DynoD500_SR20-d

What are you guys sitting on and or what do you recommend? I currently have a Selle Italia X1 and it is getting uncomfortable now even with padding

MagicHour

CerveloJoe

I also like the Fabric saddles. I ride a Line Shallow Pro.

Oso Polar

It is getting uncomfortable in what way? Did you experiment with seat angle?

carlton

Ergon ST Core Prime
. Most comfortable I've ever tried. And I've tried a few.

cycledogg

What's comfortable to me may not be comfortable to you. I currently use Selle Italia Flite L1. Could be considered a rhetorical question. JMHO

Carbonfiberboy 

Selle Italia MAN. Suits a range of butt widths, narrow nose, slotted.

Slick Madone

This is such a loaded question. The best advice is try a few saddles and see what works best for you. Most LBS' have test saddles you can borrow for a few days or even weeks. That's what I did.

Gconan

Wilderness Trail Bikes pure model.

Bah Humbug

DynoD500_SR20-d

Yes. I been researching all day and when I saw my LBS selling a Specialized Power for $100.00 I jumped on it before they realized they are cheaper than online prices LOL. I could not get fitted because I had on padded shorts but the 143mm is ok.

DynoD500_SR20-d

I found out that they do that today. I got a Specialized Power and I am going to try different width's over the next few days.

canklecat

So many variables. I was surprised to discover a narrow, firm Selle Italia SKS Kit Carbonio was perfect for me. Padding is comparable to a Fizik, not too much, not too little.

I figured a 140mm would be right for me, but when I checked my sit bones they're pretty narrow. Turns out the 131mm width was right for me. Kinda surprised me because my hips aren't particularly narrow for my weight -- I'm 5'11", 160 lbs with a bit of a belly pudge, and usually I wear 34 waist pants. Even at my thinnest in my teens and 20s I wore a 32 waist, not a 30 like some guys my size or larger in top condition. The wider saddles left me feeling bruised after long rides. But the narrow has been perfect this year.

Saddle height and angle make a significant difference for me too. I can tolerate a bit of leeway in height, but I can't tolerate any variation in angle. If the saddle is a single notch off level it drives me nuts. I set it level and realistically it probably dips just a wee bit under load while I'm riding.

I also dislike saddles with up-flared backs. Supposedly older guys with bad backs like me should be more comfortable on saddles with some up-flare to correct for hip tilt. But I can't stand the things. My Selle Italia has only the very slightest bit of up-flare, and at a glance appears flat but isn't. That's about right for me, at least this year. Subject to change as the body ages.

cb400bill

Selle Anatomica X.

seedsbelize 

B17 narrow

downhillmaster

woodcraft

For a comfortable seat, you need lots of padding.

https://www.target.com/p/schwinn-foa...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

talphie

Seattle Forrest

Really love my Fabric Scoop.

canklecat

BTW, if your shorts are only lightly padded you might try these: Przewalski shorts.

I hadn't planned to buy another pair of shorts after just getting the Black Bibs (which are excellent for the money). But the Przewalski shorts popped up on my Facebook feed for only $5 and change on a one-day sale. I got 'em Thursday or Friday. Wore 'em three times this weekend, twice for indoor trainer rides of 60 and 90 minutes, and Saturday on a 20 mile ride. They're weird and really comfortable.

Weird because of little things they do, like a pad that's different from anything else I've seen or used. It's really dense and firm, with dimples like a golf ball -- not so much thicker than other pads, but much denser and more resilient. Should be comfortable with very firm saddles. Might be too much padding for padded saddles.

The regular price is a good value and the vendor (I think it's sold by Spotti) has been offering various discount codes, like a second pair for 50% off, that sort of thing. I just lucked into the $5 discount code last week and gave 'em a try. So far I like 'em at least as well as my AeroTech Pro shorts, although the padding is completely different.

hsuehhwa

In addition to saddle and bib selections, a strong core and flexibility will significantly alleviate your butt problems.

PaulRivers

I started doing a "warmup" routine called the Limber 11 that I think also increased my core strength:
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lim...ever-need.html

After that, I suddenly found that nearly any decent saddle became comfortable (for me).

memebag

Sella Royal Seta S1. It is hard and flat and smooth.

tomtomtom123

I tried the ST core small/medium, and at first it was very comfortable on the sit bones, but then I noticed that the leading forward edge was too flat and wide, causing material to dig into the flesh under my legs when I was pedaling on the downward stroke. It also causes a little bit of resistance and loss of pedaling energy. After 2 hours, I had a lot of pain and bruising. It's the flesh just a little forward of the sit bones.

I tried sitting more forward until I couldn't feel the material digging into my legs, but then my sitbones were no longer on the wide cushioned part of the saddle and instead more on the harder middle part. I tried lowering the nose so that it was maybe 2-3 degrees downward slope when measured with a bubble level from the sitbone area to the nose. It felt much better, but I could still feel a little bit of the material pressing under my legs. I lowered it a little more but then it became too steep.

If I pointed my knees outwards, or placed my feet further out at around 190mm Q-factor, the pain seemed to reduce greatly. But that's not a very practical way to ride. my cranks are 148mm Q-factor.



I think the problem is that the distance from where the sit bone area to the leading forward edge is too long and flat. I also tried the Ergon SMC3 in the past (the newer model is SMC4), and that too was digging into the underside of my legs. It would have been great if they had made the sit area shorter lengthwise, and made the leading edges curve downward.

DrDyno

Kontact Saddle (kontactbike.com). I have hundreds of miles on my Kontact Saddle. The more I ride it, the more I like it!