Thread: Bike seat advice from cyclists wanted

I'm not on avid cyclist by any means. My biggest problem is that I can never find a seat that is comfortable enough for longer periods. Every seat I've had, including gel seats etc, seem to press against my "butt bones".

I've felt if I could mount a tractor seat on my mountain bike I'd probably be happy, but that's crazy talk.

I won't be buying a recumbent bike either since I'm not into biking enough to replace the one I have.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Chris L

For singletrack I find the WTB Rocket V comfortable as any and it holds up well to the rigors of the trail. On road bikes I have gone through my share of Brooks leather saddles but switched to the synthetics years ago. I think that with a lot of riding the sit bone area either toughens up or becomes desensitised. I recently picked up a Selle AnAtomica Titanico and have found it to be very comfortable. You can read about it here.

I've always found the gel seats to be ok for short rides, but not comfortable for longer hauls. I think the cushier the seat the more uncomfortable it becomes as the miles pile up. Kind of like how a stiff seat can feel better in the long term over a "marshmallow" cushion.
As far as which seat is best-well, there's the million dollar question. Depends on your particular anatomy to a large extent. Funny how many things in life aren't amenable to being characterized as "the best".

One thing I would recommend is a cut-out type seat, where the middle of the saddle has an opening or indentation to let "the family jewels" rest more comfortably. There are plenty of those anatomical models on the market.

I know this answer isn't as specific as you were probably looking for, but unfortunately no one has yet invented a bicycle seat that is universally considered to be "the best" or "the most comfortable". I've been riding for years and haven't found anything that I'd call comfortable. At most, it's a question of minimizing your discomfort.

Happy riding.

Thanks for the info, guys. That makes sense that with so many different butts, there isn't a one size fits all. I'm not certain, but I thought maybe mine can tilt as well as raise and lower. Maybe I should play with adjusting it a bit if possible and see if that helps.

Chris L

Chris,

Been there, done that.... I burned the T-shirt!!!

Just like straight razors, you need to look back in the past to Jolly Old England if you want a *REAL* saddle for your bike. What you are looking for is a Brooks Saddle and the link will take you to one of the larger US dealers who handles them. You'll need to follow the links from that page and actually click on the various models to find something that might suit you. I don't think I would recommend this one even though it might be what you are looking for. It's really rather on the extreme side of comfort, I settled for a B66 Champion which might be a bit narrow for you... hard to say without knowing your actual sit bone width and the amount of riding you do. By the sounds of your description, I'd suggest you perhaps look at the B66 Standard. Should you decide to order one from Walbike, do yourself a favor and actually give them a call... a bit of personal service might help in your selection.

A traditional English leather saddle can be very uncomfortable for the first few rides as it needs to break in to *fit* your sit bones, but once that is taken care of you'll find you can ride for hours on end with little issue. It's really about the saddle fitting you. Modern gels, plastics and foams never change, they are shaped the way they come from the factory for life... if they don't fit your *rse when brand new, they'll never fit your *arse period!

And while you are at it, why not drool over the traditional waxed cotton saddle bags from Carradice also available from Walbike.

Additional reading about bicycles and riding them are available at Rivendell Bicycles and last but not least even though he passed away only a short time ago Captain Bike himself, Sheldon Brown who will be sorely missed.

Regards

Kaptain "Two Wheels and a comfy butt!" Zero

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

Chris,

Been there, done that.... I burned the T-shirt!!!

Just like straight razors, you need to look back in the past to Jolly Old England if you want a *REAL* saddle for your bike. What you are looking for is a Brooks Saddle and the link will take you to one of the larger US dealers who handles them. You'll need to follow the links from that page and actually click on the various models to find something that might suit you. I don't think I would recommend this one even though it might be what you are looking for. It's really rather on the extreme side of comfort, I settled for a B66 Champion which might be a bit narrow for you... hard to say without knowing your actual sit bone width and the amount of riding you do. By the sounds of your description, I'd suggest you perhaps look at the B66 Standard. Should you decide to order one from Walbike, do yourself a favor and actually give them a call... a bit of personal service might help in your selection.

A traditional English leather saddle can be very uncomfortable for the first few rides as it needs to break in to *fit* your sit bones, but once that is taken care of you'll find you can ride for hours on end with little issue. It's really about the saddle fitting you. Modern gels, plastics and foams never change, they are shaped the way they come from the factory for life... if they don't fit your *rse when brand new, they'll never fit your *arse period!

And while you are at it, why not drool over the traditional waxed cotton saddle bags from Carradice also available from Walbike.

Additional reading about bicycles and riding them are available at Rivendell Bicycles and last but not least even though he passed away only a short time ago Captain Bike himself, Sheldon Brown who will be sorely missed.

Regards

Kaptain "Two Wheels and a comfy butt!" Zero

Sweet saddles, Christian. I think I'm hooked already. I may have to sell a hone or two (keep your mitts off my Shaptons) to pay for one of the Brookses but it sounds worth it. Thanks for the advice.

Chris L

This is so not a simple question. There's no such thing as a perfect seat.

Question: do you ride upright ("tourist" style) or bent (more of the racing position).

If you ride upright, you'll need a wider seat. Since you're mentioning your butt bone, that makes me think this is the case. Bike stores all like to carry the narrower saddles which are for racing because that's what sells, but if your back is straight then your tailbone takes a bump. Even if you shell out the big bucks for Brooks, you'll never quite get to comfortable. Get yourself a big fat beach cruiser saddle. I'm an upright rider and an endurance bicyclist and this one: http://www.harborcountrybike.com/Big...at_p/49525.htm has been comfortable enough to go on a century.

If you're a bent rider and saddles haven't been comfortable and you can afford one of the Brooks models you've ben linked to, go for it. Hell, they make the wide models too.

Originally Posted by Chrisl

Thanks for the info, guys. That makes sense that with so many different butts, there isn't a one size fits all. I'm not certain, but I thought maybe mine can tilt as well as raise and lower. Maybe I should play with adjusting it a bit if possible and see if that helps.

Chris L

This makes a HUGE amount of difference in how it will feel to you. Another important aspect is the position you're actually in on the bike. Some have questioned the type of bike you're riding and the position is regards to it being "upright" or not. This is important as often times you can adjust the handlebars, stem, and seatpost to completely change the way the bike fits you.

I worked in a bicycle shop for 2 years and have adjusted countless bikes to better fit the person they're intended for. This often goes overlooked unless you as a rider understand that it can be improved upon. If you got your bike at a real bike shop (and I hope you did!), by all means go back to them and see if they can help adjust things more appropriately. This may involve replacing parts (handlebars, stem, seatpost, maybe cables even) in order to change the position.

As far as a seat, that is a very personal choice. I would look for a design with a groove or a cutout in the middle. I concur with the WTB speed V recommendation above. I've had one for around 8 years or so and even though it's beat up It's really a nice saddle for my butt. I do ride a mountain bike and I am about 150 lbs. though. Find a saddle that suits your needs by trying different models out if possible. Again a bike shop is the best place to do this.

I ride upright on a Schwinn mountain bike that I've outfitted with city touring tires (no knobs) for tooling around town and on the paved bike trails. The handle bar height is not adjustable on this bike.

Chris L

I was lucky when I bought mine. The bike shop let me keep trading untill I found one I liked. Took about eight saddles but for me the Serfas RX mens fit the bill. It looks narrow but is quite comfortable. Keep in mind I am large and heavy 6'6" and nearly 300#. In the reviews lighter smaller people hated this seat. Big heavy guys loved it. You just have to see what fits you and your riding style. It is on a Cannondale hardtail.

Don