I am looking for a not inexpensive but comfortable saddle for a long ride. It is for a road bike. Weight is not very important. Any recommendation.? Yes, I understand it is individual thing, but I would like to hear your opinion before spending. What is your favorate saddle ? TIA.
I recently purchased the Specialized Alias Pro. Very comfortable and engineered to provide relief from those sensitive areas. Has good padding for where your sit bones hit. Comes in three widths for a good fit. http://tinyurl.com/3o5jf Good luck. David James
"Dave Thompson" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:[email hidden]:
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"Yum" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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I am looking for a not inexpensive but comfortable saddle for a long ride. It is for a road bike. Weight is not very important. Any recommendation.? Yes, I understand it is individual thing, but I
would
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like to hear your opinion before spending. What is your favorate saddle ? TIA.
I have Brooks B-17 saddles on all my bikes. They've been made for almost 100 years now, have a reputation of lasting for decades, and eliminate the butt as a factor in how long you can ride. I've ridden back-to-back century rides in comfort on a B-17. Randonneurs, ultra long-distance riders, often use Brooks saddles. They're not expensive, $60~$70, classically handsome and make your bike that much more enjoyable.
Rivendell has a special version of the B-17. It has thicker leather and the big rivets. Its rails have a copper coating for some reason. The standard B-17 is a relatively low price point in Brooks and I've not liked them as well. They have little rivets that can get "pokey" after a few years and I think there thinner leather is more sensitive to riding in rain.
On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 23:29:24 -0500, Alan Acock <[email hidden]>
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Rivendell has a special version of the B-17. It has thicker leather and the big rivets. Its rails have a copper coating for some reason. The standard B-17 is a relatively low price point in Brooks and I've not liked them as well. They have little rivets that can get "pokey" after a few years and I think there thinner leather is more sensitive to riding in rain.
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I don't know that the thicker leather is a feature. The regular B-17 leather seems to last a good 30 year plus (still counting here). Also, I think the thinner leather is likely to break in faster. I did a lot of riding with wet shorts on one seat... it seems to have broken in nicely although I'm not certain if the wet riding helped or hurt.
If you really don't like the small rivets, you can get a set of 1/2" copper ones at the local hardware store for under a dollar and do your own replacement. That's not for everyone and most might prefer to just buy the saddle with them factory installed. But, if you find a nice older saddle with the small rivets, you might want to consider an upgrade.
IIRC, Brooks didn't start using the large rivets until a significant aftermarket developed in refitting the big rivets to older saddles.
Retro Bob <[email hidden]> wrote in news:[email hidden]:
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On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 23:29:24 -0500, Alan Acock <[email hidden]>
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Rivendell has a special version of the B-17. It has thicker leather and the big rivets. Its rails have a copper coating for some reason. The standard B-17 is a relatively low price point in Brooks and I've not liked them as well. They have little rivets that can get "pokey" after a few years and I think there thinner leather is more sensitive to riding in rain.
I don't know that the thicker leather is a feature. The regular B-17 leather seems to last a good 30 year plus (still counting here). Also, I think the thinner leather is likely to break in faster. I did a lot of riding with wet shorts on one seat... it seems to have broken in nicely although I'm not certain if the wet riding helped or hurt.
If you really don't like the small rivets, you can get a set of 1/2" copper ones at the local hardware store for under a dollar and do your own replacement. That's not for everyone and most might prefer to just buy the saddle with them factory installed. But, if you find a nice older saddle with the small rivets, you might want to consider an upgrade.
Bob
The thicker letter takes a bit longer to break in, but all my Brooks saddles (4) have been more comforatable from the first mile than the plastic saddles with foam. I appreciate that this is an individual thing and have friends who have ridden a Brooks for 1,000 miles and hated every mile. I live in a place where we get considerable rain (Oregon) and have had my saddles get soaked more than once because I failed to put a cover on them when they were outside.
I really like the big rivets and did appreciate not having to put them in myself.
I agree about WTB saddles. Best I've used. SST 2K is my favourite (though a couple of my occasional use bikes have got SST's with plastic -vinyl?- covers. All are comfortable, but leather covered saddles are well worth it. Of course, it may just be that the SST shape suits me, and may not be intrinically better.
Andrew
[email hidden] (Jeff Wills) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
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I've tried various Brooks with a variety of break-in procedures- from nothing to beating on it with a tire iron. None has ended up as comfortable as the WTB saddles (http://www.wtb.com/saddles.html) I have on several of my bikes. The WTB saddles *for me* have ended up being all-day comfortable.
Saddles are an individual thing, as is bike fit. If you're having trouble with a particular saddle, you may need nothing more than a proper bike fitting. Before swapping out saddles, have your adjustments checked by a professional bike fitter.
[email hidden] (Andrew Webster) wrote in news:[email hidden]:
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I agree about WTB saddles. Best I've used. SST 2K is my favourite (though a couple of my occasional use bikes have got SST's with plastic -vinyl?- covers. All are comfortable, but leather covered saddles are well worth it. Of course, it may just be that the SST shape suits me, and may not be intrinically better.
Too bad they stopped making the SST. I have a number of these saddles, but they all seem to rip under the nose of the saddle along the sharp bottom edge. These are leather covered saddles too. The rest of the cover is fine. Now I'm faced with having to replace these saddles or trying to convince WTB to give me replacements.
"Yum" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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It looks like Brooks saddle is the most popular. I wonder if anybody can comment thid saddle. www.ergo-theseat.com Thanks
I've never tried the ergo-seat, but I am a big Brooks fan having them on all my bikes. There have been many seats such as the ergo ,but they don't seem to have caught on. One factor may be that as a cyclist gains experience and tries many different seats, they find the less-soft ones that have a nose will give them more comfort and control. The ergo seat seems like it would work for those who ride upright and place a majority of their weight on their butt. A properly set-up performance oriented bike has the rider weight on the saddle, pedals and handlebars more equally that an upright rider.
By contrast a Brooks saddle is rock-hard, yet there are many (including myself) who ride them for 50, 75, 100 miles or more at a time and find them very comfortable. Brooks has been making bicycle saddles for over 100 years, so there must be something to their design.
