Need help finding the right saddle.
 

I have a fixed gear road bike that I need to get a new saddle for as the one I have now is to stiff and after a while starts to hurt my butt :o Im looking for some input on what would be a good choice for a bike seat. Something fairly priced and comfortable for atleast 7 mile rides and up. I dont think Ill be doing more than 10 miles in a day so I just need it to be comfortable for the time that I am on it. Female bike saddle.

From my own experience pretty much anything other than the cheapest solid metal/wood/plastic will do for 10 miles as long as it's the proper width for you.

Im gonna tell you what everyone will tell you. A bike seat is a personal choice. What feels good for you may feel like a piece of wood to others. Nashbar has good saddles for relatively cheap and is a good place to start.

dont limit the price on your saddle. a good saddle with good feel will last you a lifetime of happiness riding. just a tip.

agreed on the statements above, its a personal choice. any saddle works for under 10 miles personally (even a kashimax. i hate those).

go to your local bike store to see if they have a trial program. sometimes they will make you pay a fee, but they let you try saddles like the WTB lazer, concor lite, fizik arione, selle slr gelflow, selle italia slk, toupe 143, etc - it depends on what they have. then the original fee will be negated if you buy a seat from them, lets say the program was 50$ and your regal was 100$. you pay 50 + the original 50 you paid for the trial program.

if you want my preference,
yes;
-san marco rolls. by far my favorite, ive had 3 so far. the rear end of the saddle tends to rip apart sometimes.
-selle italia slk - decent, the far cutout is great for medium-high saddle bar drop

no;
-san marco ponza - ouch...
-kashimax aero, 5gold - hard as rocks, not my shape unfortunately.

Yea. A good saddle is worth the investment, and the saddle is something you can take from bike to bike if you ever decide to upgrade your bike. Take the time to find one you like. Maybe you could try a saddle demo program?

Brooks are amazing. Pricey, but amazing.

edited original post with more information.

Noah?

Noah Lennox?

The way I did my saddle searching is to do some reading on what was popular back 5 or 10 years ago, and then go searching for those on Ebay. While they were $50-100 new, I was able to find quite a few on ebay, new in package, for down around $10 or 20. I bought 3 or 4 until I found one I liked, then sold the others online.

xkillemallx16 - have you compared the SLR to the SLK?

San Marco Rolls

Now for some actual advice.

You want to look for saddles that are stiff yet flexible on the sides. You don't want too much paddings on your saddle or your sitbone will start sinking into it, making your nerves all tense.

With that said, I am currently using a Selle Italia SL, which suits my ass really really well. I am however, looking to try out a SLR.

My brother has a slr in a weird flame design he got off a takeoff box at the LBS for 45$... I've ridden on it a few times and its a bit narrower for my tastes. I suggest you try them out.

I ride an SLR now, but it's hard as heck. I like the support, but it's been pinching the nerves on the edges of my butt when I sit wrong. I'm thinking it might be a tad narrow for me... and am hoping maybe the SL or the SLK will fix this. I'm also looking at the Fizik Arione.

i have a small a$$ and i really love my selle italia flite
http://www.cycle-route.com/images/pr...rge/1/1343.jpg

That SL I have (see Velospace) is not as stiff to as SLR. You could even say it's really flexible but it fits me well but might not be for you.

I'm not the man himself, just a big fan.

But I bet he rides brooks.

Brooks are nice. I have a Swift on my road bike that I like a lot. However, I also have a Kashimax Aero on my fixed bike and I do 10 mile commutes daily on it. I like it to hurt a little.

I've tried a bunch and Brooks Team Pro is my fave.

Since this thread is up, I'll just ask for future reference. Brooks B17 vs B17Narrow? I know there are some past threads about this, but in different forums and I was looking at it from a fixed riding perspective what seems to fly.

Of those two, I prefer the Narrow.

Brooks are nice because they are slick. I feel like it's easy to get in a better position with them.

Have a b17 and just bought a team pro.

The b17 is kinda wide. My handlebar drop is 3 inch, so when on the drops it's even more. Wanted to try one of the other models and the team pro seems to be well liked. Not that the b17 was uncomfortable, just maybe the team pro is even more comfortable.

My girl has a Terry saddle, I think fly or butterfly or something? She likes it quite well.

been riding a Turbo few last few weeks, it's nice. I had a Nashbar saddle before, crap

I have a Selle Italia SLK Lady version coming in the mail. I'm going to give it a shot... it's about 1.5cm wider than my SLR. I chose the Lady version over the men's version because the men's version is only 0.5cm wider.

I've seen the SLK Lady in person and compared it to the SLR and SL.

The nose is noticeably shorter than the men's, not sure how it will affect you.

I think the SLR is too long and narrow for me. We'll see how I like the SLK Lady... it's all part of the saddle game, isn't it?

If this one doesn't work for me, I might just "settle" on an Arione...

I think the Arione is longer and narrower.

You could try a saddle trial program, they are available at Competitive Cyclist for $75 and you get to keep $40 dollars for yourself if you decide to get a saddle from them. Basically a $35 discount.

A good place to start is with popular saddles. Such as the arione, toupe, and slr; just to name a few. I'm pretty sure any LBS that's a dealer for said saddles have demos for your bottom to try out.