dougphoto

Someone needs to start this. It's so hard to find that perfect saddle, there are so many options out there. I'd love to get one in the mail ride it for a few weeks and get a feel for it, send it back and find another until I find what's the best.

rutan74

You local LBS if they are any good should have some test saddles that you can try for free. Get the right one and then buy that model. The couple of shops I frequent let you test ride these saddles up to 30 days before you have to buy. So, look around. Go to a few shops and see what they have to try before you buy. Get your sit bones measured too. That will help you find the right saddle width.

john

Seattle Forrest

REI accepts returns for a year for any reason, and sells saddles. They don't sell that many that would be at home on a road bike, but may be work a look. Backcountry.com has the same policy, but it requires return shipping. Fabric saddles have a money back comfort guarantee regardless of where you buy them.

seau grateau

Bike shops everywhere do this.

dougphoto

But I'd feel guilty doing it at a bike shop, buying and returning several times. Plus local shops have a pretty slim collection to choose from, there are so many saddles out there I'd never run across at a LBS.

ThermionicScott 

I think Zappos would be a more apt comparison for what you have in mind.

Wallingford Bike Parts used to have a generous return policy for Brooks saddles, but they're gone now.

ksryder

Gladys bikes in Portland has a pretty famous "saddle library", you check out a saddle for a while to see if it works. It's focused on women but I guess they get men in there too.

My LBS has a small selection of sample saddles but it's not great. Some LBS are better than others.

Carbonfiberboy 

Too bad Performance is gone. I used to buy 3 at a time from them, try them on long rides and if none was perfect, order 3 more. I returned them washed, in perfect condition, and in the original packaging. I had to pay shipping back, no big thing.

A real quick way to eliminate the obvious duds is to wear nylon gym shorts to the LBS and just sit on saddles put up on a chair or step or something. My local LBS will let you buy a saddle, test it, and then exchange it for a different model if it doesn't work, but they won't give you your money back. But that's how I acquired a number of saddles in my box of giveaway saddles. They're a Specialized dealer and I never found a Spesh that worked for me though I tried them all.

JohnJ80

Mine does too. And they usually just have a collection of the ones that they know have typically worked. That's actually a pretty good starting point.


Well, I just had this conversation with my LBS but it was on shoes. Same discussion applies - it's a uniquely personal thing. They'd much rather have you come in and work with them than have to deal with you after it get all screwed up with some online thing. My LBS is really great - they're in it to win customers for the long haul so they'll really work with me on stuff like this. When you add in that they know what they're doing on top of it all, it makes for a pretty good resource.

That all said, I tend to be on the cutting edge of saddles in general. A number of years ago, I backed a Kickstarter project from the 3 West Design guys on a saddle that they designed called The Reprieve. Turns out that it has been a hit with me for a long time and pretty much everyone who's tried it on my bike has wanted one. So I'd actually put that down as the exception to the LBS rule and suggest that you try them. They too have some fit guarantee sort of thing too. But so far, no one I know has had to take 'em up on it.

But if that doesn't float your boat, then I'd start with the LBS if you have a good one. If you don't have a good one, find one.

J.

seau grateau

Was referring to saddle testing programs. Saddle manufacturers provide test saddles to retailers which provide them to customers to try out for a period of time. No repeated purchasing/returning involved. Not all bike shops offer this, but a lot of the good ones do.

downhillmaster

Oh man. I sooo hope I am at my LBS one day and run into someone sitting on a saddle perched on a chair

TimothyH

Fabric Scoop and done.

REI sells Fabric. Done and done.

Backcountry doesn't require return shipping if you work with one of their "gear head" sales reps. Mine emails a pre-paid UPS shipping label whenever I want to return something.


-Tim-

black_box 

A bit off-topic, but I like the fabric scoop radius, but think it would be better for me with a shorter length/nose. Any ideas?

TiHabanero

Our shop has a saddle test ride kit, however it is dwindling in quantity because the "users" are keeping the saddles! Charged to their card and they dispute it. Go figure.

fstshrk

None of my local bike shops (2 independently owned, 1 part of a small local chain) have test saddles.

seau grateau

Bummer.

JohnJ80

Hard to believe. Have you asked them how they work with customers on saddles? Most are pretty cooperative. Not necessarily a formal program but let you buy one and return it for a different one.

Then there area number of online options. You can find more pretty easily with google.

Bike Seat Demo Program

https://help.rei.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/47