The search for the perfect saddle
 

Over the past year I have owned:

Specialized Avatar: Nice but heavy and too much padding which caused issues on long rides
Specialized Romin: Wore holes in my shorts and too swoopy
Selle San Marko SKN: Taint buster
Fizik Aliante: When I adjust it properly for my ass, the nose is way up in the air

And the search goes on. Suggestions based on this?

Did this one work for you, even if the nose was up in the air? Some saddles are designed so that the nose of the saddle should be raised.


And speaking of which, my favourite saddle is the Brooks B17. Maybe it would be an option for you.

OP, first learn what width you need. That eliminates the taint problems. Then work on the finer points. Only look at saddles that are the right width. Only look at ones that meet your saddle weight requirements. You can't do this by random selection. It has to be orderly. Otherwise you will go crazy. Don't buy to keep. Buy to try from a seller who allows that.

Some saddle makers sell by width, some don't. Specialized and Bontrager have their ass-o meters, but Fizik uses flexibility. When I find the one that works, I'm buying 10 of them.

Unfortunately no, because when I move forward a little all manner of bad things start to happen.

Have you tried Selle Italia? I have a skinny ass and got measured up using the Selle Italia IDMatch system as an S1 fit. I bought an SLR Titanium (TT) which is lightweight, has minimal padding, and is flat and sleek looking with no cutout. I find it very comfortable. If you have a wider ass and are more flexible at the hips, their system will suggest a wider saddle (e.g. Flite) and one with a cutout (flow and superflow). Fizik Arione also works well for my ass shape, and I have another Selle Italia saddle, the C2 Genuine Gel, which turns out to be an S1 and has also worked well for me.

When I first really got into road cycling, I went crazy trying to find a comfortable saddle. Looking back, saddle comfort finally came for me about the same time I really started working on my core and flexibility. Now I seem to be fine on any bike, any saddle, at least for a while. I'm sure it's not the magic bullet for every situation, but if you're not already doing dedicated core and flexibility work, I would try that before investing too much in a new saddle.

Recently, I added Tom Danielson's Core Advantage to my workout. So far, so good. It's cycling-specific, so seems worth a try.

Specialized Romin EVO (different from the regular Romin). End of search for me, though I am tempted from time to time trying others, but always end up back on the Romin EVO.

How is it different? The Romin bit the inside of my thighs with its sharp edges and wide nose.

What works for one, doesn't always work for another in terms of saddles. Do as others have said, go get fitted/sized/measured.
Fizik Arione works for me, all my bikes have Ariones.
When in was a noob I preferred the TT2, but now I use the standard Arione more often.
Arione is 130mm BTW.

Need a narrow nose and a smooth roll-off on the edges? That is also my spec, solved with the Performance Forte Classic. I know, it's only $40 and totally unhip, but it works and is very durable. Their Pro SL and Pro XFR saddles are a little different and might also work. Order all three. They have an excellent return policy.

That's the thing. I had a fitting, and they put me on a 155mm Romin pro. Since it was so expensive, I really, really tried to like it and make it work before finally giving up.

After well over a dozen seats it really came down to two for me. The Specialized Roman Evo and the Selle Italia SLR Super Flow. If you can get over the huge hole in the Selle Italia, it is hands down the most comfortable seat I have sat on. And, the bigger upside is it's available in two widths, I use the 145. The Roman Evo, was close but still gave some numbness on long ride. Oddly the "sit" area of the Selle Italia and the Roman at 145 vs 155 respectively felt about the same.

The 155MM Romin Evo is, bar none, the best saddle I've ever used.

In was lucky enough to measure my own butt, & it worked for me.
Some time you can pull a saddle of the rack, & give it a quick test. If your sit bones line up/fit that saddle it should be a keeper.

I've used a Specialized Toupe for years, its pretty similar to the Romin but less 'swoopy'.

Selle Italia SLR Superflow works well for me for actual riding. On the trainer I need an ISM Adamo Road to not go numb. That one also works well on the road for me if I use a bunch of chamois cream, which isn't necessary on the Superflow.

Evo's got a narrower nose, little more padding. But if you don't like the "swoopy" shape of the regular romin, you probably won't like the evo either.

If you like to move around in the saddle, a flatter saddle profile might work. Fizik arione or san marco regal. Both are pretty dead flat. Specialized toupe might be a good one too.

I'm also in the market for a new saddle, I really don't like the Prologo Kappa Evo that came on my CAAD10. I stopped by the Specialized LBS and tried out some of their saddles they had in stock. They measured me on their ass-o-meter to fit on a 143mm. The Romin was an improvement over the Kappa Evo, but by far I found the Toupé to be the most comfortable of the two. I've read the Romin runs narrow in comparison (so if you normally fit a 143, then a 155 would work better perhaps), but unfortunately they didnt have any 155's for me to try. I'll be going to another LBS later this week to try out some Fizik saddles. Based off their Spine-Concept I should be suited for the Arione, but we shall see :) ... In the end what works for me may not work for you, so you'll have to just ride them all and see which you like the most. Also, my Kappa Evo feels 'okay' for the first hour, but it doesnt' really bother me until about 45-60min into a ride. I've tried various adjustments with the Kappa Evo, but nothing has made the discomfort go away completely. I actually have the most comfort when I'm in the drops, even with my flipped stem that sits on the 25mm cone spacer :) ... but so far the Toupé was very nice, the wide and flat rear section was a perfect place for my sit bones to call home. I'm hoping one of the Fizik saddles works, because I prefer their aesthetics over Specialized, but in the end comfort trumps all :D

I think that once you identify a few saddles that you personally like, you can then ask "hey, of these saddles that are actually comfortable, which one would you recommend?" I think there are various reasons to choose one saddle over the other if comfort is equal between them. Durability is one, as is cost per weight.

On a side note, I ordered a Deda Superzero seatpost, which has an offset of like 21 or 25mm. I was advised this would benefit me because as my saddle is adjusted now it is all the way back. It's possible that being adjusted all the way back like this is transmitting force through the saddle that normally would be more evenly distributed. Perhaps this is something you can look at as well? Finding the right saddle also has to do with it being on the correct seatpost, or so I'm told ... I still haven't found my perfect saddle .... :(

PS Why do people get butthurt over it being called a seat ("you sit on a seat and you perch on a saddle"), but then we go and affix it to a 'seat'post? o_O

I have a Specialized Romin Expert Gel and I like it a lot, but it's starting to abrade the inside of my bib-shorts where my inner theigh just barely rubs the nose of the seat. Is this a standard thing or should I look for a different saddle? I'm happy with everything else about the saddle other than this.

I got a Specialized Phenom Comp Gel for my commute/cx bike. Typically it's a MTB seat, but so far it's been great on the commute.

Makes me consider a Romin for my roadie

I guess all taints are different - mine really likes the SKN.

the fact that you have to move your seat all the way back would maybe mean that you are on the wrong size bike - either that you are have crazy long arms!!!!

This is also my favorite. I suggest you try one. They're expensive, but if you take care of it, it will last long enough to prove that it's actually economical. A well cared for one can last 40 or 50 years. Not true of most saddles.

That's a good point, but I bought the frame based off of leg length (saddle -> pedal). It's my understanding that position of the saddle is independent of reach to the bars. You find the perfect saddle position, and then adjust reach to the bar by changing steering spacers and stem length. The fact my saddle needs to be further back has to do with my upper/lower leg length ratios than it does with reach to the bar.