepido Exquisito Supremo Mark III (It would really be a Bontrager Select Race) and ask $350.00 for it. I bet they would sell like hot cakes and people would rave about how comfortable they were. :thumb:

Simple names like Brooks, Ideale, Wright's, and Lycette can also fetch some good money.

:)

I found the Specialized Body Geometry saddle works great on my MTB. I also installed a spare on my son's MTB. I have the narrower version on my Grand Record and it probably will never be ridden long distances.
I usually remove any Specialized or Terry I find on a bike that I'm flipping so I usually have a spare.

Yup. I have a "medically tested and approved" seat.

Now if you want to buy one- I have plenty that don't work with my butt.

+1 if you get the version with titanium rails (Excel Sports in Boulder carries them)

+1 on the right saddle improving everything about riding. You'd think there wold be a more scientific way to determine a good fit, but trial and error seems to be it for now.