Comfortable saddle

[philwickham]

I have a Specialized Allez racing bike and want to improve the comfort of the saddle. I am a big guy so this doesn't help the amount of weight on it, but I just feel that the one I have could be more comfortable...

Any suggestions please??

Thank you
Phil

[hexhome]

Different people suit different saddles. Also a big guy, I found the Charge Spoon ( http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... o-mo-21369 ) to be very comfortable (currently £18.50 from Triton) before settling for the luxury of a B17.

[Ayesha]

Go to a Specialized Concept Store.

They will measure your Ischial Tuberosity.

[Vantage]

Go to a Specialized Concept Store.

They will measure your Ischial Tuberosity.

Which will be of absolutely no use whatsoever.
Asking for a recommendation on a saddle is like asking "how long is a piece of string".
2 identical butts on 2 identical saddles will not feel the same level of comfort or discomfort.
Saddle choice as anyone with half a brain will know, is entirely a personal thing.

[reohn2]

I have a Specialized Allez racing bike and want to improve the comfort of the saddle. I am a big guy so this doesn't help the amount of weight on it, but I just feel that the one I have could be more comfortable...

Any suggestions please??

Thank you
Phil

Where does it hurt front or on the two sit bones?
Is your riding position correct?
How big is big?
What kind mileage before it becomes uncomfortable?
What kind of shorts do you wear?

[Vaya]

Go to a Specialized Concept Store.

They will measure your Ischial Tuberosity.

Which will be of absolutely no use whatsoever.
Asking for a recommendation on a saddle is like asking "how long is a piece of string".
2 identical butts on 2 identical saddles will not feel the same level of comfort or discomfort.
Saddle choice as anyone with half a brain will know, is entirely a personal thing.

Agreed.

Best option is to just try a few and see what works for you, I've toured with a b17, communted using a charge spoon and have planet x light weight saddle on my road bike, each is very different but i find them all comfy.

[Ayesha]

Go to a Specialized Concept Store.

They will measure your Ischial Tuberosity.

Which will be of absolutely no use whatsoever.
Asking for a recommendation on a saddle is like asking "how long is a piece of string".
2 identical butts on 2 identical saddles will not feel the same level of comfort or discomfort.
Saddle choice as anyone with half a brain will know, is entirely a personal thing.

Go on ChainReactinCycles.
Order one of every saddle they sell. Send back all except the most comfortable,,, within 14 days.

[Vantage]

There's a slight flaw in your plan. Many would argue that you need to spend a few hundred miles on a saddle before deciding whether it was right for you or not.
Personally, I can't do that kinda mileage in that short a time, but if you want to stump up the money for me to test 399 plus saddles in their stock over a longer period of time, I'm up for the challenge

[Vaya]

You many need to wait a while between each test in case there is pain from a previous saddle test - got to keep every test fair!

[samsbike]

Different people suit different saddles. Also a big guy, I found the Charge Spoon ( http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... o-mo-21369 ) to be very comfortable (currently £18.50 from Triton) before settling for the luxury of a B17.

I travelled on this journey too. I recently have been commuting on a charge spoon, which at the price is very good. Just tried a b17 for a couple of days and its much better. However, I had to raise the saddle more do the leather flexing.

[danmitch]

Not sure if you are near London but Condor Cycles have a test programme for Fizik saddles, alternatively buy a few second hand on ebay and resell those that don't work - should end up even with no rush on testing them properly.

If possible I would add Selle SMP to the list to test.

Dan

[ukdodger]

Go to a Specialized Concept Store.

They will measure your Ischial Tuberosity.

Which will be of absolutely no use whatsoever.
Asking for a recommendation on a saddle is like asking "how long is a piece of string".
2 identical butts on 2 identical saddles will not feel the same level of comfort or discomfort.
Saddle choice as anyone with half a brain will know, is entirely a personal thing.

Agreed. The most comfortable saddle I've ever had was a sprung foam one with a slippery plastic covering. The covering is most important. slippery plastic slides against your leg wear. Not your leg wear against your leg.

[Ayesha]

Write the names of the saddles on a big sheet of paper.

Hang the big sheet of paper on the wall and throw a dart at it.

[Ayesha]

Go to a Specialized Concept Store.

They will measure your Ischial Tuberosity.

Which will be of absolutely no use whatsoever.
Asking for a recommendation on a saddle is like asking "how long is a piece of string".
2 identical butts on 2 identical saddles will not feel the same level of comfort or discomfort.
Saddle choice as anyone with half a brain will know, is entirely a personal thing.

Agreed. The most comfortable saddle I've ever had was a sprung foam one with a slippery plastic covering. The covering is most important. slippery plastic slides against your leg wear. Not your leg wear against your leg.

That saddle gave you the saddle base, a layer of padding, the shiny cover, your shorts material, the shorts insert and then the skin of your butt.

One could have, the leather saddle surface, shorts material, two shorts inserts and then the skin of one's butt.
Or, replace the leather saddle surface with a shiny plastic.

I rode round for several years on a cheapo BMX saddle. It had a one-piece plastic seat, shiny down the sides with a textured strip along the top surface. Double insert shorts gave an incredibly comfy ride.

[ukdodger]

Yeah and try to find one now with shiny plastic..