Touring Saddle?

Matt J said:

I'm building up a touring bike for this summer, and plan to replace an older, overpadded saddle on
it. I also need a saddle for my road bike. I'm looking at a Selle Italia Flite Gel that I figure I
can break in on my road bike, and then throw it on the touring bike when the time comes. Would
this saddle be too skinny for touring? I'm not superskinny, relaly. Would a Brooks or something be
good? I've just got a stock Gary Fisher padded MTB seat on there that I doubt will be very
comfortable. Maybe I should just stick with that?

You raise a good question. I've noticed that it's getting harder and harder to find a "normal"
saddle. I currently have Selle San Marco Rolls on both my bikes (and one spare squirrelled away). In
the past I've used Turbos and Concors. But most of the new saddles feature gel inserts and/or
cutouts, and come in crazy shapes and colors.

Brooks is a religion so I won't go there except to say you'd better have it well broken in BEFORE
you start a tour.

Personally, I would avoid any saddle with gel (had one once).

Art Harris

On 9 Feb 2003 12:16:12 -0800, [email hidden] (Matt J) wrote:

IME racing saddles are light and hard, touring saddles are usually somewhat heavier and more
compliant. I have always used Brooks B17 Narrow on my tourers, with excellent results, but there are
at least three more opinions than there are cyclists :-)

Guy
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Matt J said:

I'm building up a touring bike for this summer, and plan to replace an older, overpadded saddle on
it. I also need a saddle for my road bike. I'm looking at a Selle Italia Flite Gel that I figure I
can break in on my road bike, and then throw it on the touring bike when the time comes. Would
this saddle be too skinny for touring? I'm not superskinny, relaly. Would a Brooks or something be
good? I've just got a stock Gary Fisher padded MTB seat on there that I doubt will be very
comfortable. Maybe I should just stick with that?

I had a short conversation at the LBS last fall about my Brooks. I was told they sell a lot of gel
seats, because most bicycle rides lasted five miles and they felt good for five miles. I mentioned I
got new shoes because I was getting hot spots after 25, and the LBS guy said, "Almost nobody rides
longer than 25 miles at a time." So, if you're going touring 5-25 miles a day, who cares? OTOH,
you'll need different equipment if you're going to ride further.

Pat
--
Apologies to those easily confused. Address is spam-resistant. Correct email address like pdlamb
'round-about comcast point net.

If you've found a comfortable saddle on your road bike, one that works for long rides, there's no
reason not to choose the same saddle for your touring bike, even if it seems unconventionally narrow
for a touring bike. EXCEPT- If the position you'll be riding on your touring bike is quite different
from your other machine, then your butt/saddle interface is going to be different as well, so a
saddle that works nicely on one bike might not work so well on another. But I don't think there's
any reason to believe that a "touring" saddle needs to be different than whatever works for you on
your "road" bike day in and day out.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

"Matt J" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm building up a touring bike for this summer, and plan to replace an older, overpadded saddle on
it. I also need a saddle for my road bike. I'm looking at a Selle Italia Flite Gel that I figure I
can break in on my road bike, and then throw it on the touring bike when the time comes. Would
this saddle be too skinny for touring? I'm not superskinny, relaly. Would a Brooks or something be
good? I've just got a stock Gary Fisher padded MTB seat on there that I doubt will be very
comfortable. Maybe I should just stick with that? Thanks for any ideas. Matt

"Matt J" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm building up a touring bike for this summer, and plan to replace an older, overpadded saddle on
it. I also need a saddle for my road bike. I'm looking at a Selle Italia Flite Gel that I figure I
can break in on my road bike, and then throw it on the touring bike when the time comes. Would
this saddle be too skinny for touring? I'm not superskinny, relaly. Would a Brooks or something be
good? I've just got a stock Gary Fisher padded MTB seat on there that I doubt will be very
comfortable. Maybe I should just stick with that?

It's really a personal thing. I do a lot of distance cycling, and I've found I can ride almost any
saddle for 100-200 miles (except a Brooks). Beyond that, choice becomes more important, I have
tried a lot of saddles, adjusted a lot of ways, currently the one I can ride the farthest is a
rather cheap OEM Selle Italia with a gel pocket which I tried on a whim, comfortable over the 250
mile mark so far.

Harris said:

Brooks is a religion so I won't go there except to say you'd better have it well broken in BEFORE
you start a tour.

Without getting into theological disputations, it's worth pointing out that the Brooks B.17 is an
extremely popular touring saddle, and for the last 4 of these I've put into service it's taken me
less than 200 miles to get complete, total break-in, and in all cases the saddles were comfortable
for rides up to 50-60 miles from the moment I first put them on.

However, in general, it's a very sound idea to be sure that all the equipment you bring on tour is
properly run-in before you set out. A brand new bike is the very last thing you need on tour.

Must be something wrong with me then, because the flared out sides of the B-17 hit the back of my
legs and I cannot use it.

Joe

Quoted message said:

Without getting into theological disputations, it's worth pointing out that the Brooks B.17 is an
extremely popular touring saddle, and for the last 4 of these I've put into service it's taken me
less than 200 miles to get complete, total break-in, and in all cases the saddles were comfortable
for rides up to 50-60 miles from the moment I first put them on.

I have a Brooks B-66 Champion, about 250 km on it so far, and I wouldn't think about riding on
anything else.

[email hidden] (Matt J) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm building up a touring bike for this summer, and plan to replace an older, overpadded saddle on
it. I also need a saddle for my road bike. I'm looking at a Selle Italia Flite Gel that I figure I
can break in on my road bike, and then throw it on the touring bike when the time comes. Would
this saddle be too skinny for touring? I'm not superskinny, relaly. Would a Brooks or something be
good? I've just got a stock Gary Fisher padded MTB seat on there that I doubt will be very
comfortable. Maybe I should just stick with that? Thanks for any ideas. Matt

saddles are a personal thing, what works for one may be torture for another. that said, i'm a big
guy, 6'4", 235#, and i love my brooks champion flyer. it beats out the saddles that preceded it,
including a koobi, terry, selle italia tri-gel, and a stock selle san marco that was a bun killer
supreme. i've got it on a lemond poprad cyclocross bike set up for touring. the other thing i highly
recommend is having your seat no lower than level with the bars. smokey

Terry Liberator. They make a "normal" version and a race version. I prefer the wider one for
touring. It's lether, there's no gel, and I find it very comfortable.

"Matt J" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm building up a touring bike for this summer, and plan to replace an older, overpadded saddle on
it. I also need a saddle for my road bike. I'm looking at a Selle Italia Flite Gel that I figure I
can break in on my road bike, and then throw it on the touring bike when the time comes. Would
this saddle be too skinny for touring? I'm not superskinny, relaly. Would a Brooks or something be
good? I've just got a stock Gary Fisher padded MTB seat on there that I doubt will be very
comfortable. Maybe I should just stick with that? Thanks for any ideas. Matt

Joe Nordic said:

Must be something wrong with me then, because the flared out sides of the B-17 hit the back of my
legs and I cannot use it.

Saddles are very individual. What fits my anatomy to perfection might be sheer hell for you, if
we're built very differently.

Quoted message said:

Joe

Quoted message said:

Without getting into theological disputations, it's worth pointing out that the Brooks B.17 is an
extremely popular touring saddle, and for the last 4 of these I've put into service it's taken me
less than 200 miles to get complete, total break-in, and in all cases the saddles were
comfortable for rides up to 50-60 miles from the moment I first put them on.

Joe Nordic said:

Must be something wrong with me then, because the flared out sides of the B-17 hit the back of my
legs and I cannot use it.

Is that the B17 Narrow?

Guy
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Harris said:

I currently have Selle San Marco Rolls

Nice. Most of the guys in my (touring) club have Brooks - and most of those who don't are
on Rolls :-)

Guy
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Ever consider something like the SEAT from Ergo ( ergotheseat.comergotheseat.comOpen ↗ )?

I commute by bicycle every day and ride for recreation in evenings and on weekends. I really like
the Ergo seat. I'll never go back to a bike seat with a horn again. I never get saddle sore or numb.
My wife swears by her's as well.

Just another possibility.

David. virtualsky.netcyclingOpen ↗

[email hidden] (Matt J) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm building up a touring bike for this summer, and plan to replace an older, overpadded saddle on
it. I also need a saddle for my road bike. I'm looking at a Selle Italia Flite Gel that I figure I
can break in on my road bike, and then throw it on the touring bike when the time comes. Would
this saddle be too skinny for touring? I'm not superskinny, relaly. Would a Brooks or something be
good? I've just got a stock Gary Fisher padded MTB seat on there that I doubt will be very
comfortable. Maybe I should just stick with that? Thanks for any ideas. Matt