Favorite saddle of all time?
05-06-20, 05:23 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Favorite saddle of all time?
ok. may be overstating it, but as everyone else here, I have a lot of bikes. And I have tried a lot of saddles. So I say, for me, and only for me: my favorite (currently available) saddle is: Terry fly ti
what do you say? What is your favorite current.. and what was your all time favorite from the past?
what do you say? What is your favorite current.. and what was your all time favorite from the past?
Last edited by jetboy; 05-06-20 at 05:29 PM.
05-06-20, 05:28 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Berkeley CA
Posts: 2,533
Bikes: 1981 Ron Cooper, 1974 Cinelli Speciale Corsa, 2000 Gary Fisher Sugar 1, 1986 Miyata 710, 1982 Raleigh "International"
Mentioned: 97 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 929 Post(s)
Liked 1,289 Times
in
486 Posts
Brooks B-17 Imperial
Likes For davester:
Likes For P!N20:
05-06-20, 05:36 PM
#5
Phyllo-buster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 8,844
Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic
Mentioned: 133 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2297 Post(s)
Liked 2,047 Times
in
1,253 Posts
70's B-17 standard with snub nosed Pro a close second. Or maybe a Conquest...
Depends on the bike.
Depends on the bike.
05-06-20, 05:49 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA
Posts: 645
Bikes: '8? Ciocc Mockba 80, '82 Ron Cooper, '84 Allez, '86 Tommasini Racing, '86? Klein Quantum, '87 Ciocc Designer 84, '95 Trek 5500, '98 Litespeed Classic, '98 S-Works Mtb
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 226 Post(s)
Liked 309 Times
in
122 Posts
Selle Italia Flite Ti ...... have five of them.
Dean
Dean
__________________
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
Likes For Dean51:
05-06-20, 05:56 PM
#7
Bianchi Goddess
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 27,846
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
Mentioned: 192 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2925 Post(s)
Liked 2,921 Times
in
1,489 Posts
I had a Lycra Gel Turbo that I loved until it spent too much time near the furnace one winter. 😒
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
05-06-20, 06:04 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PDX
Posts: 13,031
Bikes: Merz x 5 + Specialized Merz Allez x 2, Strawberry/Newlands/DiNucci/Ti x3, Gordon, Fuso/Moulton x2, Bornstein, Paisley,1958-74 Paramounts x3, 3rensho, 74 Moto TC, 73-78 Raleigh Pro's x5, Marinoni x2, 1960 Cinelli SC, 1980 Bianchi SC, PX-10 X 2
Mentioned: 267 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4509 Post(s)
Liked 6,374 Times
in
3,666 Posts
Brooks, period. 
Black, Brown, Honey, Pro, Special, Standard, Imperial, old, new, soft, hard, blah, blah, blah.
Oh and a couple of Cambiums and Ideale's too.
Black, Brown, Honey, Pro, Special, Standard, Imperial, old, new, soft, hard, blah, blah, blah.
Oh and a couple of Cambiums and Ideale's too.
Likes For merziac:
05-06-20, 06:12 PM
#9
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 16
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
I've ridden a few road saddles in my day. Favorite one I can remember was a Brooks B-17 short that was very well worn in. Don't know why I ever sold it. The knockoff turbo saddle I had was terribly uncomfortable. Had a WTB for a while that wasn't bad but can't remember the model. And I did a half century on a cheap velo saddle.
Likes For FixedGearFix:
05-06-20, 06:55 PM
#11
South Carolina Ed
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Greer, SC
Posts: 3,889
Bikes: Holdsworth custom, Macario Pro, Ciocc San Cristobal, Viner Nemo, Cyfac Le Mythique, Giant TCR, Tommasso Mondial, Cyfac Etoile
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 344 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times
in
138 Posts
Arione style
05-06-20, 07:08 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,146
Mentioned: 481 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3804 Post(s)
Liked 6,640 Times
in
2,602 Posts
Likes For nlerner:
05-06-20, 07:23 PM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Medford MA
Posts: 2,089
Bikes: Ron Cooper touring, 1959 Jack Taylor 650b ladyback touring tandem, Vitus 979, Joe Bell painted Claud Butler Dalesman, Colin Laing curved tube tandem, heavily-Dilberted 1982 Trek 6xx, René Herse tandem
Mentioned: 80 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 964 Post(s)
Liked 1,451 Times
in
723 Posts
B17 Champion Special. I've had the same one since bought new from Rivendell in '01, during the great panic when we thought we might not have Brooks in the future. I was 13 years old then, and read every Rivendell Reader when it was delivered. Still riding on that saddle, on my Ron Cooper, today. And I just bought another, for another bike. And it's exactly the same.
If I actually care about weight, I can usually find a Terry Liberator Ti race on Ebay for a decent price.
As I found out by trial and error, what I need for a saddle is something that's less triangle shaped, and instead has a nice steep taper and more vertical side skirts. Brooks saddles and older Terry saddles are like this, and often require a post with setback.
If I actually care about weight, I can usually find a Terry Liberator Ti race on Ebay for a decent price.
As I found out by trial and error, what I need for a saddle is something that's less triangle shaped, and instead has a nice steep taper and more vertical side skirts. Brooks saddles and older Terry saddles are like this, and often require a post with setback.
__________________
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
05-06-20, 07:35 PM
#16
Extraordinary Magnitude
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,642
Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT
Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2607 Post(s)
Liked 1,694 Times
in
933 Posts
It's kinda funny- when the Cambium first came out- they looked so "not classic" and kind of an abomination. Brooks has made a whole lot of changes to the Cambium- but I haven't tried the "new" Cambiums- IMO- they look a little, carbon-y and too black-y.
I really should try one of the new ones- One thing I don't like about the old Cambiums is that the cloth can be kinda grabby on some shorts, and the irony is not lost on me of how the looks of the old ones went from 'too modern' to 'nice looking' to me.
Brooks Saddles by Dave The Golden Boy, on FlickrMy former favorite saddle is the Avocet Touring II.
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Likes For The Golden Boy:
05-06-20, 07:40 PM
#17
Senior Member
I guess I'll go with a regular old B17. They more or less fit me perfectly, after some break in. Have 3 of them now. Pros only work for me when brand new. So as far as Brooks go, yeah, give me that B17.
In ye olden days I did zillions of miles in Selle Italia Turbos and its nearly identical predecessor the RS. Never really had any problems, so I stuck to that formula for decades. FWIW, I don't like Concors, or any saddle that is not pretty flat from front to back.
I actually tried the Fly Ti saddle, due to the rave reviews. I thought since it was basically a Selle Italia with a bit more padding it would be perfect. It did not work for me at all. I'll actually be putting it for sale shortly, as soon as I feel like going to the post office for trivial thing is a good idea.
Honestly I'm pretty lost when it comes to modern saddles. My first foray (above) was a disaster. I'd actually like to find some newfangled saddle that works, but seems like things have gone backwards. I did get a 'Fabric' something or other recently. Been meaning to try it on my Mercian Audax bike, but haven't got around to it yet.
In ye olden days I did zillions of miles in Selle Italia Turbos and its nearly identical predecessor the RS. Never really had any problems, so I stuck to that formula for decades. FWIW, I don't like Concors, or any saddle that is not pretty flat from front to back.
I actually tried the Fly Ti saddle, due to the rave reviews. I thought since it was basically a Selle Italia with a bit more padding it would be perfect. It did not work for me at all. I'll actually be putting it for sale shortly, as soon as I feel like going to the post office for trivial thing is a good idea.
Honestly I'm pretty lost when it comes to modern saddles. My first foray (above) was a disaster. I'd actually like to find some newfangled saddle that works, but seems like things have gone backwards. I did get a 'Fabric' something or other recently. Been meaning to try it on my Mercian Audax bike, but haven't got around to it yet.
Last edited by Salamandrine; 05-06-20 at 07:47 PM.
05-06-20, 08:08 PM
#18
Old fart
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,777
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3582 Post(s)
Liked 3,395 Times
in
1,929 Posts
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.
05-06-20, 08:15 PM
#19
Senior Member
Over the years I've tried too many saddles to count and always ended up on a Brooks Pro.
05-06-20, 08:44 PM
#20
Some Weirdo
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Rexburg, ID
Posts: 502
Bikes: '86 Schwinn Prelude, '91 Scott Sawtooth, '73 Raleigh "Grand 3"
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 223 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times
in
92 Posts
Best: Specialized Power. I want to try out a Pro Stealth sometime.
Worst: Turbo or ISM saddle. Where would you like it to hurt?
Worst: Turbo or ISM saddle. Where would you like it to hurt?
05-06-20, 09:44 PM
#21
Senior Member
Favorites are Flite or Concor, or Concor Light, which looks and feels like a mashup of the two.
I have tried a bunch of Brooks saddles, but I guess they just aren’t for me.
I have tried a bunch of Brooks saddles, but I guess they just aren’t for me.
05-06-20, 10:17 PM
#22
Quidam Bike Super Hero
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Stone Mountain, GA (Metro Atlanta, East)
Posts: 1,135
Bikes: 1995 Trek 800 Sport, aka, "CamelTrek"
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 331 Post(s)
Liked 415 Times
in
282 Posts
The Cobb Randee I'm on now. Insanely comfortable.
05-06-20, 10:18 PM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 5,801
Bikes: 1986 Cannondale SR400 (Flat bar commuter), 1988 Cannondale Criterium XTR, 1992 Serotta T-Max, 1995 Trek 970
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1943 Post(s)
Liked 2,164 Times
in
1,323 Posts
I used a Brooks Team Pro for many years. When I started mountain biking a friend suggested a WTB Pure V. After using it for a while I thought that if it works this good on trails on a hardtail, I wonder how it would be on a road bike. I now use a Pure V on everything.
John
John
05-06-20, 10:43 PM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eastern Iowa
Posts: 631
Bikes: 2014 Trek Allant drop bar conversion, modified Schwinn MTN commuter, 2015 Trek 520, Soma ES, Salsa Journeyman, 1980 Trek 414
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 178 Post(s)
Liked 355 Times
in
166 Posts
A brand new Brooks Team Pro Classic. If they could make one that would never break in, it would be on all of my bikes. Unfortunately, even without any leather treatment or proofide, and the thicker leather cut of the Pro model, it still breaks in to a point past my liking after a couple of thousand miles. It is at this point that i typically sell the saddle to a very happy next user. I love the stiff, supportive leather, before it conforms to my sit bones. Once those indents start to soften the leather a bit, they just aren't as supportive or comfortable. I ride with padless shorts, also. Something about too much cush on a saddle just doesn't agree with my soft tissue. Maybe i need to startup a Brooks break-in service for people who don't like the new saddles. I have settled on the Cambium C17 for my bikes, which rides a bit like a halfway broken in leather saddle, and is a good weatherproof compromise that doesn't wear out.
If anybody finds an extraordinarily thick cut of leather on a new Team Pro, and fears breaking it in, let me know and i might take it off your hands.
If anybody finds an extraordinarily thick cut of leather on a new Team Pro, and fears breaking it in, let me know and i might take it off your hands.
Likes For SalsaShark:
05-06-20, 11:19 PM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PDX
Posts: 13,031
Bikes: Merz x 5 + Specialized Merz Allez x 2, Strawberry/Newlands/DiNucci/Ti x3, Gordon, Fuso/Moulton x2, Bornstein, Paisley,1958-74 Paramounts x3, 3rensho, 74 Moto TC, 73-78 Raleigh Pro's x5, Marinoni x2, 1960 Cinelli SC, 1980 Bianchi SC, PX-10 X 2
Mentioned: 267 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4509 Post(s)
Liked 6,374 Times
in
3,666 Posts
Haven't put many miles on them, I just like the looks in some cases, the old ones are a bit grabby and rough after awhile but I am going to try one of the new ones eventually.