steppinthrax

Please recommend me a good replacement saddle. I'm more of a pleasure rider and I have a Trek 7200 hybrid. I'm on sidewalks and ride a few hours with my son. The old seat that I have Bontrager and the vynal around the seat is getting hard. I have "ass pain" after sitting on it for 30 mins or so. I weigh around 200 and 6'2". Also, I don't want anything expensive.

Thanks

mikeoclt

Brooks B17

Maelochs

I was going to make a smart remark .... but for some reason, i don't feel like it. My apologies.

Couple things: one thing is size, which not all saddles list anyway but ... get a piece of corrugated cardboard and sit on it on a hard surface and try to press down. Take chalk or something and highlight the parts which are not compressed. The measure the distance between the middle of the two compressed areas (skip the marking step if you can clearly see the depressed areas--or just outline them.

The distance between the centers of the depressed regions should be the "width of the saddle you need.

Otherwise .... you are totally out of luck.

Everyone has a different body, a different riding style, different posture on the bike ... you can spend $300 or $30 and any amount in between and there is no guarantee the saddle will work.

Some folks will gush about how great a saddle is ... but it might not fit nay other person on the planet.

My strategy has been to buy closeout and returned merchandise pages (Nashbar is your best friend unless you can afford or you need the big-name stuff ... and even on Nashbar, the big-name stuff on the return/closeout pages is marked way down.)

I buy saddles between $15 and $50 ... I will pay extra for a really light saddle for no good reason, but the best saddle I own is an $11 Vader ....it's only 300 grams.

I would buy a few different saddles ... no reason you cannot get three or four for $75 dollars ,,, and you can always sell them on EBay.

Saddles take a good while to break in. You might hate it for the first hundred miles and then suddenly find it's amazing. Or it might fit perfectly immediately. Or ... it might never fit.

I have no idea how to find a good saddle except trial and error. Sorry.

markjenn

Highly personal choice which often requires of a bit of trial/error. For me, I found this reasonably-priced/reasonable-durability/not-excessively-dorky saddle ten years ago and it was the first that completely eliminated saddle problems, even on 80+ mile days. YMMV. I've got five of them now on various bikes.

https://www.serfas.com/shop/products...rado-chromoly/

- Mark

indyfabz

"Which saddle?" should be a sticky.

Maelochs

Nobody wants a sticky saddle.

indyfabz

On the flip side, no one wants a slippery saddle.


Several threads on Slippery Saddle Syndrome:


E.g.:


https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...-syndrome.html

79pmooney

What Maelochs said is spot on. This is where a good bike shop can be a real help. More and more, shops are "getting" how important saddle comfort is and policies are changing, It used to be that once the seat was out their door and sat on, it was yours. Mow shops are allowing riders to spend real time on new saddles; long enough to see if it works for them, and if it doesn't, you can bring it back for credit toward another (or other store merchandise if you need to go elsewhere to find "that" seat).

Portland has a shop that has a "library" of 2 dozen saddles on shelves. You buy a card for $25 and can take out any seat for a week. As often as you want. Just like a library of books. Find "that" seat and and a new one is yours (and your $25 goes toward the purchase). If your local shop doesn't do any of these things, suggest it. Have them look up Gladys Bikes.

The right seat makes a huge difference. Don't stop looking until you find it.

Ben

Ben

ramzilla

Get a saddle with plain old fashioned steel coil springs on it. You can spend $10 for a cheap vinyl one or $150 for a leather Brooks. Doesn't matter. It's all about the springs. I get mine at Niagra for about $12 a pop.

ramzilla

Try this one:

https://www.niagaracycle.com/categor...ring-city-bike

WNCGoater

Reasonable advice listed above.(Post #3)

There's a high success rate for comfort with the Brooks B-17 or the Selle Anatomica. At the same time, neither would be considered a cheap saddle, and there are those who hate either/or, or both. It just doesn't work for them. So it is with all saddles of any price range. No one can tell you anything other than what works for them, and THAT may not work for you.

pesty

Define "expensive". I don't think you're going to find many people recommending anything under $100-150 or so.

I'm 5'10", usually between 210 and 220, and I'm good for about the first 4 hours on my Brooks C15 carved. I haven't found a saddle yet that is still wonderful for hours 5, 6 and beyond...

Ultimately, the best thing to do is go to your LBS, most good shops will have a good demo or return program. Try a saddle for a week or two, if it doesn't work out, return it and try another one. Everyone's backside is different, so you're going to be grasping at straws with any suggestions provided here.

79pmooney

The saddle that was a breakthrough for me after my body changed in my 40's and my old racing seats no longer worked was a last year's bottom of the line Specialized Body Geometry Comp. $40 at my LBS. Started on my best bike, then moved over to my workhorse and went 12 years and winters until the cover started leaking and the foam soaking up. This seat worked for my far better than the previous seats of pesty's price range.

Ben

fietsbob

Ah, the you guys tell me what saddle i should buy FAQ.. with little about your riding needs..

Bike shop 'take off' box has more saddles off new bikes to try out, by riding them and trading a few.. cheap..

is a repeated reply.

Arthur Peabody

I switched to a noseless saddle a few years ago and have liked it a lo better.

TimothyH

Fabric Scoop Sport Radius - $41.12 at Merlin
https://www.merlincycles.com/fabric-...le-105964.html

Fabric makes very comfy saddles.

Altimis

Why don't you just go to LBS and ask them for saddle try and test? this is the most fool-proof way to buy saddle. You should get an idea which saddle is your preference.

Saddle is personal things, one say A B C D E F brands is great that cool this but it may not for you at all.

However, if you just ask for brands, I suggests Astute, they are not expensive but packs full of hi-tech stuffs in the saddle.

Example SKY LITE 3.0 VT | Astute Italia

OR cheaper but works the same, with titanium rail SKY LINE 3.0 VT | Astute Italia

IF you not prefer 'cut-out' you could opt for 'SR' model SKY LITE 3.0 SR | Astute Italia

coney462

I agree with this. The ISM touring model works for me

johnu

Look up a Specialized seat called "The Cup" for $50.00 Resembles a tractor seat that supports all your butt.

DrIsotope

No normal people maybe, but Prologo makes a whole line of absurdly expensive, unconscionably named saddles with what they call "CPC," like the Nago Evo CPC Airing NACK. The top of the saddle is covered in these bizarre patches of what I can best describe as tiny rubber fingers-- I test rode one, and they really do grip ya. It is a foreign and unwelcome sensation, AFAIC.

But triathlon people are a different type of people.

To the OP, Fabric saddles are a great place to start-- they're well made, and damn cheap. I've used several through the years, and never been disappointed.

buffalo4life

I own 3 of Nashbar's FR1 saddles and I really like them. They are somewhat light, cheap at about 25 bucks and I find it to be comfortable and good looking. I've been running them for several years now.

canklecat

Serfas Tailbones. Lyrca fabric stretched over progressive density foam.

I have two similar saddles, one from Bell on my hybrid, the other a Terry on my road bike. The Terry is actually a women's saddle, shaped like the classic Selle Turbo with a slightly shorter nose but still works fine for me.

These are remarkably comfortable and durable. Both are well over 10 years old and still working just fine. I can ride 'em all day without padded shorts. The Lycra over foam saddle accomplishes what padded shorts do -- it breathes, it's comfortable.

SouthFLpix

https://velo-orange.com/collections/...touring-saddle

$45. Everything I've purchased from VeloOrange has exceeded my expectations.

e17blade

My recommendation would be to try some out. Loan/test saddles from a shop are a great option.

Saddles are such a personal thing. One persons favourite can be like a razor blade to someone else.

Slightspeed

Yup.
I've got Prologo, Specialized and Ergon on modern bikes. B17s on two vintage rides. The Brooks still feel the best to me.