Bike seats? Comfort, men's health
 

Mainly upright riding position. Got to be comfy, on hard tyres and allow decent ventilation; it'll be used for rides of an hour, max, so looking at below £50 or $ equiv. (Not much in it these days . . . ) Like something you sit on, and think "Ohhhh! That's comfy . ."
There's a dearth of decent reviews on most stuff I've researched, so . . any bargains out there? :D

Try as I may, I cannot find a saddle more comfortable than the Serfas Dual Density with cut-out. I've used it on a mountain bike and three different road bikes for rides up to 100 miles. I'm not sure if it's available in the UK or not, but I highly recommend it.

Link on Amazon

-Matt

What's comfortable for one person might be torture for another. The one bike I ride in an upright position has an old Brooks double railed B72. I got it off a bike I found in the metal pile at the local "Recycling and Transfer Station", formerly known as the Dump. The new ones are expensive.

Don't let price prevent you from getting a good saddle. Unfortunately, you have to try a bunch before you find the one. I've gone through a dozen saddles and I find the Specialized Power & Power Arc saddles fit me the best. Your mileage may vary.

Many bike shops have loaner programs where you can try out different saddles before you settle on the one you want to buy.

SEARCH EBAY (though not for anything other than NEW Chinese made spring saddle seats with a cut-out hole in the center of this wide seat...)

You'll find them called "Big Bum Seats" or "Wide Bum Seats" or "Wide Saddle Seats"

THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM TO CHOOSE FROM...some without the cut-out hole , and some with it. (most are in the $14 to $20 cost range with FREE SHIPPING)

There is a large Chinese maker, called GUB (they make everything from helmets, to accessories, to seats) reliable, well-engineered quality on everything that I have tried from them, so my guess is that their seat is okay too. I do know that they make a very large and heavy cruiser type saddle that has very large coil spring suspension that is said to be very comfortable, but it probably weighs three pounds.
GUB does make a fantastic helmet called the GUB CITY classic or something like that, it has an integral visor (not removeable) that is molded as part of the outer protective shell.....this helmet is available in just four colors BLUE, RED, WHITE, OR BLACK.....one of the better helmets that I have seen......rounded back ...not aero in shape.....much more like what police personnel in my region wear for head protection while riding police bicycles. Incredibly comfortable too with great padding and the dial in knob............................see GUB×ÔÐгµÍ·¿øÆ·ÅƹÙÍø|×ÔÐгµÍ·¿ø|ÉîÛÚÊнðÃË×ÔÐгµÃ³Ò×ÓÐÏÞ¹«Ë¾ but you may have to learn to read Chinese......................the quality of the GUB helmet is fantastic and some of their accesories has been really good. There are some direct from China ebayers that sell some of GUB items.

I have a Terry Men's Liberator (very old one) that I still use on my mtn.bike. It's a comfortable saddle. One that Terry makes which might work for a more upright position is the Men's Cite Y Gel--here's a link and read the Terry Guarantee in the upper right corner. I didn't have to use it with my Liberator, so can't speak firsthand how easily it might be to make a return if needed. Link: Terry Men's Cite Y Gel Bicycle Seat Threads about which saddle always come up, and as you know, the same saddle may be great for one rider and torture for another.

I have an old Terry Liberator that has served me well, but is now wearing out. I am also partial to Brooks Pro saddles, not just on the road bikes, but also on my mountain bike, with its somewhat more upright riding position.

I got really lucky when my bike fitter put this Planet Bike ARS on my Trek in '07! One of the few that got it right the first time. Even after a long lay off I never get saddle sore. And its $40 on Amazon.

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Ride the saddle before buying. Too personal an item. Would not buy on-line unless you have tried it!

Keep your eye on the bargain bins at your LBS. Both of the ones I frequent have bins for saddles that have been replaced when a customer wanted something different. Most are entry level saddles (don't totally dismiss these, I've got a Bontrager SSR on my MTB that I find quite comfortable despite it being a "cheap" seat). I've found Specialized Avatars and Toupes for less than half of new and you couldn't tell anyone had ever sat on them.

I know for me I'm not too much of a fan of most standard seats that come with your bike. I didn't like my seat on my Specialized Expedition Sport comfort bike so after some research I ended up going with the Serfas FS-CR gel seat. Wow a comfortable seat that I could actually ride and enjoy myself instead of riding in pain. Now I have a new hybrid bike and will again be getting a Serfas gel seat so i can ride in comfort. Going to go a little smaller for my new seat but will still be the Serfas gel style for sure.

My 50-lb aluminum electric bike is the only one that requires a specially-cushy saddle, but I don't like or nor need the cushiest kinds. I have used the Serfas Performance Rx on this bike since new and it's suited me fine. Unfortunately, it's currently $72 at Amazon in the US. I paid $70 in 2013. I for sure have seen it for at least $65 in the interim -still not cheap, but not as ridiculously-priced as many others. There are other/non-"Performance" Rx models that sell for less, but I've never used any of them. Good like on finding a comfortable option that fits and suits you well.

N.B.: I stopped riding on "hard tires" years ago, and skinny ones, even on my road bike. Also, I'm continuously checking myself that I'm always riding on my seat bones.

That’s odd I have never ever replaced a stock recumbent seat. :)

I don't see much love on the forums for large, cushy seats, but it seems that old guys on the trails like them. A local store has some on clearance and one of them is calling my name.
Anybody like big cushy seats?

big cushy seats can feel really good initially - but then not too good after more time spent on them

sometimes too soft / cushy will allow pressure on areas that don't respond well to the increase in pressure

and soft / cushy seats are typically very wide - and the increased / excessive width can cause issues from the movement while pedaling (chafing, etc)
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I, like many , searched around for a comfortable saddle but only became more frustrated. I got a sit bone measurement, bought the recommended saddle, and still had issues. After one longer ride, I noticed that one side of my butt was sorer than the other. Took note on my next rides and can only guess that one of my sit bones, the left, is either longer or something different with it, so I bought a Brooks Imperial. It has deformed/formed to my odd skeletal formation after some miles, and I am now good to go. Yes, it is heavier than the other saddles I now have on my shelf but I can ride as long as my legs will carry me now and that is so much better. If you buy any saddle online make sure you read the fine print of the return policy. Good luck. And yes, my saddle is not the way all of the experts say it should be but this is what works for me.
Frank.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0035a13ace.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...be1fe5625.jpeg
the seat I often recommend is the WTB Speed V

it is the seat I initially used after a 20 year layoff from bike riding

not a lightweight seat - but versatile and comfortable for many

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/revie...ddle/wtb-speed


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I switched from a stock road bike saddle to a Selle Anatomica. Worked well until I became more fit and rode more aggressively. Now I use a Selle Italia Boost. Large cut out and works well.

Mike

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3a1747d813.jpg
Selle SMP TRK

My butt is worth spending $85 on.

Please don't laugh, but my boys tend to hang to one side which causes some irritation over time. That said, the Brooks saddle and sitting on my "sits" bone has made any saddle better.

It took me a while, a lot of chafing (the main issue for me), and some various saddles to figure out that I was most comfy on very narrow wedged shaped (for the chafing) saddles with a bit of padding (for the bones), which is probably not a self-evident choice for someone on a hybrid. Don't think for a moment that what works for someone else is what you should do.

I donated several different saddles to the local bike co-op over a few years. I would try one for a while, giving my anatomy time to adjust to the shape, cushioning, width, etc. If it still was uncomfortable, I would try something else. Some of them looked like they would be okay, but after 20 miles, felt like some type of Medieval torture device. I finally found one made by Astvte, a model that was being discontinued and was heavily discounted (good thing, original price was $375!). It has carbon rails and has been the most comfortable saddle since my old Avocet back on my 80s racing bike.
There are some shops (very few) that have a 'try it for X days' policy on saddles, but you're limited to the ones they have available to loan.

Do you wear bib shorts? They keep your boys lifted and out of the way of the saddle. I wouldn't ride without bib shorts.

If any part of your "soft tissues" are touching the saddle, that's a fail.

I don't disagree, but I am not wearing bike shorts on short grocery trips.