What is a decent, lower priced saddle What are most people using ?

The charge bucket and spoon are pretty good.

Wow those Charge saddles do look really nice for the price point!

+1 on the Charge Spoon. I've got 3 of them on my bikes and they are very comfy. The quality is much better than other saddles in that price range; easily as good as saddles costing twice as much.

I put a Charge Spoon on the father-son project bike that ended up with my kid & am just wondering if anybody has had a similar experience with a lack of durability?

In only about 6 mos or so, the faux leather/naugahide(?) began to peel off & now the entire nose & along the ass-end are worn down to the knit fabric. To be fair, he rides his bike everyday & turns it up onto the saddle when changing tires, etc...& he does like how it fits his butt (& the hard-core raggedy look ) so much that he has refused my offers of some pretty nice saddles from my spare parts bin.

But, personally speaking, I am disappointed enough in how poorly the covering on this saddle held up that I am hesitant to buy another Charge saddle...

charge spoon.

Is this from experience or parroting others?

Yes I own one. Paid $26 and I agree with Tejano that it's more comfortable, durable and better looking than saddles that cost twice as much. I have a carbon/leather Selle on my Cannondale I'm considering getting another Spoon for that one because it's more comfortable on longer rides

You ride that thing very much? Better be careful not to cut it thru the cover or you may be singing a different tune about durability...

IMO the Selle SMP is affordable and comfortable. It's more than 26 bucks however.

It's on my commuter bike. I bought it 7/9/13 and have ridden it approximately 5 days a week since.

Specialized Toupe and Bontrager Paradigm are my favourite budget saddles

Bike should never be upside down unless you crash. I realize you may have to do this on the side of the road to fix a flat or problem on the road but if you flip any bike on a regular basis the saddle is going to get more wear and tear than if you don't

I like my WTB Pure V race that I have on my touring rig. Quite comfy for the long miles. It might be a touch more 'spensive than the others mentioned but worth it. I have also considered getting a Dios Thronus from Portland Design Works because all the stuff I have from them is excellent and just functions flawlessly, looks nice and feels nice.

I am hoping to try a PRO saddle if the Shimano rep comes through.

I hate to say it fawku, but Brooks. No, they aren't the cheapest thing in the world but you get what you pay for. The two I use all the time are five and six years old now and look like new. If you buy a cheap saddle (ie, the one's suggested), don't complain when they only last 6 months because that's all you've paid for.

There's plenty of comfortable saddles that don't cost the earth, or need proofide rubbing on them.

Honestly, what saddle to get is an entirely personal choice. Nobody can tell you what's comfy on your arse bones but you. Just experiment.

This one must have about 8000 miles or so on it. Cover's still in pretty good shape. You can see the crash gash and shredded threads from a laydown or two and how the logo print is wearing off, but threads from the substrate aren't showing through yet.

The black and brown cromo rail ones are too grippy at first, IMO. They start getting perfect after about 500 miles on 'em. I'd rather have four Spoons than one Brooks, myself.

Brooks are neither the cheapest nor the lightest saddles. But for some of us, they are by far the most comfortable. Here's my 1967 Brooks Professional that's seen plenty of weather in its life but still going strong (I just rode a century on it a week ago):



But they're not for everybody; e.g. my wife can't stand them. Fortunately, places like Wallingford Bike have a 6 month unconditional return policy:

Brooks | wallbike.com

Can you still get the black charge spoon in the smooth leather? I've only the sueded sort of black ones.

Anyone ridden the Charge Scoop? Like the seamless material, don't really dig the flaccid penis look.