I'm looking to get a new, not-to-costly saddle for my fixie. It has the old, old ten-speed saddle with a crown in the middle. Not very comfortable for a male rider. Probably not too good for women either.

What do you recommend in the less than $50 range?

Thanks.

joel

WTB is the way to go for under 50$.

under $50 there's no holy grail of saddles, but that doesn't mean there aren't any good saddles. find one with minimal padding, and pull it up underneath your crotch, HARD, to see how it feels. keep trying until it feels right. saddle choice is pretty subjectice. the only reason everyone can agree about brooks is that they shape themselves to fit your crotch, i think.

There are some very holy grails at nashbar right now for well under $50. San Marco Rolls for example - doesn't get much holier..

Rolls are nice, they go for less than £15 ($30) here. If you require a narrower saddle like I do, prepare for a long breaking in period with them. But they do eventually give in a bit. Mine took about 400-500 miles to feel nice and comfy.
I just got a second-hand Brooks professional and it seems really nice! I turned the adjusting nut 1/4 of a turn to stiffen it up a bit so it should reshape to my backside.

Performance Bicycles has the Selle Royal Viper for $25.00. Hands down the most comfortable good-looking (meaning non-Brooks and non-mattress) saddle I've ever ridden. Looks a lot like a Fizik. The only downside I can think of is that it's foam-injected, and vinyl (not leather) covered. It may end up not being very durable, but at $25.00, get two and keep the other for when the first one gives out. I was just amazed when I tried it out. I got my first one as a take-off from my LBS, and it was so comfy that I spent a week trying to find one in black (the take-off was from a Giant and is silver/grey, with Giant graphics). I finally found a couple on ebay and new on two sites: Performance and St John's Street in the UK. After trying and failing to like Selle Italia Flite saddles, I never thought I'd find a decent-looking saddle that would make me take my Brooks off the frame, but these Vipers feel beyond great, they look as good as a Flite, and the price is ridiculously low. Oh, and I don't work for Selle Royal, Performance or SJS.

i've had a selle royal viper and a fizik pave (both new from eBay) for under $50. i like the pave better but they are both nice, i would recommend either one

selle italia turbo.

classic. comfy.

nos on ebay.

I have three WTB's, all under $40, one of them a saddle intended for women, and, except for weight (350 grams and more), I can't imagine a better saddle.
A saddle under 200 grams as comfortable as a WTB would really impress me, and I remain on the lookout for such a critter.

A couple of bike shops in my area will swap out saddles as part of a fit program when they sell new bikes. They put the brand new saddles that they took off the new bikes in a bin in the shop and they usually sell them for cheap. I got an $60 WTB saddle last week for $30. You should ask at your LBS

this is probably getting really specific/picky, but does anybody know of any decent saddles (under $50, preferably around the $25 mark) that come in yellow? i got a sweet looking yellow saddle off ebay for like $9, but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world. i'd like to look into some other options.

Brooks or Fizik saddle are the best. brooks got the old school look and are really comfortable. Fizik are light as a feather!

i have a selle italia turbo in yellow. it's sick.

I have a Selle Italia Flite (the kind without the hole in it) that I like pretty good. It was $30 new on eBay.

I second that opinion. Mine is great.

I'll see your second and raise you six more. Aside from my Brooks (17, 17 Narrow and Flyer), I find the Turbos to be very comfortable.

Never buy the best 'cause you'll get spoiled. I
have a fizik arione that cost a fortune and rules.
i just switched out my fizik for a stock saddle I got
cheap from a bin at my LBS and yeah it blows.

so now I think I might have to buy another one
unless I want to swap saddles everytime I switch
bikes, damn 1 saddle & 1 front wheel for 2 bikes.

jeff

I love my aliante.
I love looking at my storika.

i think you can get a selle san marco regal in yellow. here's mine. thing rules.

How about an Avocet saddle? I hear the 02 is pretty good. Are they still being made? I'm sure thier less than $50.

i have a san marco regal as well as a brooks b17 champion special...every time i sit on the regal my ass cries for the brooks.

you can get a b17 standard in black for about 65 bucks. thats not far outside the price range.

(sorry about the brooks thumping, someone had to do it.)

hells yeah. actually, i have switched my arione to my rain bike when i took it for a 20 miler recently. i can't take more than 15 on my WTB saddle anymore.

i'm having issues with my Brooks. I did some longer rides in LA and after about an hour it started getting uncomofortable. What i want to know is how long does it take to break this thing in? I've had it for a while and have put at least a thousand miles on this beast. Mostly frequent short rides, but what gives? Should i ditch it and call it quits? or should i expect to have something else for longer rides? It's the B17, it's made for long rides!

The road to true saddle bliss is a long and tortuous one. The reward however is great Wuss

B17 or B17s? Brooks make gender specific saddles.