AmahlAmahlAmahl

I'm starting to realize that a short nose saddle might not be best for me on the track. I'm curious to know what saddles are most commonly seen at your local track?

taras0000

It's highly personal. For me, the Selle Italia Flite was my go to, or saddles with a similar shape. Steel rails for durability when it comes to G forces in the banks. Most people go with something similar to what's on their road bike, but having a nose is essential to being able to properly maneuver a bike with your hips for mass start racing.

carleton

I agree that it's personal and average to heavy riders need steel rails. I've seen average riders who are fast (pull more G forces) break saddles and rails. The saddle break by developing cracks in the middle and sag more than they are designed to.

An old teammate of mine loved one particular Specialized saddle. The saddle would crack in the middle after a day or two of riding on the track. The shop that sponsored us was a Specialized dealer so he got a new saddle over the counter no questions asked each time, but it was still a pain in the butt (pun intended).

Saddles and seatposts are very important. They are the foundation of everything. As one owner of a tri shop that handled the most expensive bikes for his tri customers put it, "Trackies are 'The Princess and the Pea' when it comes to their bike fits."

chas58

It depends on a lot of things. In the winter I'm on a 166m track, and the G-forces there are extreme. Stuff breaks - mostly seats, spokes, maybe seat posts, clamps. First time I road the thing my legs were fine, but my neck was a wreck from trying to hold my head up. My butt wasn't much better. For training I switched over to an old seat just because it has gel padding. I even seem some bikes with brooks leather.

pi03k

Could you please elaborate on the role of the nose and hips? Is that hip stability issue? Do cyclists have weak hips? Any research papers?
Would you please share your opinion on ISM saddles? I've seen lots of them in mass races. Also Nater used one in sprints at SixDay events. Obviously they're great for pursuit and time trialing.

taras0000

It's not an issue of weakness, or adding stability. The hips are free to move on a bicycle because the only "fixed" point is where the wheels are in contact with the ground. If a cyclist has weak hip function, no seat will help them, they need to improve their overall body strength.

The point I was getting at is that you can use your hips/ thighs to control your bike through the nose of the saddle. It's the same way that you would control a bike when riding no-hands, by moving your hips to either keep the bike balanced beneath you, or to move it to steer.

The use of a short nose saddle would be highly personal (just like any saddle). What works for one may not work for another. If you are a person who tends to set their saddle up so that you are sitting more towards the rear, then short nose saddles will provide enough of a nose so that you can push the seat around with your thighs to help control the bike. If you are a person who tends to sit more towards the middle, or moves around on the saddle a lot, then you may not have enough nose to control the bike like you are used to with a longer saddle. On the end it depends on riding style and of it can work for you.

AmahlAmahlAmahl

I was just a the Festival of Speed at TTown this past weekend. Most of the sprinters I saw their were using some variation of the ProLogo Scratch Saddle. Eddie Dawkins was using the Prologo Scratch Pro TI Solid Saddle, I believe the rest of the New Zealand team was also using the same exact model too.

Flatballer

I'm not saying that's the case here, but keep in mind that often the higher end folks are using whatever they get paid to use or whatever they get for free, not necessarily whatever is their absolute first choice.

DMC707

Showing my age --- but still use either the old Turbo or a Concor -- steel rail

They are narrow and strong

Clythio

Using Prologo Zero Pas on track due its "flat" top profile - perfect to usual position change we need on the track - to push from low rpm to spin on top speed.

AmahlAmahlAmahl

I'm using an Arione. I still get saddle discomfort. I'm still trying to figure out what saddle would work for me. Thinking about trying a Tri saddle out. I seen Elis Ligtlee using one.

carleton

Some higher-end bike shops have a saddle tryout program where either you pay a one time feel (say $25) and you can check-out a saddle for a couple of days at a time, then swap for a different one until you find one you like. Your $25 is then credited towards a purchase (assuming you find one you like). Another variation of the same system is paying like $15 for each saddle you try and all of your rental fees go towards the purchase.

Very few cyclists settle on their perfect saddle early on. It's a journey. Oddly, I started on an Arione (because they were popular with roadies at the time) and then tried maybe 6-8 other saddles...and settled on the Arione, not because it was perfect, but because the others were worse somehow.

The most comfortable saddle I used was a Specialized Toupe 143...but the suspended area in the middle would crack easily, even under normal weight riders.

KrispyK

Specialized has a 60 or 90 day return policy on their saddles, which is nice for trying out their selection.

I personally run a 143mm Power arc saddle from specialized on all my bikes. Love the short nose and cut out

carleton

Yup. When I liked the Toupe 143 and it kept breaking, I'd take it to the local shop and swap it out for a new one no questions asked. After a few times I got tired of the hassle and realized that I needed a different saddle.

brooklyn6640

This one:Brooks B17 Sprinter or this one: Swallow.

Super D

I owned the Tritone (aka, "Ass Hatchet"), a couple of ISMs, a Spesh Power Arc S-Works, and nothing was the right combination of things to fit well and feel good. I put each one through road TT training and racing, which I would consider to be a really challenging test (with the goals of reasonably sustained comfort and unimpeded pedaling flow in the aero position for an extended period of time).

After unhappiness with each, I ended up testing a few loaner saddles from a shop (as Carleton recommended here), and found an out-of-production saddle which was still on the test saddle wall at the shop. Turned out that was the one I liked best, wouldn't you know it. It was the Cobb Gen 2. I searched and found a couple online floating around, put one on my TT bike, and one on my track bike. A much narrower nose than I would've guessed I would like, but I really couldn't choose a saddle based on shape and looks, putting miles in on it was the only way to truly know what I could live with.

Baby Puke

I have literally never seen a Brooks on a track bike. Meaning, a bicycle that gets ridden on a velodrome. Street fixies, yes.

carleton

Yeah, I think he comes from the SSFG side of the house (nothing wrong with that. That's where I started).

Baby Puke

Frankly, it really looks like it could leave a mark if you accidentally slammed your ass into the nose of that saddle...

Super D

You guys with the hard saddles are way tougher than I will ever be. You must come from a lineage of tough-tainted warriors.

brooklyn6640

Sorry I,m not from SSFG side of the house, this year 2019 at this time 11453 kms on the road .

carleton

Sorry about that.

C&V?

brooklyn6640

C&V **********?'

Dalai

Classic and Vintage section of the forum.

brooklyn6640

Thank,s