A really comfortable road bike saddle?
 

Is there such a thing as a really comfortable road bike saddle for us senior cyclists or is that just an oxymoron?
Tsapp

Well I thought I had an answer....until I was overcome by a strong scent of spam. LOL

Sure there is but that does not mean there is one that you will find comfortable.

Call around local bike shops and ask if they can measure our sit bones and hook you up with the right saddle.

The fit for a comfortable road bike saddle is uniquely personal. You know, if I sit on my more than comfortable sofa for any length of time, my butt doesn't like it. So why should a thin road bike saddle work miracles? The best for me so far is the Selle SMP saddle. YMMV.

Sure. I have two different saddles that I find comfortable. I ride a Brooks on my heavy bikes. I don't even notice the saddle. I ride a Terry Butterfly on my go fast bike and mountain bike. Don't notice that saddle either.

I have been through a number of saddles. So far my latest, Prologo Scratch Pro, has been the best for short and long rides.

Whatever you get make sure you get the right width - and that depends on the distance between your sit bones and on the shape of the saddle (round, flat, etc.)

You joined BFN in 2008. I hope you haven't been suffering for 6 years!! If so, my condolences, and mine feels just fine, but for some it is very difficult to find comfort.

Good luck

Yes; no.
What does being a 'senior' (I'm 63) have to do with it? Nothing, I'd say.

There are two elements of a comfortable saddle:
one that fits your butt and has the right amount of padding for your use
and
one that gets enough use that your butt gets conditioned to it.

My saddle disappears, but I have about a bushel of saddles that didn't, not including probably 25 that I sent back after trying them. I'll mount a trial saddle and give it 1/2 hour on my rollers. If it passes that test, I'll try to ride a century or close to it on it. If it passes that test, I'll give it a try and see how my butt feels about it over time. For sure it's impossible to tell if a saddle might be suitable until after the 3rd hour. If it's not comfortable then, try another one. That's assuming that you already ride enough to have a cyclist's butt.

Ditto (I am 60). Just remember, more padding does not equal comfort, especially for longer rides. You need very little padding with a proper saddles that supports your sit bones.

I don't think that padding per se is necessary for a saddle to be comfortable. I have Selle Anatomica leather saddles on both my road and commuter bikes, and after a short break-in period for both, haven't needed to bother with padded shorts for rides shorter than 15 or 20 miles. If anything, a poorly padded saddle adds more pressure to the sensitive parts.

Well, I think it depends on the saddle. Certainly you don't want very much padding for long rises. I expect that can be made up for a bit by the how much give on something like the Selle Anatomica. I prefer a solid platform with a little bit firm padding.

Too much padding not only adds pressure to sensitive parts, it can also rub everywhere it shouldn't causing chaffing and sores. Saddles with a lot of padding also usually don't provide adequate support for the sit bones, which is most important thing for comfortable long rides. Even if they do, the excess padding does nothing but rub the wrong way,

+1 That does make a difference!

After a sit bones measurement and some trial and error I'd found a saddle I really liked. But I bought a 2nd bike and the saddle had been discontinued. I took the saddle with me to make the rounds at LBS to find a similar replacement. I tried two. One seemed even more comfortable than what I had been using. And the next one.... was/is a pleasure to sit on. I mean it... it's more comfortable than anything else I sit on.

The other day I noticed my saddle disappeared from the LBS... so I checked and I couldn't find it on line ether. After some searching around... I did find it. So now I have a brand new spare saddle. If you have a saddle you're really fond of... IMHO a spare is a good idea.

BTW the 2nd place saddle... is on my rain bike.

For me, it's the Brooks B17. Tip the nose up slightly, and it's comfortable out of the box, and just gets better.

I purchased a new Brooks B-17 (narrow) a year ago and gave up on it after 150 miles or so. It actually created a blister in my right "taint" area. I used lots of the Brooks conditioner during the break-in period. Maybe I'll give it another try before searching for a new saddle. My current road bike saddle is a Selle San Marco, probably not their best saddle. I've found that after 30 miles, it gets real uncomfortable.
Tsapp

Brooks Cambium.

I've been thru several saddles in the past 14+ years. My latest saddle is a Selle Anatomica. Not like any other saddle I've had in the past. Got one on both of my bikes. Give it a try. :beer:

An aside to the conversation........ I currently ride regular Brooks B=17 and love them. Getting ready to try a Selle. What is the consensus for model? X or NSX on a Sirrus?

Prologo scratch pro 143 on my fast bike and Selle Anatomica on my all around/tourer. Took 5 tries for my fast bike. Used the Scratch pro for a 4 day ride down the Oregon coast this past summer, 80-100m per day, no chafing or other problems. I do concur on getting your butt conditioned. For me it took close to 4000m in the past two years to feel like I had adequate toosh conditioning.

I have the 143 as well. The saddle I had prior to this did not support my sit bones as well, but my butt adapted to it OK. Took me several rides on the scratch pro for my sit bones to get reconditioned - I could feel them on the saddle those first few rides - which was a good thing!

Take out a loan and start buyin' and tryin'. Endless saddle configurations, endless butt configurations, bicycle fit, shorts, etc. all enter into the mix.

Most of us are able to find comfortable saddles. It's not always easy, though, and there is no such thing as a saddle that works for everyone. It also is true that you have to toughen up your hindquarters, regardless of your saddle selection.

Unfortunately, saddles are such a personal item that you can only find out what works for you by trying them yourself. Wallingford bicycles has an extremely good return policy and a fairly complete selection of saddles, Brooks in particular. They may be your best bet for saddle happiness and I recommend giving them a call.

What exactly is bothering you?

J.

SPAM like Hormel Foods? That's the scent of SPAM on the frying pan.