pepperbelly

I have decided that I need an endurance style saddle, but there are a lot to choose from. Selle alone has so many saddles it is confusing.
Am I correct that the more expensive saddles are simply lighter or are they that much better? Selle has a saddle for about $180.00. Is it better than one of their $75.00 saddles?
I checked with 2 local shops. One only sells Bontrager and the other only had a Selle Respiro. The Respiro seems to have way too much padding. There is another shop that has a few saddles, and I think they have a return policy.
I am thinking about buying a Selle Italia S5 Superflow from Amazon. I am uncomfortable buying online without veing able to try it.

Suggestions?

rosefarts

I would use a grater

Polaris OBark

Use a big aerosol can of Cheeze Wiz.


As for the presumed question, order with right of return, put electrical tape over the rails of the saddle so you don't scratch it up when you clamp it, and wear clean bike shorts. Keep the saddle immaculate, and don't damage the original packaging. Then send it back to Amazon if it doesn't fit.

The problem with Amazon is that a lot of the stuff you buy there might have been returned for some reason. Usually you are ahead of the game if the previous owner hasn't substituted a rock in the original package.

badger1

Cheesing a new saddle is a matter of taste. Some prefer milder cheeses, some stronger. Much depends on one's olfactory sensitivity, and of course the colour of one's chosen shorts.

Eric F 

Saddle are a personal fit thing, like shoes. What might be excellent for me might be torture for you. Generally speaking, more expensive means lighter, but is not a guarantee of being more comfortable. Unfortunately, until you have experience enough to know what type of shapes work for you, it's matter of trail and error. Also be aware that adjustments to fore-aft position and tilt can significantly effect comfort.

urbanknight

Since it's so personal, I searched for a saddle by buying used ones to start (so I can sell them again and only be out the cost of shipping) and starting with the cheapest one I think will fit and that gets good reviews, then I try another and another until I'm happy.

It can't hurt to start by measuring your sit bones to figure out what width saddle you are probably aiming for.

pepperbelly

Did you know that the edit feature does not work on thread titles?
Btw I like pepper jack. 😎

wheelreason

How come there is Munster cheese but no Addams Family cheese?...

urbanknight

Yep, and I learned that in a similar way. Didn't get GRILLED as hard as you did, though!

Camilo

I never sniff a saddle to smell any odor, let alone a cheesy one. Ewwww!

pepperbelly

I’m grate-ful.

urbanknight

Too many cheesy puns!

pepperbelly

Smile!

Iride01 

I looked at all my old saddles, tried them all out for a time and then attempted to figure out what the good and bad things about those saddles where. I figured out the for me on long rides, I needed a saddle with minimal padding if any and a fairly flat profile from the rear to the nose. Selle Italia made my favorite, but I let it go with my bike that I gave it away. I'd have to dig to come up with the model. The saddle that came on my Tarmac is comfortable for short rides, but for long rides it cuts into the undersides of my legs a little, but not so bad that I've gotten an overwhelming urge to go saddle hunting again. I think it might have some gel padding which generally is good for short rides and not good for long rides.

skidder

^^This^^. I'd add to find a local bicycle shop in your area with a good selection of saddles and an exchange program so you can try one, bring it back after a few rides if its not right and try another one. Its trial-and error to find hat you like, and it can vary depending on the rides you do - long distance, racing, TT bicycle, hybrid, MTB. Just like different cheeses with different foods - sharp chedder on my ham sandwich, mozzarella with a bit of parmesan on my pizza, and mozzarella/ricotta/parmesan in the lasagna.

pepperbelly

The first yhing I will be trying is to move my saddle forward and change the angle.
The saddle I have now isn’t junk. It’s a Specialized Body Geometry Toupe RBX. It should be good for me so it may simply not be adjusted correctly.

Tomm Willians

Longer rides (100+) are one of my favorite things to do. The saddle I finally settled on was the Selle Anatomica which they state is a “touring” design. Their return policy is pretty generous and if you look on their website you can often find saddles that are B Stock or returns. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a new one from them and I believe between the wife and I we have 6-8?.

pepperbelly

I won’t be doing rides that long-most likely 25-30 miles.
You buy directly from Selle?

rosefarts

Are there a lot of at least a few cyclists in your city? Saddles are personal and people are always switching them for something different.

Check Facebook marketplace, I bet you’ll see a lot of new or almost new saddles. It’s definitely a way to explore different types without the price of new ones.

25-30 miles is enough to leave you sore but it’s not like you’re riding across the country. You shouldn’t need the most perfect saddle in the world. Are you wearing padded shorts?

Tomm Willians

Yes, you can shop from their website.

Black wallnut 

Did you know that you can pm a MOD and they can edit thread titles, assuming that is how they have mod permissions set, if not then an admin can....

cb400bill

Thread title fixed.

Broctoon

Sometimes finding the right saddle for you just requires some trial and error.

I don't think you need to spend hundreds of dollars for a premium model to get one that will be comfortable and last a long time. You're mostly paying for weight savings when you get above $100 or so.

Some bike shops will have demo saddles. They let you try one for a few days, and if you like it you can buy an unused copy of the same model. Fizik even made special versions of some models with this use in mind; they were brightly colored and labeled accordingly.

For what it's worth, my favorite saddles are Fabric brand. They are reasonably priced, and I find them to be among the most comfortable ones I've ever had.

pepperbelly

Yes. I bought a pair of black bibs. It doesn’t feel like the pad is under my sit bones though.

pepperbelly

Thanks, but that is going to make some of the replies look strange.