pauld3

Hello all, my name is Paul and I am a new member on bike forums. My question is how do ya find a saddle without spending a fortune. I am a big guy 275 and 6'2" and have a specialized mountain bike but all riding is on the road, I have swapped the tires for road tires.I have read on saddles and have looked but don't have a clue where to start. I live in a small town with no lbs so internet is the way I'll be shopping. And one more thing the bike has twist shifters and would like to switch to levers, the bike is from mid 90's and has shimano gear train.
Thanks Paul

Retro Grouch 

I'm not fond of twist shifters either.

Changing shifters is easily dont but might be a bigger deal than you think. Do your brakes share a handlebar clamp with your twist shifters? If so, you'll either also have to replace the brake levers or resort to the kludge of cutting the shifters off of the clamp. Look on line for Shimano Rapid-Fire or Ez-Fire shifters that match the number of rear cogs on your bike. Replacing them and retuning your derailleurs is a relatively simple task. Park Tool has excellent step-by-step instructions on their website. You'll also want to replace your hand grips with new ones that are the right width.

Finding the right saddle is, unfortunately, a hunt and peck task. My advice is going to be counter-intuitive:

First, look at the saddles of people who do a lot of riding. What you'll notice is a lack of real wide saddles and saddles that have a lot of padding. Both are bad.
Second, the adjustment of the saddle on the bike is probably more important than the saddle itself. Don't be afraid to mess around with up-and-down, front-and back, and tilt until you find the sweet spot.

fietsbob

Can't get to a bike shop? then you cannot test sit on a saddle, or get a good take off deal..

rule of thumb (or butt) more upright the riding posture, the wider the back portion of the saddle..


I lean forward some so medium width road bike saddles fit..
I gained weight but my pelvis is still the same bone.

Selle Italia 80's Turbo/ or the San Marco company 'Rolls' in my specific case..
or the Brooks Pro.. I've had for 30 years..

My Bars on my Curent bike are Trekking type and they are higher than the saddle

the bit of weight on the hands is just about right for me , a local Commuter for the most part.

You may just have to incur a few bouts of return postage till you find something you like. .

Brooks B67 a wider leather type.. ..

TrojanHorse

RG - he's 6'2" and 275 riding in an upright position... he's going to be on a wider saddle than your average skinny roady (IMO)

I'd head over to the clyde forum - there are plenty of people who have gone through your same exact saddle issue but Brooks seems to be a popular choice. Find a place that allows returns after you have had an opportunity to ride one. Other than that, if it's online only for you then settle in for a buy / sell rotation on ebay and good luck.

Retro Grouch 

Some are wider than others and some have springs but there aren't any real wide or heavily padded Brooks saddles. Wallengford Cycle has a return policy on Brooks saddles but they say they don't get very many back. They're not cheap and they're not for everybody but enough riders LOVE Brooks saddles that one might be worth a try. If I hadn't made the switch to recumbents I'd still be riding on Brooks saddles.

Uh - that statement I made in my original post about saddle adjustment, that's definitely true for Brooks saddles. Getting the saddle adjustment and tilt just right makes a huge difference in comfort.

cyclist2000

+10

My normal ride is at least 20 miles, once a BFer looked at the photos of my bikes and thought that they were tilted down too far, I tilted the nose up slightly. the next ride I got about 3 miles and changed the tilt back because of the pain that the new position caused.

I can ride on most saddles, I use the OE saddle, but the concor and brooks pro seem to be my favorites and I am a 6'-2" and weigh 235 lbs, but my bikes are setup with the handle bars even with the saddle.

GeorgePaul

Competitive Cyclist (https://www.competitivecyclist.com/) has a wide selection of saddles and a no-questions-asked lifetime return policy. Why don't you give them a call and see what they recommend?

digibud

The -only- way to find saddles that work right is to find a store that will let you ride them and return them. And I mean you should be able to ride them for a day or two at the least. REI doesn't carry much in the way of top of the line saddles but they carry a reasonable number of middle of the road, decent saddles. You can order two or three, ride them for a week or two and return them all, trying two or three more. Eventually you'll find one that is OK, I'd guess. I once tried a saddle for three days and loved it, but eventually found that around 60 mi it became a real pain. Unless you try a saddle for a few days, you simply won't know for sure. I guess if you ride the same route all the time it might be easier to tell. You can also order online from Specialized. People often order 5 or 6 saddles from them and return them all...or just keep one. Of course you can't return it all scuffed up....but if you ride with reasonable care and don't lay the bike down so as to scuff it up, it's no problem. Obviously you do have to have a bit of experience - or do some research - with regard to saddle adjustment. Often the smallest possible nose-up or down can make a HUGE difference. Make sure the bike is level and buy a small level for the seat and start with it level...and try the nose just a tad up or down...
Brooks and other such leather saddles can require a pretty extensive breakin period. I have no experience with them but they must be wonderful for some folks.
It's also worth doing some research on how to measure your sit bones to learn if you might want a narrow, medium or wide saddle. That's also not obvious but there are tips online about how to sit on a surface that will leave an indentation for you to measure and then how to translate that to typical saddle measurements. But they are also a guess. I "measure" as if I should be on a 143mm (med) saddle but my favorite is a 155mm saddle.
Just concentrate on places that have a liberal return policy and try many saddles. That's the only way to possible find a great saddle. And know that your ideal saddle will change as you lose weight and as you get stronger your sitting position will begin to change and your best saddle will change.

GeorgePaul

Performance Bicycle has a very good selection of saddles and has a very liberal return policy (see https://www.performancebike.com/webap...1_-1_Guarantee). I have purchased many items from Performance Bicycle stores and returned a few (including saddles) and have never had a problem with their customer service.

fietsbob

Big ol wide and cushioned Serfas and Selle Royale are but a few of the thousand or more saddles offered around the world.

Trek Dealers have their assortment under a Bontrager brand name now..

pauld3

Hey I thank you all for the advice and will try one if the companies recommended. Thanks

Paul

cyclist2000

How about starting with Sheldon Brown's article on the comfortable saddle to determine the sit bone width. Or the next chance the OP gets (since he doesn't have an LBS) visit a specialized shop and us the butt-o-meter to measure the sit bone distance.

sreten

Hi,

Brooks are no doubt comfortable, but cost a small fortune,
are more difficult to maintain, and are a theft magnet.
And difficult to choose what will eventually fit well.

I found a very comfortable saddle for my folder for just £10 delivered :



250mm length and 180mm width. I'm 5'8" - 170 lbs.

It has rubber elastomers and unlike my road bike saddle, cycling shorts
are a waste of time with it. Its great with a relatively relaxed riding position.
(Not sit up and beg, but not road bike either, touring bike type position.)
No maintenance. Not really worth stealing. You can't really see it but there
is very little padding in the central area than can cause problems for some.

Don't buy a road bike saddle if you don't adopt a road bike position.
Don't buy a hardcore saddle if you are not hardcore, i.e. one that
really needs cycling shorts if you don't want to wear cycling shorts.

I agree two wide and too soft is not good, but neither is too thin and
too hard, which sadly covers the pointless majority of too thin and
too hard saddles offered as "performance ".
Elastomers or springs are cheaper than a suspension seat post.

I might have been lucky with my folders saddle, never a problem over 700+
miles since christmas, up to 20 miles a day, wearing normal jeans / pants.

Its better than my road bike saddle with padded cycling shorts.
That pairing I can feel on a hard chair after the fact, the folder nothing.
But I do up to 40 miles a day on the road bike, so possibly not surprising.

Whilst you can't choose a saddle for someone else, you can suggest :

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WTB-Comfort-...item51a6a426e7






260mm length, 170mm width.

Or something similar.

rgds, sreten.

https://sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html