Shockwavesus850

alll butone ofmy bikes have sprung saddles ju9st becuase thats how i find them. most parts for my biikes vome from the local tip or somethingas being 15 i camnt afford to have great equipment. Sprung saddles a very comfy and quite releiving if you donthave supsspension ...
alex

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folder fanatic

I just love the sprung saddles. I use them exclusively now on all three of my bikes. I use both the Nirve and the Electra brands. I like the way they fit my curves and are so comfortable without all that stupid padding. It looks good as a fashion accessory and feels good at the same time. For more information on this important topic, see my Geocities page on it: https://www.geocities.com/folder_fanatic/Selection2.html

And photos of my bikes on Flickr listed below:

screwdriver

I just bought a Brokks B67 sprung saddle that I haven't received yet. I've read that Brooks sprung saddles that are sprung in the back as well in front has a tendency to have lateral movement. I don't think I would like a saddle that did that no matter how much it cost or what brand it is.

justinzane

I've been wondering about this myself. And, while I appreciate the thorough explanation; I remain a bit confused. Presuming one has low drops and a 0deg from horizontal (with positive indicating back-down and negative indicating front-down as seen from the right side with the bike pointing right) unsprung saddle on a road bike. Assume that a sprung saddle will have a static tilt of 5 deg with a rider's weight in normal riding position, i.e. hands in the drops, relatively forward weight distribution.



If one install the saddle at 0 deg, then the rider will indeed experience squashed genitals when riding. But, what if one installs the saddle with a -5 deg tilt -- nose down. Then, during normal riding, the will have the exact same saddle position as with an unsprung saddle. But, when the are leaning further forward, pedalling hard, etc. the saddle will rise with them keeping contact and stability longer. And, none of that unpleasant ass-smack when going over a bad road joint while really mashing the cranks.

Note, I am NOT suggesting that this is a proper or useful way of doing things. I want to know whether this would work or what the actual drawbacks are on a road-training or road-touring bike where freedom from pain is more important than the extra weight. Thanks!

hillyman

Good lord you drug this thread out of the basement

meanwhile

This is not just wrong, it shows an utter lack of thought. Force exerted on the pedals in normal pedaling is low compared to rider weight. Common sense should tell you this, because if "cruising" force equaled rider weight then going up 30 degree hills would take minimal effort...

FarHorizon

The "tilt the sprung saddle forward to compensate for spring sag" theory seems sound to me. Level is level, no matter how you get there. The proof is in the riding. If it's comfortable, then it's good. Racers may need finer calibration for maximum output during specific tasks (such as climbing), but for the recreational rider, the proper attitude is "comfort uber alles."

cyccommute 

What's even funnier is that this zombie has been dug up, stabbed through the heart, buried, dug up again, stabbed and buried. There's no meat left on the bone!

justinzane

Truly impressive, since there ain't no friggin' basements around here. Best part of a house, missing throughout northern Cali. And Florida.

On a more serious note, does the community prefer that idiots like myself post new threads on old topics or resurrect ones from the morgue that are pertinent? I'd rather do what is preferred, 'cept I've got no idea what that is.

Hyperventilate

what is your opinion on the new Brooks Rubber saddle for long distance touring?

cyccommute 

New thread.

fietsbob

Bike companies dont put them in the box, so when people buy a new bike, it's already on it.

then to have one they have to make a separate purchase .. is why..

NormanF

A good sprung saddle provides stiction and decent suspension on rough roads. I have the Brooks Flyer on all my bikes.

Sure its heavy but its so comfortable. I feel less fatigued after a long ride.

NormanF

BF's famous ghost thread. It slept in the basement five years!

NormanF

My friend, threads around here never die. People do.

capsicum

"racers" and "light" != cruising, full weight [or full weight minus handlebar pressure]
Even at that, racers use about 3 times the pedal force of Joe cruiser, which is a significant reduction in weight.
This is the more immediate answer. And a step out, they aren't in the box because springs add to cost, they don't have racer style, and saddles are often swapped out by serious riders anyway.

JohnDThompson 

Arrhhh!

Wolf Dust

I weigh about 180, and the springs on my Velo Orange Mod 5 saddle don't sag. They are just right and move when I hit bumps and dips. My riding position is relatively upright.

Coop500

rekmeyata

Great explanation. And to add to that is that Brooks also makes seats for racing bikes, the Swallow and the Swift, these are made for racing style road bikes where the rider is leaning more forward than on touring road bike where the B17 would be more desired. While you'll never find a Brooks Swift or Swallow on a professional racing bike there are those in the non professional world that either can't find comfort with a foam saddle or just want the classic look of leather that will buy these saddles. I have a Brooks B17 on my main touring bike and for me there is no other saddle on the market made of foam that works better, I also have a Swift saddle on a racing type of road bike and that saddle is also very comfortable but on a racing type of road bike I also find the Fizik line of saddles to be almost as comfortable.

I do some some limited touring and I've only seen a Brooks sprung saddle once, so I don't think that sprung saddles are all that popular here in the US but occasionally I'll see a suspension seat post, I think the suspension seat post would be a better and lighter option vs a sprung saddle, I think sprung saddles are probably more popular in the UK than anywhere else.

Hangtownmatt

I prefer the resurrection of old threads. It shows the person did their due diligence and searched the archives first but did not find the answer they were looking for.

Hangtownmatt

More important than sprung vs. unsprung is saddle shape in regards to comfort. And proper shape is dependent body position relative to the bicycle, application and distance. For the non-racer I seen no problem with a sprung saddle as long as the saddle fits properly. I believe racers don't use sprung saddles because they weigh more and at a high cadence the rider tends to bounce. And keep in mind, on any saddle, sprung or un-sprung, the rider should unload the seat when hitting significant bumps.

FarHorizon

Well, on the surface of it, a sprung seat post would seem to be a better option than a sprung saddle. It is lighter, but that's where the advantages end. My experience is that sprung seat posts always (not sometimes, not often, but always) fail. Sometimes catastrophically. So despite the weight disadvantage, I prefer sprung saddles to suspension seat posts.

Wolf Dust

Sprung leather saddles refuse to die...and for very good reason.

rekmeyata

Having never owned one, nor knew anyone who owned one other than a couple of tourists I ran into, I never heard of those seat post failing, in fact I can't even find anything on the internet of about failures that seem to be out of the normal range other than the real cheap ones seemed to have some issues. Anything that adds a moving part to something that didn't would have an element of failure to it, just not sure if the suspension seat posts are beyond would be expected. If you find something about this please post it.