saddle help!

[lukeelkins]

I am doing a long tour this coming summer. i will be following the TA. im looking in to getting a new saddle and have no idea what would be best for long rides. any help would b great! thank you guys!!

[whittierider]

Brooks is a favorite.  A saddle is a very personal thing however and what works for one person may be terrible for the next.  I tried a Brooks B-15 years ago and even after thousands of miles it remained uncomfortable.  The saddle I'm on now is probably the narrowest, lightest, and hardest one I've ever used, and one of the cheapest, yet also one of the very most comfortable-- for me.  In any case, if you find a saddle that fits you right, it is neither helpful nor desirable to have much padding, since padding just pushes up into soft tissues and causes problems.

[Susan]

Check out Selle An-Atomica Titanico - watershed leather saddle!  I have tried many and this is the most comfortable saddle I have ever owned.  I have only gone around 100 miles on it, but I feel confident that I have finally found the right saddle for me.  I live in Germany and have ridden with it in the rain twice already -  no problems so far.  I particularly like the large open space in the middle - I think when it get's hot I will sweat less.  Here I was told that there are no separate mens/womens models, but rather 2 models to choose from according to your weight.   I noticed that amazon.com offers the saddle for about $160 - expensive but worth it - now I can't wait to tour with it!   

[bogiesan]

I am doing a long tour this coming summer. i will be following the TA. im looking in to getting a new saddle and have no idea what would be best for long rides. any help would b great! thank you guys!!

We see this post often so you can search for other advice, Brooks seems to float to the top most often. Folks who ask this question rarely come back to tell us what saddle they bought and how it worked out. Please consider returning to let us know what worked for you.

I just dropped by a couple of the larger online bike suppliers and counted more than 100 different saddles, including size (but not color) variations, from about 15 different manufacturers. Even discarding the highly specific road saddles, there were still more than 35 units from which to choose. I don't know how you'd make an intelligent choice without riding each one several hundred miles.

For me, the answer is easy, I run a recumbent.

david boise ID

[aggie]

If you have a bike shop you go to "regularly" ask them if they have saddles you can try for a few rides to see how they work for you.  I've ridden saddles that some folks claim is the most comfortable they've ever ridden but I find them extremely uncomfortable.  Since everyone's bottom anatomy seems to be a little different you may have to try several different saddles to find one you find comfortable.  On my touring I have a Brooks and on my regular road bike a Sella Italia Prolink gel.

You can do a search for "saddles" in this forum and gear to see what others have said since this is a popular topic.

[hmoore71]

The best advice I have is summed up in this article by Sheldon Brown http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

First bike fit.
Saddle width. Measure the difference between your sit bones and add 6cm to 8cm as a starting saddle width. See http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/standardsaddles.html. for various widths.

I'm sure there are other saddle manufacturers besides Brooks with similar dimensions and materials.

[indyfabz]

Some shops have a sits bones measuring tool.  You sit on a gel pad and it locates them so you can measure the width.

For my wide butt, the Terry Liberator has always worked for me.

[litespeed]

I've wouldn't ride on anything but a Terry Gel Men's Touring Liberator saddle. When I'm touring I scarcely think about my butt. Now if I could just find a way to stop the pain in my feet after 80 miles........

[DaveB]

I've wouldn't ride on anything but a Terry Gel Men's Touring Liberator saddle. When I'm touring I scarcely think about my butt. Now if I could just fine a way to stop the pain in my feet after 80 miles........

It's the best saddle for you but I expect there are others who find it torture.  Saddles are about the most subjective part of any bike. 

Now, about those feet; what pedals and shoes are you using?

[litespeed]

I use Shimano shoes with SPD's - cleats as far back as possible. But I have very high arches and a right foot that was severely crushed when I was 23. What I probably need is custom inserts for the shoes. One of these days......

[paddleboy17]

I use Shimano shoes with SPD's - cleats as far back as possible. But I have very high arches and a right foot that was severely crushed when I was 23. What I probably need is custom inserts for the shoes. One of these days......

The cleat should line up with a line running under the ball of the foot. 

Almost everyone benefits from a custom foot bed.  The foot beds that come with bike shoes tend to be fairly awful.  Super feet makes some nice aftermarket foot beds.  I think you can buy them at REI.

My custom foot beds (I have flat feet), are to big to fit my bike shoes, so the guy that made the foot beds modified a set of Super Feet foot beds for my bike shoes.  I needed the foot beds to be thicker on the inside.