What do you people like in the way of saddles, i am putting together a new bike and don't have much knowledge bout them so what do you like and whats a good deal? (i don't have that much money)

saddles are a hipster fad.

What fits your butt bones is generally the preferred saddle. After you find out how wide of a saddle you need to have the padding in the correct areas, you can then jump bike shop to bike shop measuring and checking to find the right one. I have some random Velo that i got from a buddy that just so happens to fit my drop style of riding.

I would like to ask, I'm building a bike for a friends fiance and it's a surprise to her. Is there any saddle that is cheap $25-40 that would in general be recommended for a woman? I know everyone is different an all that, but I'd like her to at least start with something that won't kill her

What kind of bike is it? Racer or commuter? What kind of position will she be sitting in? If its an upright position for just riding around town, im sure one of those big comfy seats you can get at any sporting goods store would work.

Get one that fits you. If you have no idea, get a (relatively) cheap and thin one, then go to bike shops and demo saddles until you find one that fits you.

OP: get a brooks b17. most people that try them like them. most. or a selle anatomica, i hear that saddle is popular but never tried it.

Stryper- if shes an avid cyclist dont bother replacing the stock saddle at that price range. If she isn't, buy a gel seat cover (bell, etc) and call it a day.

That's the last thing you want to do.

**** gel seat covers!

Never used/ thought about using one myself but
Why's this? Kind of the opposing view to me seeing people using them all the time on campus.

Your ass bones sink into the soft gel, then your tender bits get chafed.

With a harder saddle, your ass bones support you and keep your tender bits off the saddle.. mostly..

Three words: Selle Italia Turbo. I have them on three out of four bikes, can't go wrong. can be found on ebay pretty cheap. go for the vintage ones, not the reissue.

I like the b17 a lot. I've got two Selle Italia regals, a new one and an old one. The new one hurt me bad after about 30 miles, haven't tried the old one yet (got it at a garage sale w/ a bunch of other stuff).

I got a super cheapo saddle that came on a 70s C.Itoh. It is a cheap plastic shell with some crappy foam and black plastic cover--looks just like this only black. This thing is nearly 40 years old and it's somehow nearly as comfortable as the b17.

yah selle turbos always seem like a good bet.

relatively cheap, sort of unisex, comfy. ive met a number of both guys and girls that ride them and like them quite a bit.

What's different between the vintage and reissue?

you know i found this super beat up, hard plastic saddle that looks like a cross between a cheap knock off of a unicanitor and those funky kashimax bmx saddles.....got it for 5 bucks.....and its seriously one of the more comfy saddles i own lol


i mean, you really cant go wrong with brooks (or can you)....
its like the copa mundial of bicycle saddles....er....the copa mundial is a soccer cleat that is still being produced today and came out in the 70s or something. its made of kangaroo leather and just molds to your foot exceptionally so eventualy its like, custom molded to your foot. once a brooks molds to your butt its golden.

i also have a fizik arione. those are pretty nice as well. have it on my roadie. got it used for 40.

(buy a gel seat cover)

while i agree for most of us (myself included), i've found that in my experience the cyclist that will ride less than a mile, etc or just for fun every once in a while finds gel/padding to be comfortable. they also typically sit straighter and further back on a saddle- more upright. it's not like i'm advocating a gel seat cover on a track bike or something. my wife rides her bike very seldomly, almost always wearing jeans, and she prefers a softer saddle/ seat cover. it doesn't make financial sense to buy a 100 dollar saddle when a 20 dollar gel cover will suit her needs just fine.

YMMV, but for some types of bike riders, they work great.

That makes sense; thanks!

I got a B17 for my road bike based largely on the hype here. After several hundred miles, it was still pretty terrible for me for any even slightly aggressive position for more than ten miles or so. I spent all of last summer demoing saddles, settled on two Specialized BG models.

You can't find the right saddle by committee. You have to find one that fits you.

In the short run, find a saddle on the cheap and thin side, go to a Bontrager or Specialized dealer and try out their butt meter, get something on sale, and you should have something that will work well enough.

B17's hurt when the rider does not have the saddle properly adjusted in terms of height, fore and aft, and level.

If you have ridden a saddle with a channel, or have not ridden much at all, a B17 will chafe the perineum (crotch skin) for about a week.

Sometimes painfully.

Get some Bag Balm and it won't hurt:

https://www.amazon.com/Vermonts-Origi...9285800&sr=8-1

If your B17 hurts your sit bones, you have the saddle incorrectly adjusted to you and your frame.

Normal.

Adjust the height of your saddle so that with your heel fully dropped in the lowest pedal position, you still have a slight bend in your knee (your foot, which feels heel-low to you, looks level to an observer).

Adjust the fore and aft so that a plumb line dropped from the knuckle of your knee joint (just under and behind your knee cap) passes through the spindle of your pedal, with your crank level.

Adjust the tilt by placing a ruler across the saddle, from butt to nose, and make the ruler perfectly level (afterwards, the saddle will appear slightly nose up).

Use some Bag Balm before and after every ride, for the first week, and enjoy your comfortable B17.

Never ride a padded saddle, and, if your butt hurts, adjust your saddle.

Most hard modern saddles will feel comfortable when properly adjusted.

Believe me, I tried. That saddle was on my bike when I went to a professional bike fitter. More balm and more miles won't fix numbness. The B17 isn't always the answer.

totally

I agree with this. I rode a b17 for a while on my commuter, but I didn't like it. I switched to a Brooks Swift and it was way better, much more comfortable. My fixed gear has a Swallow and I like it too.

love the brooks swallow t00