topslop1

What's are a few of the better touring saddles that are good for use without cycling bibs?

I'm looking at Brooks C15 or C17 with cutout.

The seat will be going on a Canyon Endurace,

A bad lower back / hips has me segwaying over to a more upright touring bicycle / setup / saddle setup. And I'd just like to get back on the bike for fun and cruising/touring, I don't need any 20+mph club rides anymore.

DanBell

My C17 absolutely ate my Ground Effect mountain biking shorts that I wear touring. Others may have different experiences, but I found the top of the Cambium to be abrasive.

veganbikes

I run cambiums on three of my bikes and don't have these issues so much, granted all of my saddles even before cambiums would wear through thinner shorts. All of my bibs are fine and don't seem to get worn but looser stuff tends to abrade more easily.

For long rides I always wear bibs but for shorter stuff the cambium is quite comfortable in just regular clothes and if could run cambiums on all my bikes I would (and technically I could but some are better suited for different saddles or one bike has a specific budgetary restraint on it)

topslop1

What's the general consensus on C15 vs C17?

Rob_E

I don't think "consensus" and saddle choice actually go together. Brooks differentiates their saddles by riding position, and you've already said that you want to be more upright then normal, so if you can find a consensus, ignore it. I have a C17-carved, and love it. I'm planning on trying the All Weather version on a different bike. Might even try the C19, as that's made for an even more upright position.

mstateglfr 

its bikeforums- there is never a consensus.

get whichever fits you better.

revcp 

Aside from saddle fit, which is a very personal thing, the biggest issue you will need to address is the shorts. You'll want to wear something that won't have wrinkles between you and the saddle. If you really do mean "gym shorts", i.e. baggy, you're headed down the wrong road.

edthesped

I've had a Cambium C17 for a few seasons and exclusively wear cheap walmart gym shorts when I ride, have never had an issue.

phughes

For me, I prefer the B17 over the C17 for regular shorts. The leather is slicker than the material of the C17.

fietsbob

Consensus?




maybe the allweather covered cambium ..
your backside has a veto over external popularity votes...

spinnaker

The best saddle is the one that works for you. It really doesn't matter what others might think.

veganbikes

Maybe take a measure of your sit bones and then let them guide c15 vs c17. But don't forget riding position as well. As you go more upright you might want a little wider saddle.

zze86

I'm getting the feeling that there is a consensus on the non-consensus

katsup

I had the same conclusion. It affected my skin when I went on long rides in regular clothes.

The trick was finding the right saddle for me. So far, the best I found was the WTB Rocket. The B17 was comfortable, but the dye rubbed off on my pants (both before and after proofide).

KraneXL

People can say what's comfortable for them, but it may not relate to you and your bottom. Unlike feet where we at least have a wide/narrow, high arch/low arch, etc. reference. There are no rump measurements out there to relate to. Generally speaking, I'd say the seat with them most padding.

Colnago Mixte

Assuming you're a guy, I think underwear (if any) should be the main concern. If they're loose boxers, everything is gonna be bouncing and flopping around under there, and hanging over one side of the seat then the other, then getting jarred around with every bump in the road.

You want something that's tight fitting like cycling shorts, and doesn't have a thick seam that passes between your sit bones and the seat like regular y-fronts do. Boxer briefs I find ideal, but they need to be tight enough to hold everything in place, or they're no better than regular boxers.

I have been doing most of my riding in regular shorts this summer, and I was shocked to discover I'm now "growing" my own chamois on my butt. Sit bones are now almost as tough as the bottoms of my feet. Rare antelope goats all over Europe are celebrating the news that now one less animal will need to die to provide my butt padding. And the best thing is, modern butt callous technology is SUSTAINABLE.

KraneXL

spinnaker

Keyword being maybe. Try it. If it works for you then wonderful.

mtnbud

I find running shorts with built in underwear hold up well to cycling and are pretty comfortable espescially after you've had alot of saddle time.

fietsbob

Back When shorts had leather liners it was more likely sheepskin (Ovis aries) ,
like you get at your auto parts stores to wash glass with..

Than the skin of a Chamois .. (Rupicapra rupicapra)

phughes

That's one reason most bike shorts are black. Actually, with Brooks, you can avoid that by getting the Brooks in the honey color. No issues for me, no matter what I wear.

J.Higgins 

My personal recipe is Patagonia capilene boxer briefs, non-padded merino shorts, and a Brooks B17 Special. Clean and tidy, no butt butter, no problems.

fietsbob

When I was in High school , gym shorts were very short..
NBA had similar length shorts, then.

Now NBA shorts are longer than a typical Miniskirt..

jpescatore

If you are hard over on a Brooks saddle, skip the rest:

Fairly often I'll ride with shorts and padded underwear - usually when I'm biking somewhere where I'll also be walking around off the bike a lot. I honestly don't feel that much difference, except for one thing: since the shorts are invariably baggier than cycling shorts, I often snag the shorts on the nose of the saddle when I'm getting going pedaling again after being stopped for whatever reason.

Independent of that, I went to a Selle SMP Glider with a "droop snoop" nose on my road bike after trying out a bunch of saddles and the dropped nose also solved the shorts snagging problem.