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Comfortable bike seat for 80's bike

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Comfortable bike seat for 80's bike

Old 06-16-20, 06:52 AM
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gthomson
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Comfortable bike seat for 80's bike

Can anyone recommend a bike seat model or style I might look out for to use on my 80's Peugeot road bike? An upgrade I made years ago was a Fizik saddle but my old butt can't handle it anymore. I want something that fits the style/genre of the bike but gentle on the old pelvis.

I'm thinking of looking around in older bike shops in the city.

thanks
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Old 06-16-20, 07:45 AM
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I just picked up a 1985 Panasonic DX-3000, that came stock with a Selle Italia Anatomic saddle. In the few miles I have ridden it has been very comfy. I see them on ebay used a lot for decent prices.



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Old 06-16-20, 07:47 AM
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Seat

Another option is to get a seat cover, not the most elegant solution but it will provide additional comfort.
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Old 06-16-20, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by gthomson
Can anyone recommend a bike seat model or style I might look out for to use on my 80's Peugeot road bike? An upgrade I made years ago was a Fizik saddle but my old butt can't handle it anymore. I want something that fits the style/genre of the bike but gentle on the old pelvis.

I'm thinking of looking around in older bike shops in the city.

thanks
Avocet Touring & Touring II saddles were popular “comfort” options back then. Selle Royale made a model similar to the one Kermie posted above too.

Last edited by SuperLJ; 06-16-20 at 08:00 AM.
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Old 06-16-20, 07:59 AM
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I have a San Marco Rolls on an old Bianchi, surprisingly comfortable.
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Old 06-16-20, 08:01 AM
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I'm not a slave to fashion when butt pain is involved. Pretty much have this on all my bikes. I can ride this saddle all day with no complaints. Comes in various styles and colors.

https://www.planetbike.com/a-r-s-cla...ke-seat-black/
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Old 06-16-20, 08:17 AM
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Kernie, that does look comfortable and the bike looks great. Is that Panasonic, the same as the electronics company? I'll look around on eBay.

Fissle, I like those seats as well, simple and not expensive. Ride all day with no complaints is what I'm looking for, especially when you're just wearing a regular pair of shorts.
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Old 06-16-20, 08:19 AM
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Turbo.
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Old 06-16-20, 09:02 AM
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I’m surprised to not see the obvious comment: Everybody’s rear is different-

What’s a comfy saddle that disappears under one person is an ass-hatchet to another.

I’ve had good luck with Brooks Cambiums and Avocet Touring II.
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Old 06-16-20, 11:03 AM
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This is true, everyone is different and lot's of variables (age, size, body proportions, etc...) but I think it's safe to say that saddles are designed for specific purposes. A high end race bike will most likely not have a saddle that anyone would say was comfy. I'm also told the saddle should fit your sit bones and that you should have the distance between them measured to fit the right saddle.
That might be going a bit far for me but I feel I can look at a saddle and see that one would provide better comfort than another.
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Old 06-16-20, 11:12 AM
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the selle san marco that came on my '85 super le tour has been the best looking and most comfortable saddle for me that fits your criteria. i have wider seat bones, and it does the job in supporting them without perineum pressure, second to that are the avocet touring saddles of the same era. they are all made of a flexy vinyl material that moves with you like a brooks, etc and still have a judicious amount of padding. however, the san marcos, to me, looks better...cooler...sportier....racier and so on.





underneath, that may look like hard plastic, but it isn't. it's quite flexible but supportive

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Old 06-16-20, 12:13 PM
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My father's bike has an Avocet (not sure which model), but it is super comfy. I also find the Vetta models to be quite comfortable when positioned right.
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Old 06-16-20, 01:54 PM
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I have tried many saddles, over the years. Brooks, Italia, San Marco, Ideal, Turbo, Rolls... You can just about name it and I have tested it. Before I comment on which one is the best, or most comfortable, I must say that saddles are incredibly specific. A saddle that it perfect for me, might be the butt perch from Hades for the next person. That said and pay attention to that, this is the most comfortable saddle that I have ever used. I am looking for another one since this one will wear out, sooner or later. My butt and the Selle Italia have seen many thousands of kilo meters together...
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Old 06-16-20, 02:58 PM
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"What's the most comfortable shoe?"
The one that fits.

Brooks and other saddles have been around for a century or more. Many randonneurs, tourists, and other long distance riders swear by them. A stretched leather design is the only one I know of that will break in to your posterior, but are often ass-hatchets when brand new. I've got 4 rhm releathered saddles, he uses leather that's twice as thick as what a new Brooks uses, so they tend to take longer to break in. On the plus side, they last a lot longer.
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Old 06-17-20, 06:28 AM
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It's too bad all our vintage bike shows will be cancelled this summer due to COVID 19, otherwise I would probably have found most of these awesome recommendations. Oh, well I will suffer for now until I can get to them next year. I've never heard these terms before but I love them and will think of them each time I ride

"A saddle that it perfect for me, might be the butt perch from Hades for the next person"

"Ass hatchet"
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Old 06-17-20, 06:44 AM
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Originally Posted by gugie
"What's the most comfortable shoe?"
The one that fits.

Brooks and other saddles have been around for a century or more. Many randonneurs, tourists, and other long distance riders swear by them. A stretched leather design is the only one I know of that will break in to your posterior, but are often ass-hatchets when brand new. I've got 4 rhm releathered saddles, he uses leather that's twice as thick as what a new Brooks uses, so they tend to take longer to break in. On the plus side, they last a lot longer.
I also have leather saddles as my favorites - Brooks, Selle AnAtomica, and Ideale. It's really important to realize that age of the bike is not a factor in saddle comfort - a Brooks from the '80s is not especially going to feel better on a 1985 bike than it does on a 2015 bike, if the bike designs are the same
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Old 06-17-20, 11:28 AM
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Some bike shops will let you test-ride a bunch of saddles and then buy the one you like best. If you don't live near one of those shops, you might want to ask your biking friends to let you borrow theirs. The more you can try, the better.

That said, the current-production Brooks B17 Imperial seems to need very little break-in. That'd be my choice.
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Old 06-17-20, 11:43 AM
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The Terry Fly seats, while having the modern cutout,is basically the old Selle Italia seat that many pof use road and raced in the late '70s and early '80s. (II rode those seats for 20 years vut my body changed and the soft parts I could ride 150 miles on as a young man couldn't take it any more. Grooved and cutout seats were a game changer. Discovering the Fly was "oh, here is my favorite seat again - but now I can ride it comfortably!"

Except for the cutout, it doesn't look radically wrong for a vintage bike. (I believe they are made by Selle Italia (they do say "made in Italy" so the good roots are there. Very well made seats like I've cpme to expect them Selle Italia.. I have yet to have one die.)

Ben
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Old 06-17-20, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by gthomson
...

"A saddle that it perfect for me, might be the butt perch from Hades for the next person"

"Ass hatchet"
+1 I remember a long tough ride I did with a racing friend many moons ago, He on his Raleigh Pro and Brooks Pro saddle, I was on my Fuji Pro and Selle Italia saddle. Our seats were night and day different. Had we swapped seats, that would have been the ride from H*** for both of us. (As it was, it came pretty close anyway but that was because we were very different riders. He was a big diesel, I was a skinny climber. He near killed me with his pace the early miles. Then we hit hills. For most of the next 90 miles, finishing with a climb to the town where we parked the car.)

Ben
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Old 06-17-20, 12:41 PM
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Brooks is always a good choice. I used one for years but went with the same saddle I have on my mountain bikes on my road bikes. I figure if it works good on a hardtail, what can pavement throw at me.

I think you need to take some measurements off a saddle that you have used and fits well enough so you can look at similar sizing for your sit bones.

As far as how soft, there is a fine line between soft foam and lack of support.

John
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Old 06-17-20, 12:42 PM
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Before I discovered Zwift 3 or 4 years ago, the cycling season ended when the season changed from Summer to Fall and didn't start back up again until the Spring and I remember those first few rides were torture but back in my "hey day" I don't recall getting saddle sore after a long ride? maybe the years have dulled my memory but it probably doesn't help that I'm about 40 or 50 lbs heavier as well.

I've been riding a lot this year starting on the trainer and then moved outside as soon as it warmed up but never seem to be comfortable anymore. Not painful, just not comfortable.
It carries over to all my bikes, despite the seat
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Old 06-17-20, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
The Terry Fly seats, while having the modern cutout,is basically the old Selle Italia seat that many pof use road and raced in the late '70s and early '80s. (II rode those seats for 20 years vut my body changed and the soft parts I could ride 150 miles on as a young man couldn't take it any more. Grooved and cutout seats were a game changer. Discovering the Fly was "oh, here is my favorite seat again - but now I can ride it comfortably!"

Except for the cutout, it doesn't look radically wrong for a vintage bike. (I believe they are made by Selle Italia (they do say "made in Italy" so the good roots are there. Very well made seats like I've cpme to expect them Selle Italia.. I have yet to have one die.)

Ben
Even the older Terry Liberator "race" models are quite good looking on an older bike. And they are pretty lightweight as well, and can be gotten cheaply.
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Old 06-17-20, 01:52 PM
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I'm not too particular: I have a B17 and a couple of Cambium C17s...I like the C17 cut out version.

But, for economy, I must say Fabric's Scoop Sport Radius is pretty good.
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Old 06-17-20, 02:31 PM
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Originally Posted by gugie
"What's the most comfortable shoe?"
The one that fits.

Brooks and other saddles have been around for a century or more. Many randonneurs, tourists, and other long distance riders swear by them. A stretched leather design is the only one I know of that will break in to your posterior, but are often ass-hatchets when brand new. I've got 4 rhm releathered saddles, he uses leather that's twice as thick as what a new Brooks uses, so they tend to take longer to break in. On the plus side, they last a lot longer.
Which is why I like to buy used Brooks saddles, whenever I find them in good condition. Twice the comfort at half the price.
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Old 06-17-20, 03:24 PM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by non-fixie
Which is why I like to buy used Brooks saddles, whenever I find them in good condition. Twice the comfort at half the price.
And maybe half the lifetime...but I find that my Brooks saddles last a lot longer as my quiver has grown. None of them get more than 1000 miles a year, and they're well kept.
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