morgothaod

The size and shape of my saddle are okay but it feels like I'm sitting on a rock sometimes. What saddle do you find to be comfortable? I have a Mountain bike and I just ride on paved trails.

rickyk76

Best thing I got for my mtb was my Brooks Swift saddle. I'm no racer, speed demon, downhiller, etc., so the added weight doesn't bother me. It's so comfortable though.

jefnvk

Incredibly personal to each rider. One of my favorites is a 20 year old stock saddle that came on a cheap MTB, which is sadly being retired due to wear. Another of my favorites is the vintage Avocet Touring.

Milton Keynes

Cue the "it's not a seat, it's a saddle" comments.

caloso

Call it whatever you like, but saddles are incredibly personal. You are just going to have to try them.

dabac

Reskinning a saddle is no big deal. My favorite saddle is on its 3rd. I've posted some pics of the process years ago.

Tombaatar

I bought this to commute and not have to wear padded shorts.

Scientia | Selle Royal

I like it. very comfortable but still firm enough to not kill lower back.

drlogik 

As far as a chair (friendly sarcasm) for my mountain bike I prefer a WTB Volt. As has been stated though, saddles are a unique component for bikes and what works for one person may not work for another. It's best to try them in the local shop if you can.

jefnvk

Not to hijack this thread, but would you happen to remember that thread? A google search of "dabac reskin saddle" on here doesn't turn up anything but you talking about having done it in the past

fietsbob

Whats comfortable for me may not be comfortable for you..

There are Thousands of different saddles made ..

Maybe you want a Jello soft Gel padded saddle. (or a Gel padded Saddle Cover )

I don't like them, but you might.



....

dabac

Found the pics easier on "my" native site: https://happyride.se/forum/read.php/...797#msg-785797
Basically, I got an old leather jacket as a donor. Soaked a piece in warm water. Pre-stretched/trial fitted a few times. Used high-adhesive hot glue on the under side of the saddle pan to hold the folded-over leather in place.
No glue on the padding.
Has worked like a treat.

Camilo

I use E3 Form, now marketed as Kontact. Love those saddles so much that I bought, I think, 3 or 4 on Ebay and at bike swaps when E3 quit making them (and before Kontact started).

But like others said, recommendations are about as close to worthless as you can be because my favorite has about 0 correlation to what you will like.

It also has a lot to do with your riding style and sex. Men have narrower sit bones than women and therefore women tend to like a little wider saddle. A more upright rider would tend to like a wider saddle than one that leans more forward because of the way the sit bones narrow as you rotate forward on them. A more upright, slower rider would also tend to like more padding because the more aggressively and harder you pedal, the more weight is on the feet/pedals and less on the butt so you need less padding. Sometimes more padding is actually more uncomfortable than harder because your sit bones sink into it a little which puts pressure on other soft parts of the butt and perineum. Your sit bones are actually the least painful place to put the weight in most cases.

All you can do is try to figure out what you don't like about your saddle, and make some educated guesses of others to try - and see what works. You can sometimes find boxes of "take off" saddles for very cheap at bike shops, but bike swaps and similar usually have a table full of cheap saddles people are getting rid of for exactly the same reason you have.

The last thing I'll say is - everybody has a budget. But if you figure out what saddle suits you well, don't be afraid to spend some money on it. It can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy the bike. More important than spending money on a fancy helmet for the average rider, imho.

linberl

If you are new to riding, you need to give your butt some time to toughen up. If not, then you need to try different seats to find what hits your sit bones the best. Find a shop that will let you try out different saddles.

Phil_gretz

^ I rode this saddle for two years. Absolutely fabulous. Exquisite.

ClydeTim

I realize this is just a cheek and tongue comment so this is not directed at you. But it's such a moronic argument people make out of it.

If it were such a big deal, then seat posts would be called "saddle posts". Get over it people!

ClydeTim

I actually use an MTB seat on my roadie. WTB rocket V ti model.

I also use a Terry Fly ti model that I find comfortable.

mrodgers

A couple that I ride with both have a Selle Royal saddle. Looks very comfortable and they both love them. He also loves the cheap Nishiki at Dick's Sporting Goods.

I have the WTB Pure V but I ride a Giant Escape. I certainly like it. I do wear shorts for all day excursions but ride 3-4 hours without shorts just fine.

ClydeTim

I was hesitant to try an MTB saddle on my roadie at first. Once I tried the WTB Rocket V ti model, I was impressed but it was $110.

Not long ago, just because the design was similar, I bought a Rocket V cromo for about $40. I placed it on my tandem and it's been a pretty decent saddle. I bought a second and placed it on my second roadie and doing most of my miles on it. Good saddle for a good price. Working better than the new Terry Fly I bought about a month before the newest WTB's. I took the $100 Terry Fly off and went with the WTB, more comfortable on longer rides (40-60 milers).

fietsbob

Cost Conscious? Bike Shops have 'Take Offs' New, but removed during new bike sales.

Buyer wanted different.. so less than if the same saddle had a display tag.


and they will likely swap them , to ride a variety of shapes for a day or 2.




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tornado60

I'll add that if you are off the bike too long your butt may need a little time to toughen back up too. Somebody once told me to sit on something hard. The area of your but that makes contact with the hard surface (and probably hurts) is the part your saddle needs to support. That logic has been a help for me.

canklecat

That Velo saddle should be reasonably comfortable. Try adjusting the nose upward a bit to be sure your buttbones slide back over the padding after jostling from normal road vibrations and bumps.

Adjusting the saddle on the rails forward or backward a bit can help too. But pay attention to the knees -- sometimes too much forward/backward adjustment can cause knee strain.

And be sure the seatpost height is appropriate for your leg length and foot length. The usual rule of thumb is to fully extend the pedal and place the heel over the pedal axle -- that's a good starting point for estimating saddle height. But the optimal position depends on your foot length and whether you prefer the ball of your foot over the pedal axle, or another position. Looks like you have toe clips on your pedal so that can affect the appropriate saddle height. For the past couple of years I've skipped toe clips and prefer fairly large platform pedals so I can shift my foot position around to suit myself on longer rides, for climbing hills, etc.

ClydeTim

Speaking of Velo saddles ! Years ago, my wife insisted on a comfort type saddle. She picked up a Velo at a local bike shop. $30.

A few months later we happened to be walking around Target (dept store). Saw a saddle that looked exactly like her Velo saddle. Took it off the rack, looked at the undercarriage and noticed it has Velo stamped on it.

Went home, looked at her bike shop saddle and sure enough, same one. But the dept store Velo was packaged differently and was only $15.

therealjoeblow

This particular post just demonstrates the futility of asking anyone for a saddle recommentation...

I bought "this" <link to website with 9 different models>

Groan...

The Selle Royal Scientia noted above is offered in 9 different models for the one style of saddle!!! this among the other 50 or 60 models that Selle Royal makes, who are just one of several hundred manufacturers of saddles... you can imagine how fruitless this is.

There are literally thousands of models and styles available around the world; however not all of this plethora of products are available to purchase in every global region.

Many of the recommendations you are going to get from this forum are going to be either ultra premium products in the $250-300 range from hardcore enthusiasts, that won't suit your budget (I'm guessing, based on the pic you posted and riding you described you aren't looking for a saddle like that); or will be the *perfect* saddle for you at exactly the price point you want to spend, but is only available for purchase in Europe or some other crazy constraint like that.

You would be best to go to a local shop and ask the staff there what they sell, and what they recommend. Most shops that I know of offer a 30 or 60 day money-back guarantee on saddles, so essentially, you can keep running through the revolving door with a different one from the 40 or 50 that they sell until you find the perfect one, with no risk whatsoever if you don't like any of them. Buying something as personal and specialized as a saddle that someone on this forum recommends from Amazon or any other online retailer is a huge crapshoot.

Cheers
TRJB

morgothaod

This might be a stupid question but how can I test saddles without having them attached to a bike? Also how is the selection of saddles at bike shops?

morgothaod

I was off my bike for 30 days because of an injury but prior to that, I was riding just about an hour every day.