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Favorite saddle of all time?

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Old 05-06-20, 11:27 PM
  #26  
merziac
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Originally Posted by JohnDThompson
I used to prefer the Selle Italia "Turbo" saddles, but about a decade ago my butt decided it likes Brooks "Professionals" better. So now I have about six of them.
That would be a smart a**.
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Old 05-06-20, 11:32 PM
  #27  
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Page 2 and nobody posted this yet?


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Old 05-07-20, 12:27 AM
  #28  
Bad Lag
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1974 Brooks Professional (snub nosed)
As to why, we have been together seemingly forever.
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Old 05-07-20, 02:46 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by wgscott
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Non-flappy cheeks are aerodynamic cheeks.
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Old 05-07-20, 02:50 AM
  #30  
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I like the Brooks B17 Imperial but I have had the frame break on me and I was never able to make the copper rivets sit flush, leading to lots of torn jeans.

My current favourite is the Lepper Tourer. Thicker leather and frame and made in the Netherlands.
It's a bit wider than the Brooks too but their website has been down for quite some time now. :/


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Old 05-07-20, 02:59 AM
  #31  
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Selle Italia SLS or SLR style saddles. I prefer the fairly flat top, nose to flare shape, and narrow rear, around 130mm. I have a couple other similar saddles from Selle San Marco and Bontrager that are close enough to the Selle Italia. I try other saddle styles occasionally but eventually go back to that Selle Italia style.
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Old 05-07-20, 03:08 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by P!N20
Current: Selle San Marco Concor Supercorsa

Past: Selle San Marco Concor Supercorsa

I like saddles with excruciatingly long names.
We agree again P!N20. My favourite past and present although I do like the Confort variant:

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Old 05-07-20, 03:10 AM
  #33  
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For me, it’s a toss-up between the selle Italia flite and brooks b17 narrow.
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Old 05-07-20, 03:38 AM
  #34  
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I have Brooks Professional saddles on a few of my classic rides. All are from the seventies and well cared for. They are my favorites . The close second is the UniCanitor.
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Old 05-07-20, 03:45 AM
  #35  
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This one:


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Are we having fun, or what ...



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Old 05-07-20, 04:33 AM
  #36  
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Guess we are all getting somewhat bored. I know that I am and, for what it is worth, I gave some thought to starting a "favorite saddle" thread myself. Now, I don't have to.

I have built quite a few bikes and, like so many people getting vintage biking, I bought into what others said I should think. You know - "steel is real", Brooks is best, lugged is best and more.

These days, I go with personal experience. My absolute favorite saddle is the Mundatalia (excuse spelling) that I have on my Jamaica bike...


My next choice would be the Brooks B17 and they usually feelgood, right out of the box...


The Brooks Pro will, most likely, never get my vote for best saddle. They are not comfortable, for me...
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Old 05-07-20, 06:21 AM
  #37  
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Brooks B17 Narrow.

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Old 05-07-20, 06:38 AM
  #38  
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Have used and liked Sella San Marco and Rolls but now it's Brooks B-17, Professional and C-17 (great summer saddle)
Also have an old B-66 on one bike.
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Old 05-07-20, 07:32 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by merziac
Brooks, period.
Turbo, exclamation point!

jk. I probably shoulda written, "question mark," because I have five different saddles on my five bikes.
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Old 05-07-20, 07:42 AM
  #40  
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San Marco Rolls.
Although the appearance is too baroque for me, and the Regal really pleases my eyes. But we sit not with our eyes on the saddle ...
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Old 05-07-20, 07:49 AM
  #41  
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Turbomatic is my #1 , it's been on my current bike for many years. #2 is a Regal, #3 is a Flite Ti.

For a change of pace I tried a Fabric Line saddle in wide width with a cutout recently. After 3 medium length rides (ouch) back to the Turbomatic...
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Old 05-07-20, 12:36 PM
  #42  
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Ideale 2002 on my racing bike. Dunlop rubber on my upright cruiser type bike
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Old 05-07-20, 12:51 PM
  #43  
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Gilles Berthoud Aravis. One on each bike; here’s the older one (S/N 831; newer one is 10337) after two years/5,000 miles. It’s now up to 11,500 happy miles, still fabulously comfortable and even darker. That dent is the result of my posterior asymmetry, and why leather saddles like this are my “must have”.

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Old 05-07-20, 01:06 PM
  #44  
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As a few others have posted, I have a couple snub-nose Brooks Pros from the 70s that are my choice.

I also have used the Berthoud saddles and they are also very comfortable.
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Old 05-07-20, 03:51 PM
  #45  
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I'll be the outlier, as usual, but I do what works for me. My fav is the ill fated Vetta TT Trishock. I say "ill fated" as all of the 9 I now have were rejects, in the dust bin, stinky saddle box, "phoooooey not that thing" pile. All free. I've recovered 8 of them and they suit my skinny self just fine. All day comfortable. I dunno why. I've compared them to Brooks/Wrights and all sorts of saddles on bikes I test ride at the LBS. None are better for me and all weigh more. I see no reason to get a heavier saddle cuz it's supposed to be better.

Funny though how much it looks like a Brooks Cambium, eh?




This one was recovered in early 2014 and has seen constant service, part of the rotation that goes on 12 outta 12. It was in the reject pile when I got it and it's as comfortable now as it was then. Good enough.
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Old 05-07-20, 03:57 PM
  #46  
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Depends on the bike. Olmo, Miele, and Team 3V get San Marco Rolls with no pain so far. I've been trying a Selle Anatomica H2 on the 3V so far ok, jury is still out. I find the most comfortable setup for me is 70's Ideale 90A on the GranCrit.
It's kind of funny. I rode a San Marco Rolls for many years. Then tried one on the 3V and it hurt after only 20 miles. Put a Rolls from another bike on the 3V, same result. Fiddled with position copied from other bikes, no good. Weird.

Then there's this.

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Old 05-11-20, 11:10 AM
  #47  
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B17 Carved

I’ll add another vote for the B17. I like the cutout version which is somewhat similar to the Selle Italia Flite.
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Old 05-11-20, 11:42 AM
  #48  
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What is a post with set back?
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Old 05-11-20, 11:58 AM
  #49  
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B17 Narrow, and C15, for when I travel/tour
The Selle Anatomica is still in testing mode, but, so far, I like that one too. I also do like my Unicinator.

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Old 05-11-20, 12:12 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by LeftyS7
What is a post with set back?
The saddle rail clamps are behind the axis of the seat post. This one is pretty extreme in that regard, letting me use a saddle with shorter rails, typical of leather saddles such Brooks, Gilles Berthoud and this Rivet, in my preferred position for my long femurs.

I’ve had the 1979 bike shown for its entire 41-year life, and this seatpost has resulted in my most comfortable fit, feeling like I’m riding “in the bike”, not on it. Saddles with longer rails reduce the need for setback, but I’ve also learned that my posterior asymmetry requires leather saddles like this for rides longer than 30 miles. I had a Selle Anatomica, which is also leather and with quite long rails, on a shorter setback seatpost for the same fit, but other aspects about that brand’s shape didn’t agree with me.

The need for setback is reduced for a given saddle position relative to the bottom bracket as seat tube angle is relaxed.


Last edited by Dfrost; 05-11-20 at 12:24 PM.
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