practical

Last summer, on a lark, I put a gel seat pad on my bike. I thought I'd hate it as it made my bike look like a beach cruiser; but I have to say that it was much more comfortable. That surprised me because I only heard negative things about gel pads. I did a search on the forum for threads about gel pads seat covers and overwhelmingly the comments were negative. So I wonder, do the people who dismiss them actually try them? Based on my experience, I would recommend them.

mwl001

Every butt is different! That being said, I and many others mostly dismiss them for a few reasons:

1) My seat is not a gel seat, and it is comfortable.
2) Anything with "give" robs you of force you are trying to convert into forward momentum. That can mean a suspension fork, a suspension seatpost, or anything that adds cushion between you and the road.

Generally, I would think a gel seat is something you try if your current seat is not comfortable. However, it just may be that your current seat style is ok, just the wrong size.

From this site -- I think this is a rational explanation, and isn't necessarily picking one seat type over another, just facts:
Finding The Most Comfortable Bicycle Saddle | Dispelling Seat Myths



Avoid Padding: You might think that extra padding is the answer, and it is not! If you take anything away from this article, I hope it's this: excess padding on a bike seat can actually make you less comfortable than a firmer seat. You need a stable platform, and a slab of gel doesn't do anything good for you. Increased friction and back pain can result from a low quality gel seat. (And don't even get me started on gel seat covers!)
Less is More: The most comfortable bicycle seats will usually have a pretty small surface area, and that's because it makes riding much easier. A bigger seat will weigh more, cause friction while you pedal, and will let you 'slide' from side to side as you pedal, reducing your mechanical advantage. Don't believe me? Look at all the higher end saddles and notice how big they are!

Arizona Nights

Interesting, but I wonder what people make of the Trek saddles. I have a DS 8.3 and I found the saddle that came with the bike like sitting on steel. It's a common complaint. Think I should have kept it?

swoodjr1

Might those same people be new riders? If so, I would venture to guess that 1) their seat was too low forcing a distribution of weight to the butt as opposed to the legs and arms and 2) it takes a while to acclimate the butt to riding a bike

yashinon

Which Bontrager saddle did you have? I find the H1 to be pretty decent. I am wondering how the Evoke and/or other Bontrager saddles are.

practical

I'm a bike enthusiast. Last year I logged over 1,700 miles so that's plenty of time to acclimate and "toughen up" the butt. I also wear padded bike shorts. I would not be able to bike so many miles without the padded bike shorts but still the butt would get tired. When I put on the gel pad, it was mostly out curiosity; I really didn't expect it to have a beneficial effect. I figured I'd use for one or two rides then take it off. But what I found was that it significantly increased my comfort and I saw no decrease in performance. It didn't make me slower in any way. In fact, because of the increased comfort, it made my performance better - I would ride harder and go further without the need to take "standing breaks". So now I'm wondering if my experience is so much different from others who have actually tried gel pads, or have gel pads gotten a bad rap?

Wanderer

I have literally picked up a few gel seatcovers off the MUP. Literally!

All three were different mfrs.

I tried them, on mine, and others' bikes.

The common complaint, is that they roll around. Likened to sitting on a ball that is not caged.

I have yet to see anyone who liked one! Buttttt, your butttt may be different.

Anything that encourages your riding, is a good thing. If it gets your wife/husband on a bike - that's a good thing.

I still have them, and they get tried by others regularly.

spdracr39

Gel pads equal chafing in all the wrong places. They are fine if you ride short rides but longer rides in warmer weather are not gel pad friendly. Good padded bike shorts and a properly sized seat that matches your sit bones will be your best friends.

mwl001

This is helpful. I would say this points to the possibility that your seat is not a good fit for you, if you've ridden it that much and that consistently then you are as adjusted to the seat as you can get, and it's still uncomfortable if the gel seat cover helps. That's a fine solution, but you might also want to consider getting fitted for a new seat. Many shops will let you swap out seats endlessly as long as you buy one eventually from them, and very good shops will probably have a fitting system to at least tell you the right size if not also right type of seat. Worth your time if you're interested!

DorkDisk

Let me ask you the reverse: If my 180g, slim, and minimally padded seat is perfectably comfortable for 5 hours of continuous efforts of 90+rpm, why would I spend money on a heavy, ugly, squishy, and hot gel pad?

Maybe you havent found a seat that suits you?

I agree with distance being a factor. I can ride anything for about 20 miles. After that I start getting picky, and bad seats and plastic grips are the first to cause chafing

ColonelSanders

What saddle do you have?

DorkDisk

My lightweight saddle of choice is the specialized toupe in 130mm width.

Not my picture but this is it
SpecializedToupe.jpg Photo by niskyspy | Photobucket

practical

In my experience, I can't disagree more.

ColonelSanders

Thanks.

Quite different from my Brooks B190.