bike saddle

How long of rides are you doing now and how long are you wanting to do?

Saddles are really a personal preference. It's really going to be hard to pick a saddle based on someone else's recommendation, but don't think that "squishier" is always better. Squishy saddles usually just ending up with lots of pressure points instead of actually supporting you, especially on longer rides. For me, I've found that I more control the comfort through finding a good pair of cycling shorts/bibs, not necessarily the padding in the seat.

I ride a Specialized Toupe with very little padding but can be comfortable for 6 plus hours on the bike with the right bibs. Also, standing up for 30 seconds to 1 minute every 15 minutes or so can help a lot.

 

my favorite saddle of all time!




people are going to debate this possibly but first thing about saddles as Xela said is it is personal preference. the saddle above is on almost every bike i own. road mtb both. when you find the one that fits you, just hope they never quit making it.
two pieces of advice

1: cushy is not usually more comfortable for long riding! or short in my opinion. saddle width and design are much more important than padding. when you ride a lot you will develop muscles where you used to get sore. i only wear riding shorts or bibs on rides over thirty miles... the shorter ones my toosh just doesn't care either way. my body has gotten used to riding. you need to find the width and length of saddle that works for you. i could tell you mine but it will be worthless since we are shaped different, weigh different weights and i am certain ride much differently. a squishy, cushy saddle does exactly like Xela said squish out and make pressure points. saddles also flex and you need one that flexes right for you.

2: price is going to matter, good saddles are not cheap, thus do not get a cheap saddle. the more expensive ones keep their shape and thus fit better. i am not syaing the most expensive one is best... Selle makes a more expensive model than the one i ride that has gel in it and while i like it for shorter rides after about 3 hours i want to pedal standing up... while the model i ride i am good for the whole day on it.

make sure the saddle is angled right.(not sloping either way) if your seat height is incorrect you can get sore in the butt as well... i have experienced this first hand.

ride as many as you can before buying one. i know this is not easy to do and the other problem with this is sometimes a saddle can be awesome for two miles and awful for twenty.... One other word of advise in my experience saddles made for women are squishier and wider. they usually suck! while we will like a little wider one than most guys are height and weight, the non women specifics are better.

good luck, in my opinion this is the hardest purchase in cycling! a perfect saddle (for you) is out there, hopefully you can track it down.

 

looks nice... way too wide for me(this will sound gross but it would spread my legs apart and put me on my pelvic bone(ouch), sorry this is actually the nicest way i could try to explain), and a little on the squishy side.

 

As everyone else has said, soft and lots of gel doesn't generally help. You want support on your sitbones.

My favorite saddle, which is on my hybrid, is a Brooks B17. It's not light, but comfortable, especially once broken in. It looks like a torture device, as there is no padding whatsoever, but the leather is comfortable and over time conforms to you. They aren't cheap, but do the job, last a long time and they have kept the little touches.

However, they are not comfortable for everyone.

 

I replaced my bontrager with a Brooks b17 narrow still in the break in process not sure how long this will take but feels pretty good and getting better.

 

One of my favs too.

 

I've been thinking about a Brooks for about 10 years, heard they are not for everbody. Never tried one but it reminds me of what I had on my old Peugeot about 30 years ago, like the classic look.

Any others with first hand (butt) experiance?

 

Not for everyone, but...our favs:

 

I put a Selle An-Atomica clydesdale on my Aurora elite about 500 miles ago it was feeling good, but the last ajustment neads a little more tweeking, just not quite the way I want it. The ajusting of the tension on the leather is like the Brooks.