I know saddles are a personal thing as everyone's different, but I'm looking for some recommendations anyway for a lightweight(ish) saddle that i can ride with just regular pants. Does anyone here have a saddle that let's them cruise around town without padded shorts in relative comfort? I know loads of people love Brooks but the styling is just not my thing, even if they are like sitting on a sofa.

I don't ride with padded shorts at all. I ride a few, but my main bike has a selle san marco regal.

I ride both the Specialized Alias and Avatar in regular clothes comfortably (especially the Avatar). The Alias has less cushioning, but is pretty comfortable after a little getting used to it and it is definitely lightweight with a carbon fibre shell and hollow titanium rails.

Brooks.

Selle would be second, but even it starts getting a little uncomfy with higher mileage days. (75+ miles)

Az

My specialized alias is good without shorts. I never ride padded or anything. Jeans or cargos for me.

ooh lycra

most saddles are okay, lycra just makes em even nicer

I recently got a WTB 'Pure' saddle pretty cheap. WTB designs most of its saddles for combination mountain/road use, so padding is a bit higher than a racing saddle, thus better for plain clothes. Equipped with Ti rails, weight comes in at 215g. Not too shabby.

any. From a bontrager ti to my fujita leather. just ride.

My Selle Italia Flite feels fine without padded shorts. With, it's pure luxury.

my pana has a fizik plateau and i love it once it's dialed in for position.

I got a Fizik Arione wing flex about a week ago and it's been very comfortable so far.

selle italia nitrox

selle italia SLR XP. light and i find it to be super comfortable.

Thanks for the replies. I think i might give the Specialized Alias a go, I like the look of the Toupe but it's pricey and if i ride round town in jeans I could be in some pain. Anyone attempted to ride the Toupe for a few miles in normal clothes?

i heard those carbon fiber spiders are really nice despite looking quite painful

I bought a Selle San Marco Ischia a couple weeks ago, I'm pretty happy with it. I'm not very picky though, so I wouldn't think of spending over $30 for a saddle that's going to get beat around.

i got the toupe and my ass gets numb after 10 miles without bike shorts. a lot of people in the roadie forum love it, but i'm gonna swap it out for a fizik arione wing flex soon. that looks madd comfy

I was looking at them but they are supposed to be replaced after a year and have a weight limit of something like 185lbs - I'm not that heavy but if I'm carrying stuff in my bag i might be a little worried about it. The Arione looks good, too

if you're talking about the tioga spyder then hell no. i had one and it destroyed my ass they're really thin too.

I love my Specialized Jett. Not only is it comfy in regular pants, it's rideable in tights without chamois in them. Just make sure they size your butt.

I can ride in most any article of clothing, as long as the ride is of a short duration. Spend a whole day in the saddle; I'd like to see you try that in 501's. I'd be miserable. Between the chafing and heat retention. I pretty much find, should my acculmative time in the saddle exceed one hour, I better wear cycling shorts.

Specialized Toupe. When I do wear bike shorts, it sure is more comfy, but I commute and put extra miles in the saddle in regular jeans/khakis/shorts all the time.

My SLR is lovely. I ride it everyday. It takes probably 100 miles to break it in, but after that it is the most comfortable saddle ever. And even more so with a chamois. However, there are others that do not like them.

have you considered padded underwear? - much cheaper and less obvious than lycra. no matter how good your saddle is, a little bit of padding is gonna help.