mawashi

Maybe cos you have a cheap a$$ lol

ravenmore

I've been riding since ~2005. Unfortunately it is trial and error. What works for someone else may not work for you.

bmthom.gis

It's Brooks for me. Just migrated my B17 Narrow to my Synapse. 40 terrific miles and felt great. My vintage bike has the original Professional on it, still in great shape and it is perfect for it and my commuter has a Cambium and that feels about perfect.

rpenmanparker 

I'm glad so many folks find saddle nirvana in a Brooks. I also glad so many folks find saddle nirvana elsewhere. Funny how that works, isn't it? DSFDF

Blue Belly

& you're in Austin!!! Have that thing spruced up!
Recovered Custom Leather Bike Saddles Bar Wrap & Cycling Accessories Upholstered Motorcycle Seats & Bags by LEH SEATS

https://youtu.be/UQzG73fMLLw

ravenmore

Lol - hadn't seen that yet. Bet it ain't cheap.

Blue Belly

I think the website said 150-$300. You can save shipping though, since it's local

pre1236

I just picked up a Specialized Power Expert saddle and so far I love it. Numbness to the genitals seems to be a thing of the past. Hopefully. Haven't given it a great workout yet, but the feel is noticeably more comfortable.

79pmooney

OP, go back to Performance and buy a few. Serious. A seat that works is gold. Saddles change. Performance brand items are made by other companies. Performance has little say over what they make and little invested in that particular saddle. It will be replaced by another similar saddle, maybe next year, that might or just as likely might not work for you. Keep your new saddles bagged tightly in a sealed plastic bag and away from ozone and light and they will be what you bought when you open the bag.

Terry Fly's work for me. I have stockpiled a few.

Ben

roccobike

No, just trial and error. I've found two road saddles that work for me, they are not even remotely related. One is the Selle San Marco Era Luxe and the Serfas Stinger RS. While they work well for me on a road bike, neither work on my MTB where I use the basic OEM saddle that came on entry level Specialized MTBs from 2005 to 2007, the cheaper the model, the better the fit.

HigherGround

cydewaze

I've got an older Forte saddle on my trainer bike, and it's not bad for my behind. I keep swapping it out with an old Selle Italia Flite. I should probably pick up another Forte though, since mine's just about had the biscuit.

Stucky

Hmmm....maybe junk-science is a good thing? (I knew I should never have gotten rid of my junk!)

big chainring 

What you need to do is find an old pair of wool shorts with a leather chamois. Wash the shorts and dry them out in the sun. The chamois will be like a crisp taco shell. Mount a brand new Brooks Pro on your bike and go riding. Brutal! You should get lots of chafing and some bloody sores. But just keep riding daily. Wash the shorts every 3 or 4 rides. Blood stains on the chamois will show you are doing it right. After a few thousand miles it won't matter what saddle you are riding. You have toughened up your backside and any saddle feels just right.

Deal4Fuji

I agree, I bought 3 of these Nishiki women's seats from Dick's that fit my wide sit bones and have a cut out for the junk. I wish they had a little less padding, but the size is perfect and I've had no chafing even with bike shorts and doing 70 miles. On clearance for $15

knobd

I have the same saddle as the OP on both of my modern bikes. I put one on my Pinarello last week after the stock MOST Ocelot broke. It's working out well on the Pina. I find on both bikes I need to tilt them very slightly forward for best comfort.

sheepdog84

I know what OP means... when you find the one that fits perfectly, you feel like you've struck gold.

A 155mm Specialized Toupe Pro works so well for my rear... In my head, I frequently thank the sales dude for helping me get measured and with choosing a shape.

TimothyH

I threw a Zefal Sport G pump in the garbage today. It was two months old.

Piece of junk.


-Tim-

Lazyass

Nashbar has some nice house brand ones with ti rails. I may order the second one.

$34.99


$29.99



$35.99

Campag4life

Quick story. Over the years I have been a bit of a saddle hoe. Many here maybe have fallen into the same trap...searching for saddle nirvana aka the holly grail of saddles which some may submit doesn't exist. Throughout my exhaustive search including riding Brooks saddles for several years past, I decided that I pretty much needed a 150ish + saddle width to support my sit bones. After trying several Specialized saddles with width sizing, they seemed to work the best and currently on a Toupe Expert 155mm width which is...I would say OK to good. I can ride a century on it...may not feel perfect after the ride but I can still sit down.

Enter a new bike build. A bought a 2014 Specialized Secteur Elite off Ebay...one of the few times I ever purchase a complete bike with lower component level but decided this bike wasn't going to be about speed but rather practicality...mount a rack and do some light beach town cruising and it has been superb. Btw, I just couldn't resist swapping out the low level wheelset and Shimano groupset for Campy. Quite a difference...love the frameset and the bike...couldn't ask for more for the dollar IMO. Back to saddles, the bike came with a lowly 143mm Specialized Riv saddle with a bit more padding than I am used to riding. A modest average shaped saddle with chromoly rails. I fully expected to remove the saddle, discard it and put a higher level and wider 155mm saddle on the bike. I haven't. In fact, this lowly Spesh Riv saddle seems to be more comfortable than my Toupe even though it is standard width and has more padding. I never expected this and would have bet strongly against that this saddle would ever be comfortable but arguably it feels almost plush compared the firmer bodied...and no doubt lighter Toupe.

So once again, all paradigms about what maybe the best saddle go out the window. Now in fact, I am considering trying a 143mm Toupe which I always felt would be too narrow...but now not so sure. The more one experiments, the more we find out just what we don't know is my experience. There is very little science to saddles and even width sizing can fall by the wayside depending on how the pelvis is supported, how a saddle is shaped and even where a rider finds his sweet spot fore/aft. A wide saddle can ride like a narrower saddle if the rider scoots forward and the opposite for riding a narrow saddle if the rider scoots rearward.

In summary, I believe perhaps the best saddle out there is likely the one we haven't tried yet. Yes, there is a best saddle, but who among us has the time and money to find out.

ravenmore

I read somewhere on basic bike fit tips that narrower saddles can be more comfortable especially for longer rides. I believe the reasoning was something like it interfered less with natural hip movement.

I've put a couple hundred miles more on this saddle since my first post and I still just shake my head at how comfortable it is. Literally no discomfort after hours and hours of riding on it. It is about the same weight as a non carbon railed Toupe which is a bonus.

August West

Good advise.

Through the years I never found a saddle I was completely happy with. Some were way better than others but none were great. Then this summer I bought a new Defy Advanced Pro 1 that came with a fi'z:k that I was ready to hate because a stock saddle couldn't be any good, right? Boy, was I wrong. This saddle fits me better than anything I have ever tried. Numbness, which I've battled on every saddle, is a thing of the past. In fact, I just ordered another one today just in case they stop making this model (and will probably buy another one or two). The thing is, I would probably have never considered this saddle if I was in the market for just a saddle. Just luck of the draw the right one just happened to come on the new bike I purchased.

spdracr39

I ride a $40.00 Bontrager SSR that came on my hybrid. It is the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden and a have one on every bike.

BikingGrad80

The same for me. I am now desperate to find one. Performance has discontinued it in favor of some new gel saddles. I tried one and it gave me the worst sores I ever had in my life. I'd give anything to find it or something similar.

I hate when companies discontinue good products.

OldTryGuy

My find is.....Nashbar FR1 Saddle and less $$$$$$