I've got a drawer full of saddles that didn't work out for me, I've settled on Brooks Flyer on my tourer and my Surly CC and Brooks Imperial on the others. Prefer the Flyer over the Imperial, but they are pretty heavy, so I run Imperials on my fast bike and my grab and go beater. I've done tons of touring and century rides on both and they're comfortable for me. What's gonna work for you? Your guess is as good as mine.

It's lightly padded. About the same as a Specialized Toupe but the padding is better quality on the Senso. I've ridden a number of Specialized saddles and their padding is not durable.

Quite some time I've been looking at the ISM Adamo. It has a good rating for a lot of sites. Sure, it looks like the crotch of a shark,but it has the contour right for that sensitive area that won't have pressure that will later cause fathering issues. I think position and one's flexibility have a big statement on how one sits into the saddle. Reaching too far will put pressure on the sensitive area and cause numbness. I have been fitted for a road bike, which is a much higher seat than touring and mountain bike postures. I prefer the road bike posture as it is intended for speed, aerodynamics and so forth. To take away from some competitive touring cyclists, I noticed Mike Hall tends to ride with his seatpost high like a road cyclists while others may have a lower seat closer to level with the handlebars. However, he does drop his seatpost level with the handlebars in mountain biking, common enough. I am not as flexible in my lower back and my bones are still in the state of growth. So, I require that groove that my current saddle and seemingly the Adamo have. I've had a Brooks B17 on my original road bike which was a hand me down and while the size was right, the contour for the sensitive area created too much pressure even with the gel under tights I wear with my cycling shorts or pants.

whatever said the dozen other times this question was asked, it's in the Archives..

The Gyes saddles are interesting. I have wanted to try one, but dont have any desire to spend $80 to try something I may not like. Same with the Spa saddles, though that'd be a $50 investment most likely.
Also, the Gyes gs17 would act differently from a B17 because the skirts are stitched, correct? I think thats accurate as the stitching would keep the skirts from flaring under weight. Seems like a different style saddle.

Anyways, in terms of cost, a B17 is only $90 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HZA918...ing=UTF8&psc=1

They are good quality, from every review Ive read. They also make Origin8's leather saddle(the one that costs $90 or so).
Gyes also makes the saddles for SpaCycles.

The leather is thicker than Brooks. This means longer break in period/harder feel. Some love that, some dont care, some complain. Just a heads up.

SpaCycles has a dozen or so different models to choose from.

The one thing that I think is legitimately better is the rails are longer on the Gyes/SpaCycles saddles which provides more adjustment.

i got the gyes gs-17, comes with two holes punched on each side, skirt tied with one easily
removable cord. posted the gs-17a link by mistake. the 17a has the full lacing.

gs-17 was only $45 delivered here. has broken in nicely, still liking it......

see 'em all here: http://crowcycleco.com/bicycle-components/saddles-seats

The Selle Anatomicas do stretch, a lot. Mine reached the end of the adjustment screw after just two years. I moved it to a secondary bike and am now back to a new Team Pro on the main bike. I have two new Selle Anatomicas sitting around, bought last year on discount. They'll be put into service when needed.

That Team Pro really is rock hard. Even after being broken in it is still pretty stiff.

Yea, I tried them a couple years ago, first the X series with the cut out, unfortunately my 175 lbs caused a crazy amount of leather stretch within just a few rides but it was very comfortable right out of the box. They were very kind and switched it out for a non cut out version, the NSX, and again it was comfortable and though the leather didn't stretch as quickly as the X series, it still stretched far more quickly than any Brooks I had ever ridden even after years and years of use, and so I sold it. Maybe for someone lighter or someone that doesn't mind a saddle with a lot of sagging, they would work just fine. It's a shame because to begin with, both were very comfortable. YMMV

Would love to try the carbon fiber one but my little bum is not worth that much.

I just picked up two different ISM saddles at Cycle Fest East. They have no nose, various amounts of padding/gel, and a cut out to prevent pressure on that important part. The test ride was sufficient to convince me to buy two, but no miles on them yet. Various models are available, from narrow to wide, all designed similarly. It might be just a gimmick, but I don't think so.

selle anatomica 'tru leather' and minus the center slot may not stretch so much.

How did you find the comfort of the non cut out version compared to the regular version? They make such a big deal about the cut outs in their literature. Does it not make a difference?

SQ Labs 610 Active is comfiest touring saddle I've tried in recent years. Spent $$ on Brooks Pro/B17/Swift but with the quirky outmoded Brooks styles/shapes there's always discomfort for me.
SQ Labs have a lot of ergonomic features & the 610 stays pretty comfortable even on 3-4 hr rides.

Excellent question. Since I was coming at these saddles after many years on a Brooks B17 and not being accustomed to a cutout, I found it was OK either way, both comfortable right out of the box. Below is photo of the NSX version after only weeks of riding and already tightening the bolt. It was obvious to me that I was going to quickly run out of bolt, not to mention that I didn't care for the lengthening of the saddle's nose by a significant amount. Again, I was likely about 175 lbs at the time and I did not use any oils or treatments on the saddle so as to soften the leather. The 2nd photo below is one of my Brooks that have been ridden for many years without ever touching the adjustment bolt. Obvious difference on durability in my view. Again YMMV.

Edit and in addition: fietsbob, this one below was without the slot and it was supposedly their stiffest leather most resistant to stretching at the time. Maybe it has changed in the last two years?

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/m...&1477637858575

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/m...&1477637870690

For me the 610 is way too padded and close to a "comfort" saddle. I really want to like it since the concept is sound, but like clockwork it becomes an ass hatchet after 50km's

I must have weirdo sit bones because I'm so much happier on a Specialized Toupe after having ridden various flavors of Brooks, including my most recent, a C17, which self-destructed after just a few months. I have been very pleasantly surprised with the Toupe. FWIW, in the '80s I loved the Concor.

I once made the mistake of putting a new Toupe on my bike and immediately launching into a two week tour. By day two I was wearing two layers of bike shorts. By day three I was thinking "I am a man but there is no way giving birth could be worse than this". I ended up riding the saddle the entire two weeks. By the end of that tour I was made of steel. You could probably have pulled my fingernails out with pliers and I would have just shrugged.

Unfortunately only a slight exaggeration...

The Toupe was completely flat and with minimal padding. The shape placed all the pressure precisely, and only, on my sit bones (normally desirable), but due to the lack of padding my sit bones took an extreme pounding. I felt like my flesh was dying from the bone out, and the skin over those two small areas was hit hard. It felt like paraplegic bed sores, basically.

I can see the basis for your complaints, but I prefer a flat and hard saddle.

Then that is what You get , You are the one sitting on it , get what your Butt likes , not what is popular on this forum.

We are not going to be sitting on it for You.

all I can Offer is what I Have been riding on , your Butt may not have the same reception.

Has anyone tried any of the Rivet leather saddles yet? They claim that they are designed specifically to address the shortcomings of Selle Anatomica saddles while still being comfortable "out of the box" (though I also find a B17 standard to be comfortable out of the box).

Yup.

With leather saddles seaming to be the most popular. What do you do when it rains on tour? Do you cover the saddle? Just ride anyways? I would love to try a leather saddle but getting it wet is my biggest concern.

i cover it with a grocery bag at night. During the day, im sitting on it so if it rains, the rain needs to get thru me to make the saddle wet.
...though im sure the underside of the saddle gets wet from the tire.

After several applications of Proofide, a natural water resistance is built up. That said, you still want to take care to avoid getting a saddle too wet. First photo below, I was on a group tour several years ago and one rider put his bike upside down in the evening so he could inspect the tires. Left the bike that way all night, in the early morning hours there was a big thunderstorm and his bike saddle sat in the middle of a puddle. By the time there was enough light for me to take the photo, most of the water had drained, but his saddle had been soaking for at least an hour, maybe two.

I use a waterproof cover. Some waterproof covers are not that waterproof. And sometimes I have instead used a thin plastic bag like a produce bag from a grocery store, those bags are pretty fragile so I used a non-waterproof lycra cover over the plastic to hold it in place.

When I apply Proofide, I have applied it top and bottom. I usually use fenders, but if you do not use fenders, you really want to apply it to the bottom to account for road spray. Second photo attached, I did not have fenders on this rainy day, I was glad that I had put Proofide on the bottom of the saddle. I have a waterproof cover on the bike in the photo although you really can't tell that from the photo.

I put a cover on it at night even if I think there will not be any dew.

That was my biggest concern was riding while raining. So you have not experienced any negative effects of riding in the rain with a leather saddle? Thanks!