Saddle questions

Someone once described the feeling of a Brooks B-17 as riding while
sitting in a hammock. Got it pretty right, in my experience. You can't
go wrong with Wallingford, which sells them with a 6-month
guarantee/return policy.

But, as you will no doubt hear, saddles are extremely personal things,
and no one "size" fits all. And padding is not necessarily a good thing
on long rides. --Roy Zipris

"Ken Marcet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me ride
more
than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants? Or is
this
just a dream of mine? I was browsing nashbar and they have some in the $30
to $40 range that look as though they have a bit more padding than a
"stock"
read "cheap" seat.
Ken
More of my mind dribblings: http://mind-dribble.blogspot.com/
And my homepage: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/

Well, I much prefer Brooks saddles. The big sprung Brooks saddles are good
for regular clothing.
As in the third world countries they usually don't have special bicycle
clothing.
But them Brooks saddles aren't for everyone.
This is the big heavy duty one http://www.wallbike.com/B90.3.html
Another possiblity is the sprung saddles/seats they use on the crusier
bikes. These seats are typically, very wide, padded, and have springs to
reduce road shock. They are intended to be used in regular clothing.
Like this one for example:
http://www.streetlowrider.com/store/product_info.php/cPath/25_61/products_id/497
Heck even Walmart even sells these big seats too.

"Ken Marcet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me ride
more
: than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants? Or is
this
: just a dream of mine? I was browsing nashbar and they have some in the $30
: to $40 range that look as though they have a bit more padding than a
"stock"
: read "cheap" seat.
:
: Ken

Go to your local bike shop--a big store with lots of choices--and look at
their offerings. You might first take a piece of typing paper out to the
curb and sit down on it. When you get up, you will see indentations showing
where your "sit bones" touched the curb. Measure how far apart these bones
are and that will help you know how wide of a saddle to get. For example,
some saddles are 5" wide and if your sit bones are 6" wide, then that's not
a good fit. You don't want your "sit bones" to go over the outside of the
saddle's width, that's for sure because it means your weight is on soft
tissue instead of the bony protuberances. Some good beginner saddles are
made by Serfas and Specialized and they are in the $30-$40 price range.
Many people start off with the Serfas RX saddle and after they are more
experienced, move to a stiffer saddle.

http://www.serfas.com/rx_saddles/RX-921.html

http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqSection.jsp?sid=05EquipSaddlesComfort

Pat in TX

Roy Zipris said:

Someone once described the feeling of a Brooks B-17 as riding while
sitting in a hammock. Got it pretty right, in my experience. You can't
go wrong with Wallingford, which sells them with a 6-month
guarantee/return policy.

A new Brooks is over a hundred bucks. In fact I've seen used ones sell for that
much.

Matt O.

Pat said:

Go to your local bike shop--a big store with lots of choices--and
look at their offerings. You might first take a piece of typing
paper out to the curb and sit down on it. When you get up, you will
see indentations showing where your "sit bones" touched the curb.
Measure how far apart these bones are and that will help you know how
wide of a saddle to get. For example, some saddles are 5" wide and
if your sit bones are 6" wide, then that's not a good fit. You don't
want your "sit bones" to go over the outside of the saddle's width,
that's for sure because it means your weight is on soft tissue
instead of the bony protuberances. Some good beginner saddles are
made by Serfas and Specialized and they are in the $30-$40 price
range. Many people start off with the Serfas RX saddle and after they
are more experienced, move to a stiffer saddle.

http://www.serfas.com/rx_saddles/RX-921.html

http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqSection.jsp?sid=05EquipSaddlesComfort

I agree. A *really* good shop will let you swap out a saddle that doesn't work.
Sometimes they have a bin of them. You pay for one (they're all within a
certain price range), and if it doesn't work out you can try another. The one
you wind up with may technically be "used," but what matters is that it works.

Too much padding is as bad or worse than too little. If your sit bones aren't
supported firmly, all the padding just squishes your flesh and cuts off
circulation. I have this problem sometimes with brand new shorts on a soft
saddle.

You might try reading the reviews at www.mtbr.com These reviews are completely
subjective, but so are saddles! A high score there is probably a good bet.

FWIW, it seems almost everone is comfortable on a Selle Italia Turbomatic, from
recreational riders to pros. Not cheap, but a really good bet. Unfortunately
these seem to have been displaced from bike shops by flashier, lightweight
models.

Matt O.

Brooks B-17 standard. You will ride until you pass from exhaustion
rather than stopping from butt pain. Check nashbar.com and
wallbike.com The one I ordered from nashbar was thicker leather and a
bit more comfortable than the wallingford one which is thinner and came
on a cardboard hanger rather than the nashbar one's box. Honestly the
best seat you can buy. All the fancy ones are horrible compared to the
brooks. Check mtbr.com and roadbikereview.com

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A new Brooks is over a hundred bucks. In fact I've seen used ones

sell for that
much.

Matt O. <<

Try $50-60 for the b-17 standard. The expensive ones are a bit lighter
is all

Ken Marcet said:

Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me

ride more

Quoted message said:

than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants? Or

is this

Quoted message said:

just a dream of mine? I was browsing nashbar and they have some in

the $30

Quoted message said:

to $40 range that look as though they have a bit more padding than a

"stock"

Quoted message said:

read "cheap" seat.

It's really subjective. It depends on your anatomy and what kind of
riding you do (intensity, duration, position).

Cycling shorts are not really designed to give extra padding, but to
prevent chafing, particularly when sweating heavily. Again, intensity
and duration determine how much you benefit.

I don't think there's any correlation between price and suitability.
More expensive saddles are better made and usually more durable, that's
all.

Try to find a shop that will let you return saddles (most won't). Often
shops have a box full of OEM saddles that came on new bikes but were
swapped at purchase time. They are really cheap ($5-10), you can try
out a wide range of shapes & paddings with them.

Make sure you experiment with saddle tilt, it can have a big effect on
comfort.

Quoted message said:

Brooks B-17 standard. You will ride until you pass from exhaustion
rather than stopping from butt pain. Check nashbar.com and
wallbike.com The one I ordered from nashbar was thicker leather and a
bit more comfortable than the wallingford one which is thinner and came
on a cardboard hanger rather than the nashbar one's box. Honestly the
best seat you can buy. All the fancy ones are horrible compared to the
brooks. Check mtbr.com and roadbikereview.com

My favorites are the "Bernard HINAULT Turbo" and the Brooks Team
Professional. Unfortunately, the Turbo is no longer available, and the
Team Pro is god-awful expensive.

--

John ([email hidden])

In article <[email hidden]>, Ken Marcet says...

Quoted message said:

Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me ride more
than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants?

Forget the saddle, just ride frequent shorts trips. You will toughen up and in
time be ready for this:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html

[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A new Brooks is over a hundred bucks. In fact I've seen

used ones

Quoted message said:

sell for that
much.

Try $50-60 for the b-17 standard. The expensive ones are a

bit lighter

Quoted message said:

is all

I've managed to equip multiple bikes with used Brooks saddles.
My first one came on a garage sale bike that I bought for
$10 -- I got a Brooks saddle, a pair of pedals, front and rear
derailleurs and levers and a couple of other random parts off
that bike. The other used Brooks I've bought have been in the
$30 range. (one at Urban Bikes in Chicago, just to name one
good place for stuff like this.)

I also got one by reading a posting from a guy disparaging
Brooks saddles. Sure enough, he had one and was happy to sell
it to me cheaply.

John Thompson said:

the Turbo is no longer available

Nashbar's got a few on sale from vintage stock right now. I also saw a few
Rolls as well. Ohh la la! Nothing like perforated white leather. 😄 I
think the asking price was less than thirty bucks.

Mike Kruger said:

The other used Brooks I've bought have been in the
$30 range. (one at Urban Bikes in Chicago, just to name one
good place for stuff like this.)

Are they still around? I used to LOVE that place. They only had a pair of
vintage and frighteningly hard Ideale saddles when I was there last.
[Shivers]

I got my Brooks Champion Flyer this last spring for $50 on sale on-line.

It's a heavy beast and I don't care. :P

Ken Marcet said:

Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me

ride more

Quoted message said:

than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants?

First, asking others to recommend a saddle is probably a bit of a long
shot. It's like asking everyone "Which shoes would fit my feet best?"
Everyone's feet are different. Ditto for everyone's bottom.

But as one response said, the shorts aren't so much for padding. They
prevent fabric from wrinkling up where you sit and chafing you. (If
that weren't so, they'd just put that much extra padding onto the
saddle.)

Or is this

Quoted message said:

just a dream of mine?

Riding without cycling shorts is not just a dream. I think most people
are more comfortable in cycling shorts - IOW, they _do_ work - but I've
done many, many miles in ordinary clothes. One trick is to avoid
underwear with thick seams.

I was browsing nashbar and they have some in the $30

Quoted message said:

to $40 range that look as though they have a bit more padding than a

"stock"

Quoted message said:

read "cheap" seat.

I can't recommend saddle shopping by mail, unless you already know
exactly the make and model you need. As someone said, the critical
dimension is width; you must have your seat bones supported by the
saddle. People with wider pelvises have problems with too-narrow
saddles. But catalogs don't tell you the width.

I don't believe degree of padding is directly related to price. And I
don't believe you want too much padding. IMO, you need enough so
you're spreading the load a bit on your sit bones, not getting
theoretical point contact, as it were - but you don't want so much
padding that you sink into it and cut off circulation. It's an
individual thing - shorter rides can stand more padding. Longer rides
need a bit less to keep circulation from being cut off.

FWIW, Brooks saddles don't work for me - and believe me, I've tried. I
do better with a gel saddle, or with one of Terry's offerings. But
again, it is a very individual thing.

Measure your sit bone distance, then get into a bike shop and let them
help you.

Thu, 10 Mar 2005 03:04:03 GMT,
<[email hidden]>,

maxo said:

Mike Kruger said:

The other used Brooks I've bought have been in the
$30 range. (one at Urban Bikes in Chicago, just to name one
good place for stuff like this.)

Are they still around? I used to LOVE that place. They only had a pair of
vintage and frighteningly hard Ideale saddles when I was there last.
[Shivers]

I've always preferred Ideale to Brooks. The arched top fit's my
anatomy better than the flat assed British saddles.
--
zk

Roy Zipris said:

Someone once described the feeling of a Brooks B-17 as riding while
sitting in a hammock. Got it pretty right, in my experience....

For a real hammock seat:
<http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/costin/Monky1.jpg>.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Tom Sherman said:

For a real hammock seat:
<http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/costin/Monky1.jpg>.

Or perhaps http://www.pedersenbicycle.dk/history.html
--
Darin McGrew, [email hidden], http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/
Web Design Group, [email hidden], http://www.HTMLHelp.com/

"I'd love to make time, if only I could find the recipe."

Ken Marcet said:

Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me ride more
than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants? Or is this
just a dream of mine? I was browsing nashbar and they have some in the $30
to $40 range that look as though they have a bit more padding than a "stock"
read "cheap" seat.

I prefer sling-mesh seats with a foam pad. You could inquire at
Lightning Cycle Dynamics since they make such a seat, but I expect their
seat is more in the $300-400 range.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

The cautions about saddles being a matter of personal choice are
correct, as are the cautions about mail order. But, as I said earlier,
Wallingford has a great return policy that makes it worth considering
if you are thinking about a Brooks saddle. This is from the Wallingford
web site's warranty page:

6 Month UNCONDITIONAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - new BROOKS saddles.
Return your new saddle at any time within six-months of the ship date
for a full refund of the price of the saddle. Shipping will not be
refunded unless there is a manufacturing defect issue that would make
the return a factory warranty issue.

Around here, a six month test would just about take you through an
entire season of prime-time cycling. --Roy Zipris