I've been to 5 bike shops in the past few days and it seems they all sell Serfas and have a very limited selection of one or two other brands, none of which I'm interested in.
I currently own a Serfas (like this)

and am looking for something new.

Anyone have any experience with any of the following? Please remember that I'm 57, not your typical young, slim, European-looking rider. Just an old, average, Southerner. I don't race. I just want something for long rides (25-45 miles) and the occasional century or metric.

Here is what I've been looking at on Nashbar's and Performance's websites.

Gipiemme Nitrec Gel Saddle
Selle Italia Oktavia Gel
Selle Italia Max Flight Trans Am
Selle Italia Flite Gel Saddle

FYI: I've also tried Terry Liberator, Specialized Body Geometry, and Fizik.

Thanks for your opinions on these or recommendations for other brands for my Litespeed road bike.

Ron,

I've been down that road and settled on (no pun intended)
the Selle Max Flite Trans Am.
I'm quite satisfied with it, although it took me
a while to get used to the cutout.
I have seen where this is a love/hate kind
of thing, some people love it, some
would rather sit on a seatstem than use it.
Of course saddles are a personal thing.
Is it possible for you to try one prior to purchasing it
(some LBS will allow this) ?
If you do choose the Trans Am check Supergo
they were cheaper than anyone else when I
was looking.

Marty

Really, you should get yourself a Brooks saddle.
try:
www.wallbike.com

Hi Ron

I've tried both the Fizik and the Flite, and love them both

Out of the two, and with you in mind, I'd recommend the Fizik...as D*Alex suggests, the Brooks leather might be wortha consideration if you have a dealer in your area.

Cheers matey

Rich

I just fired a Terry's Liberator myself. Too wide and too high in the rear. For long rides I prefer a flat, firm saddle.

The new Selle Italia Fluid won hands down. Currently, they are $89.95 at Performance Bike and BikeWorld.com

Construction is excellent and they require no break-in either. They aren't a soft saddle as you might expect from the name. The fluid chambers are just right for me.

I'm not in my 20s either so what works for the pups doesn't work for me. FYI, I am putting around 40 miles every day on this thing and I suffer no pain or numbness at all.

I have a SI Trans Am on both my cross bike and my roadie. I love it. I've spent 6 hours uninterrupted riding time in that saddle without any pain, numbness or discomfort. In contrast, I have a SDG Satellite on my MTB, and I find that it becomes uncomfortable after about 45 minutes and unbearable after 90 minutes. All my bikes are dialed-in.

I agree with Alex. Tensioned leather saddles are heavier and higher-maintenance than the more modern alternatives, and their undersides need to be protected from moisture, but I have never found anything as comfortable and durable. An "anatomical" saddles is good only if it conforms to YOUR anatomy.

God... I hate Brooks saddles.

I had one on my old Raleigh many, many years ago. I rode it for three years; three years of agony and torture from the sixth circle of Hades. I was told "it'll be great once it breaks in," but after three years of treating it, and riding it and protecting it, it NEVER broke in. I'm convinced that Brooks saddles were devised by the Nazis to get cyclists who were covert members of the Resistance to talk. Many, I suspect, did.

Me too. Everybutty's different, but since I bought my first one of these in '00 I've put 7000+ miles on the two I now own, and it's perfect. Cured what ailed me, right enough, and is great for both the daily commute and the occasional century.

It's not just the cutout and the (for me) ideal width; that tiny bit of springiness from the elastomers is just enough to make a worthwhile difference in comfort at the end of the day.

RichC

Wow, Velocipedio! I don't think I have ever heard anyone so vehement about Brooks saddles! I have 4, 2 of which are in regular use, all of which are extremely comfortable. I have a Selle San Marco on my new yellow bike just because it is yellow. It is quite comfortable, but the Brooks more so. In fact, on my recent camping/cycling weekend I put a Brooks Team Pro on that bike because I KNEW it was good for 50+ miles a day and I just didn't know about the SI yet and didn't want to take a chance. I think it will be fine on long rides I just haven't had a chance to do any on that saddle yet and didn't want to chance potentially 3 longish days to an unproven saddle.

The two that are on the sidelines are a B-17 which was just fine until I started to pick up the pace and a "pre softened" Team Pro. Then it was a little wide and got in the way some. The pre softened one was ordered from my LBS who took the liberty of ordering the pre softened version. I didn't know any different. It was actually fine. I just prefer the support of the harder saddle.

Maybe I am just lucky to be able to tolerate different saddle configurations.
Sittin' pretty,
Raymond

I have the Flite TT (obviously not what youre looking for) and the Flite Gel Ti. Both are more "racer" oriented, I think.
The other Selle Italia saddles you mentioned look good. I am impressed with the quality and workmanship of Selle Italia over some of the others.

Thanks for all the input.

I went to yet another bike shop during lunch today and along with Serfas they had the Selle Italia Flite Gel saddle and a Terry Fly Ti.
I tried the Selle Italia but didn't like the feel, so I bought the Terry (I was not wearing cycling shorts - I was wearing jeans ). They said I could return it as long as it was in "new" condition. I guess I'll try it on the trainer.

As I said in my original post, I tried the Terry Liberator for 3 months and didn't like it.

Any thoughts on the Terry Fly Ti?

Fly Ti is the lightweight "racer" saddle with smallish, narrow cutout? EXCELLENT saddle. My friend swears by it.

If you want to keep it in "new" condition in the event of your need to return it, tape up the rails with masking tape prior to mounting it. Then just mount it on the bike.

Well, I really can't stand them. After a while, the whole retro-grouch Brooks cult gets to me. Sure, Brooks saddles are the best way to ride... just like manual Remington typewriters are the best tools for writing novels, friction shifting is the best way to shift, coal is the best way to heat a house, raw is the best way to eat meat...

RonH,

You never did say why you were replacing the Serfas. Good luck with the Fly Ti... after you've given it a trial, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. FWIW, if the Fly doesn't pan out, the Selle Italia web-site has a saddle selection guide (for their saddles, of course), which might sort of give you some ideas of things to look for.

Lousy saddles are a pain in the @rse!

I'm looking for a saddle as part of my getting the Yatesy back on the road and was looking at the Specialized Comp body geometry saddle after seeing the Specialized website which said it developed with anatomical specialists etc.

Since then, I have heard loads of people here and on MTBR.COM say that they are cr@p and to cap it all, this month's MBR mag also said they hated it .

Needless to say, I'll be keeping a keen eye on this thread .

It is two years old and feels "spongy". It is stitched along the top of the cutout area and the seams are digging in around ... er, ah ... inner thigh area?

Anyway the Terry is narrower and the cutout is farther back.

I'll try the tape on the rails as martin suggested and let you know how it rides.

Hi Astra, I tried the Specialized Body Comp, and finally took it back, it was terrible!

Ron, I have a Ti-fly on my road bike, and it's not bad. I'm still tweaking position etc. to try and make it better. It's much better than the original (unknown brand), but it's not perfect, I'm still looking for that, too!

Terry also makes the Fly in gel - new for this year. I was thinking about sending this fired Liberator back to them and getting one of the gel Fly models for another bike. Guess it couldn't hurt.

I have the SI Trans Am - Pro Link, love it, fits great, and really cuts down on the road buzz.

I would find a store that will you let you try the saddles on your bike and if it doesn't work out bring it back.

You can't tell from looking at a wall of saddles which one will work for you.
Also I can't tell anyone out there which seat will work for them.

Buy ten and bring nine back to the store. Good luck.

I have the SI Trans Am Flite just like above. When I first picked it up, thought that I could throw it like a paper airplane(This is my first seat with carbon fiber rails was very stoked). My first ride was pulling a fourty, and if it weren't for the cold front/ rain I would have gone on. (NO not wimpin, try dropping down the temp big time on somone used to 100+ degrees with 100% humidty/ not to mention most Houston drivers suck no matter the driving conditions)

Thanks for all your suggestions and opinions. You're the best

I finally had the time to put the Terry Fly Ti on my bike last night (and I even remembered to put tape on the rails so they don't get scratched so I can return it if that's what I decide). Took it for a quick 22 miles before dark.

At this point I'll give it a 9! Once my back side get used to a firmer saddle (which the Serfas is not), maybe I'll up that rating to a 10.
After last night the best I can give the old saddle is a 4. I never realized just how uncomfortable it was.

I'll do more miles on Saturday and Sunday before I make my final decision, but so far it is a keeper.

Rode lots of miles Saturday and Sunday and decided the Terry Fly Ti is a keeper.

Thanks for all your advice.