Need a replacement seat for my Sirrus. only one small tear in the cover but feels kinda rough after 5 steady miles.
Thinking about a Gel seat, similar in style to the seat that came with the bike.
Any ideas on the right bang for the buck brands to take a look at ???

IMO, no such thing as a good "bang for the buck" saddle. Sometimes you get lucky and cheap and the stock saddle feels alright, sometimes not. If you are happy with the stock saddle on your Sirrus, just replace it with the same model. If not, it is mostly trial and error. Maybe your LBS has some loaners for you to try.

IMO gel seats are not great. Saddle is a very personal thing.

Tensioned leather does it for me.

But maybe more than OP wants to spend for a saddle.

Once I found a saddle that felt right (meaning comfortable) I immediately ordered 2nd. There are a limitless number of saddles out there that make my butt sore. And a very tiny selection that feels good. Your lucky. You know what a comfortable saddle looks like... (because you have one with a tear in it).

If I was comfortable with the seat before the tear, I'd buy the same seat as a replacement. Replacing a seat with something else is a crap shoot. Many dealers have seat displays and fittings where you can try a number of seats to get an idea of what works for you. Gell seats are not going to be good for long distances, but may be more comfortable for 5 mile rides. The specialized seats are pretty good.

My Brooks cost more than my used DaHon, but it's well worth it.

Can't afford Brooks? Crow Cycles has quality leather saddles under $100.

Brooks is now more or less a boutique brand.

One has to endure the leather break in process for at least 500 miles, thats over a year for many. Then its so easy to ruin the leather with too much conditioner trying to speed up the break in.... but those that endure the punishment and have that kind of discretionary income seem to say they are OK with them.... I mean after that much effort, the seat has to fell good, right

In the Bike Shop saddles taken off new bikes* sell for less than the same saddle if purchased with the display tag .

*Take-Offs were just removed because bike buyer wanted another saddle on the bike they were buying.

Have any of you guys tried Serfas seats ??? They seem to be priced reasonable.

I did not know shops sold them! Thanks! You can also find take-offs on eekbay. I recently picked up a Bontrager WSD saddle for daughters bike.

I have a Brooks B-17 on one bike, that I love. I have a Selle AnAtomica NSX on another bike, that I love even more. (on the Sirrus)....

You are getting awfully close to their $100 Christmas sale,,,,,,,,, and it comes in colors. I'd hang on for a couple months if necessary, or give them a call!

Searched a lot of seats. Really wanted something different with ventilation from an
established seat maker. I have had a lot of good luck with Serfas tires and lights.
I found a Serfas seat and rode 16 miles on it this afternoon. What a difference.

https://www.serfas.com/products/view/173/refererroducts%7Cindex_riding_style%7C75%7C3

I have the slightly wider Hybrid version of your saddle and as a heavy clyde, it is working out well for me so far.

[h=1]HY-RXL HYBRID RX SADDLE LYCRA[/h]

I found this to be a fairly comfortable and the gel helps to absorb shock : https://www.google.com/#q=planet+bike+5020+saddle

check eBay I got a used one,look like new for $20.00

I also have a serfas RX and it does soak up bumps and fits nicely. But, for me, it doesn't help the sit bone soreness problem over the much harder OEM specialized.

Late to the thread. But FWIW, the stock seat on my Sirrus was hell for me. But my Mountain bike came with a cheap stock WTB saddle that I had ZERO problems with. Mentioned this to a friend who then gave me his cheap stock WTB sheet that came off his bike when he replaced it due to lack of comfort. Tried it on the Sirrus, and it's been there since.

Point is that expensive often does not mean better. For me the low end WTB seats work well, while others it is hell. My Sirrus stock seat was awful for me, but the stock seat on my Allez has been fine. You just can't ever know without trying out a few. I would suggest that you look for someplace where you can try for a week or more, and exchange is needed. Or if that is not practical, then a couple of cheap OEM seats from Craigslist or Ebay. If you find a brand that works for you, you can move up their line at a later date if you choose to do so.

YMMV

QT

Another vote for the serfas RX. I experimented with a lot of saddles including the selle anatomica that tourers seem to rave about. it wasn't for me.
the rx on the other hand works very well

Terry is my favorite: Men's Bicycle Saddles, Comfortable Bike Seats | Terry Bicycles

I like the Serfas products because they all work well and are priced reasonable. Its hard
to find someone who has a complaint other than price. Actually I think that their prices
are reasonable for what you get, especially the lights and seats.


The RX seats seem to be a really well developed product.

I did a professional bike fit recently to help me shop for a new bike. Part of the fit process (nearly 3 hours) was a segment trying different saddles. It kind of blew my mind. I probably tried at least 10 different saddles and there truly was one that fit me perfectly. My fitter would tell me during changes that "this saddle is a favorite with lots of people," and I'd hate it. But here's the take away. My shop, and probably yours too if they have a modern fitting machine, will do a saddle session for $50. That's got to be worth it.

Their sale is on, not quite $100, but $120 this year, $100 for a second one. Another $10 off with this link: Selle Anatomica Referral Program

I picked up a tensioned sprung leather saddle this month for the price of a gel saddle.

And its immediately comfortable!