My as@ hurts
 

After about 20 miles today I am feeling some serious buttock pain. The saddle I have been planning to replace for ages really needs to go. I have a selle flite on my road bike that I like. Has anyone seen any good values on anything of the like recently? I am a bit strapped at the moment, however am willing to spend some dollars to protect my future offspring.

I spent $20 bucks on a sweet wtb saddle that is comfy as hell...but I don't want kids, so any damage i can do is actually appreciated..I'd go to your lbs and look around at saddlles, but don't just dismiss said saddle because of the name, that is silly...dunno the model though, but I just but 25 miles on it a bit ago and i'm golden...

-jason

I got a used Fizik Poggio for $30 and my ass still hurts.

agreed. My WTB Rocket V is the most comfortable saddle I own.

well then, let me first say that I am glad to see that "ass" is not censored. Second, I am not a ***** for brands, anything is fair game. I always thought that it was not the cost of the saddle that prevented unwarrented ass pain, but rather the shape. That is why I mentioned the selle.

http://music.msn.com/artist/default....074419&stab=1#

Click track 17.

you're kidding me I can say ass by not who**?

Selle Italia Turbo. I'll cling to that to my grave (or I find a new favorite saddle, whichever comes first). There's a reason it was such a popular saddle for so long.

I'm generally of the opinion that, like so much other new equipment, new saddles aren't really designed for riding. They're designed for racing. The person who actually logs serious miles on them will soon find that they're not really well suited to the average cyclist or the long distance cyclist.

Having said that, I also realize that there are a lot of saddles out there and that that's a pretty broad generalization. I'm just feeling cranky over the overly "sporty" direction cycling has taken. Carry on.

i have the specialized bg avatar saddles on both my bikes and i really like them. i've been through so many saddles to find one that i like, that i can afford, its driven me crazy. but, for 70 bucks or so, the specialized saddle is pretty good. its a slim profile, gel seat, but feels better than the other gel seats i've had.

i have some old cinelli unicanitor. not the plastic one, it's leather, but thats all the padding, just a leather cover. but it is hard as hell, and can get aggitating on longer rides. it's fine if i'm riding to work. or around town. but for long rides cycling shorts with some padding are great. im a stichler for the "not a roadie *****" look, so i just wear them under some pants or something. but they're very comfortable. and i still get to have my vintage cinelli seat. cuz im a tool for looking good.

I too have gone through my fair share of saddles. I recently cracked my much loved SLR saddle (a freak occurence I think - the US distributor for Selle Italia will heopfully replace it under warranty - on its way now...) and have reverted to my Flite which is killing me.

Admittedly the first week I had the SLR I just about died but after that, oh my, its the best saddle I have ever used. So minimal and doesn't get in the way of my thighs, or clothes or whatever. It's just there.

I bought a Selle San Marco Aspide Arrowhead (can we make saddle names any longer?) over the weekend and did a 75 mile ride - it was horrible. I returned it the next day.

Your mileage may vary definitely with saddles. It seems I like the minimal padding, flat saddles the best rather than rounded padded ones.

I'm surprised no one has chimed in yet with the Brooks recommendation.

Gotta go with abstnr on this one. Love the SLR on my road bike. Within two days it found its permanent home. Now, how to find a deal on an SLR for each of the other bikes. The San Marco Regal is pretty nice as well. I am slowly coming around to a Brooks on my "gentleman" bike. Opinion is still to be finalized.

My assumption is that brooks stayed out of the conversation because I was looking for something not too expensive. It is really astounding how I am becoming unhappy with so much of my stuff all at once... when I am mostly broke. I guess thats just the way it goes. I think my current plan is to switch my selle from the road bike to the fixed, and keep my eye open for a deal on something out of the box at the shops.

ps. I just watched the Cubs win, and actually felt bad that in my heart I was waiting for them to choke even up by 7 with 2 outs in the 9th.

I just found a used SLR saddle for $30 that's going on my IRO. I just love the SLR XP on my road bike. I just did 20 miles in boxers and Old Navy chinos (no padded shorts) and my butt doesn't hurt one bit. I'm 5'5" so my sit bones probably are a perfect fit for the narrow minimal SLR.

That said, the key to not having a sore butt is to find a saddle that supports your sit bones, not too narrow and not too wide, and IMO the less padding the better. The saddle should be level so as to support your sit bones and the fore/aft position and stem reach should be adjusted so that your weight is balanced between your sit bones and arms. If the saddle is too far forward, you're resting too much weight on your sit bones.

my saddle--a piece of crap i scavenged from an abandoned bike--used to be real discomfy. then i adjusted the height and angle of the saddle. now its all comfy.

maybejustmaybe you don't need to buy a new piece. but it seems like if it took 20miles, if its lots of pain, since you seem to bike lots you probably know best what you need.

auk, blast - seems like it's time to start hoarding SLR's...

It's amazing how much other saddles seem inferior once you've found the right one.

Also, BlastRadius - how much extra padding does that XP have?

I don't seem to feel much difference at all, maybe there isn't more of it but that
it's just different padding. I think the extra weight may be more that the rails are
Vanox instead of Titanium.

The best sub $50 saddle that I've found (and better than most $90+ saddles) is the rido. I really like it. I like it better than the brooks that I used for several years and much better than the avocet air that it replaced.

The rido costs around $35 with shipping to the U.S. depending on the price of the dollar. It's lighter than the brooks but heavier that the avocet (titanium rails), however, I can use my legs more efficiently to spin and it is way more comfortable.

Is it the best saddle out there? I don't know. I've found a saddle that works great and I have no desire to spend $150 on a Fizik Arione to see if it is better.

Ha, that just reminded me of something incredibly stupid. I replied to this exact thread started by someone else less than a month ago. I guess I have too much going on to remember things from even that short a time ago.

The irony is that my reply then was to suggest the rido. I had never used one, and wanted to know if anyone had.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=101008

Just out of curiosity, do you have the glow-in-the-dark model?

I've had saddle troubles before too. Recently it was suggested by a few serious racer/courier friends that tend to average 400+ a week that split rail cured many of their woes from too long on the bike/saddle. I've been trying it out since I'm back on the road now and it seems to be helping a great deal..Split rails, not just for women anymore, try it.

I have the planet bike saddle and it's very comfortable.

Koffee

No, I have the black and yellow. I was waiting for an all black model that they had planned, but they decided against it to keep the "distinctive" look. It does work though.

i ride one too and love it.

myth.

this saddle is minimal like the SLR, is suprisingly very comfortable and only $35

http://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?L...605&referpage=

-Hollow Ti Rails, -Injected carbon fiber base, Leather cover, -Ergonomic design, -246 grams

i used it on the 40 something mile 5 boro bike tour and was good.

I am thinking of trying a regal - has anyone tried one of those AND a Turbo?

How do they compare? Is a Regal more simlar in feel to a rounded Turbo or a flatter saddle, like a Nitrox or Cannondale Coda. I like Turbos, don't get along with Nitrox or Coda (flat and HARD).

I just picked up a Brooks Swift but have yet to try it. They look rock hard.....but once i held the swift (ti rails) the weight was fine. Not a weight weenie, of course, but not a total anvil like the other brooksies.

Probably late to the party, but Nashbar has the Rolls on sale for $25 right now, and I love mine.

your ass hurts? what about this guy?http://www.strangesports.com/images/content/16103.jpg

I hate to ask the obvious, but have you tried padded shorts? No matter what type of saddle you ride, you'll bump into some limitations after riding for a few hours... and riding fixed only makes it worse.

I have tried the Regal and the Rolls (not the Turbo).
They are both very comfortable.
The Regal has less padding and is more curved. Also, the Regal has a broader less curved ridge, which is nice if you like to run your saddle high.
The Rolls is flat and a little more padded the ridge is a littel higher and narrower.
I prefer the Regal to the Rolls.
I have also rode a brooks team pro for about 6 months and much prefer either of the san marco saddles.