Test riding a collection of saddles - weird

[LittleGreyCat]

To recap some previous discussions.

I have two bikes (roadworthy) at the moment.

Univega Rover 3.5 all steel no suspension MTB from around 1995. Selle Royal Madison G11 comfort gel. Well worn and starting to split, but suits me fine.

Spa Wayfarer all steel tourer bought last November, with Spa leather saddle. A serious saddle made from very thick leather but so far like rock but on a hard day, and my skinny bum is having trouble breaking it in.

I have a couple of spare saddles from Lidl. Both Wittkkop, one Trekking saddle of Medicus Gel, and one MTB saddle of Medicus memory foam.

I gave up on testing with the MTB pending a new more friendly seat post, but the Trekking saddle worked pretty well on that. Nearly as good as the Madison G11.

On the Spa, I tested the Madison G11, the Trekking and MTB saddles. The results were interesting to say the least!
[Note: I kept meaning to move the Spa leather saddle slightly further back as I found myself sliding off the back of the saddle a bit from time to time.]

First thing I discovered (apart from a rapid learning curve on micro adjustable seat posts) was that if you are comparing three saddles you can't just set up the seat post and then swap them over.
Each one sits slightly differently and needs minor adjustments fore and aft and front to back.
So you can't be entirely sure that you are comparing like for like with regards to riding position.

Results:

G11 - slightly disappointing as although it was luxurious on the bum bones the overall riding position felt different. I seemed to be a bit far back from the bars when I sat centrally in the saddle. A few rides with constant adjustment probably needed to get it absolutely spot on.

MTB saddle - very impressed. The fit seemed spot on. The downside was that my weight was taken mainly on the bum bones and I could feel the same places complaining as with the Spa leather saddle. No idea why it is classed as an MTB saddle as the profile looks more like that for an average road bike.

Trekking saddle - in many ways similar to the G11. Very supportive of the bum. However riding position feels not quite right with the bars a tiny bit too far forward. A bit of pressure on the "teabags" as well. Again a lot of micro adjustments during a longer ride are probably needed to get it just right.

Interesting and unexpected bit:

for my testing I rode once round the block (to get the set up feeling right, lost of stopping and twiddling) then down and up a straight road to do a slightly longer test. About 0.75 miles in each direction. This should hopefully eliminate wind effects from the test.

With the MTB saddle I seemed to gain about an extra 2 mph on the down wind leg and perhaps another 1 mph on the upwind leg. I have no idea why. Perhaps I was just in the ideal position to get the maximum out of my legs?

This does illustrate that there may be more to choosing a saddle than just finding one that feels comfortable.

I think I may do a back to back test with the Spa and the MTB saddle some time tomorrow, just to see what the differences feel like, and what impact there is on the speed. With the Spa saddle on the last couple of rides I seemed to have gained a bit more power and top speed. I put that down to improved fitness but it might be partly down to tinkering with the saddle position.

The G11 still calls to me because sore bum bones after Day 1 aren't encouraging for a 4 day cycle trek.

[Jamesh]

If your bold enough drape a warm damp tea towel across the spa saddle an hour or two before riding and you may well notice an improvement in comfort....

Cheers James

[amediasatex]

Saddles are a nightmare to discuss as so much of it is personal preference, not to mention adjustments in the same saddle can make more difference than simply swapping to another one!

I normally give any new saddle 200-300 miles, with adjustments along the way before passing judgement, and then another 300 or so if I reckon it’s a good ‘un just to make sure, and I think it’s important to test over a variety of distances and intensities too as what works for an hours frantic ride can be very different to what works on a 12 hour epic.

I’d suggest you keep testing and keep twiddling, sometimes you only know you have the position truely perfect once you actually go too far and get it wrong...

[gaz]

Spa leather saddle. A serious saddle made from very thick leather but so far like rock but on a hard day, and my skinny bum is having trouble breaking it in.

IME you are either comfy on a Spa Nidd from the outset or not, they do not break in.

[PH]

I usually know if I'll hate a saddle within a few miles, but it takes thousands to know if I'll really like it.

[robc02]

First thing I discovered (apart from a rapid learning curve on micro adjustable seat posts) was that if you are comparing three saddles you can't just set up the seat post and then swap them over.
Each one sits slightly differently and needs minor adjustments fore and aft and front to back.
So you can't be entirely sure that you are comparing like for like with regards to riding position.

Saddles are a nightmare to discuss as so much of it is personal preference, not to mention adjustments in the same saddle can make more difference than simply swapping to another one!

Yes and yes! Just measuring saddle height from the top of saddle and setback from the nose often only give a starting point. Saddles sag and flex under the rider's weight differently plus even a slightly different shape might mean the rider sits differently fore and aft. So small adjustments to height and setback might be needed. In some cases even the angle might need slight variation. .......This can prove to be a lengthy process.

[bgnukem]

I tried to break in a Spa saddle but gave up after about a year when it was clear that the leather wasn't going to soften or move in the slightest! I had bought it from another rider who also failed to break it. Bearing in mind I'd previously owned 3 Brooks saddles I knew what to expect with the breaking-in process.

I appreciate they started commissioning their own saddles due to dissatisfaction with Brooks, and the last couple of Brooks saddles I had stretched out of shape rather quickly and stopped being supportive, but I think perhaps Spa have gone too far in the other direction and used very tough and thick Australian leather. The saddle I had was a very high quality item though and with a waterproof membrane bonded to the underside to protect it from road spray.

I'd suggest breaking the leather saddle 'rules' with the Spa saddle and perhaps soaking it then riding it a short distance to try to make some sit-bone indentations in the leather, or perhaps using boot wax to soften the leather slightly.

[Jamesh]

Hi
Dampening a spa saddle might be the way forward.
I certainly know the difference if it's been a dry day or two!!

Cheers James

[amediasatex]

FWIW I have a Spa Aire on one bike and it broke in nicely from its original rock hard state to a nicely supportive but with plenty of give kind of state somewhere between mile 1000 and mile 1200, and the Aire is the more cut back version with less leather so perseverance may be required for a Nidd!

I swapped over to Gilles Berthoud about a year ago and haven’t looked back, they are excellent as far as leather saddles go and are now my default choice for non-racy setups, but as always your bum may be different to mine

[rmurphy195]

I tried to break in a Spa saddle but gave up after about a year when it was clear that the leather wasn't going to soften or move in the slightest! I had bought it from another rider who also failed to break it. Bearing in mind I'd previously owned 3 Brooks saddles I knew what to expect with the breaking-in process.

I appreciate they started commissioning their own saddles due to dissatisfaction with Brooks, and the last couple of Brooks saddles I had stretched out of shape rather quickly and stopped being supportive, but I think perhaps Spa have gone too far in the other direction and used very tough and thick Australian leather. The saddle I had was a very high quality item though and with a waterproof membrane bonded to the underside to protect it from road spray.

I'd suggest breaking the leather saddle 'rules' with the Spa saddle and perhaps soaking it then riding it a short distance to try to make some sit-bone indentations in the leather, or perhaps using boot wax to soften the leather slightly.

Did you try neatsfoot oil?

[bgnukem]

I tried to break in a Spa saddle but gave up after about a year when it was clear that the leather wasn't going to soften or move in the slightest! I had bought it from another rider who also failed to break it. Bearing in mind I'd previously owned 3 Brooks saddles I knew what to expect with the breaking-in process.

I appreciate they started commissioning their own saddles due to dissatisfaction with Brooks, and the last couple of Brooks saddles I had stretched out of shape rather quickly and stopped being supportive, but I think perhaps Spa have gone too far in the other direction and used very tough and thick Australian leather. The saddle I had was a very high quality item though and with a waterproof membrane bonded to the underside to protect it from road spray.

I'd suggest breaking the leather saddle 'rules' with the Spa saddle and perhaps soaking it then riding it a short distance to try to make some sit-bone indentations in the leather, or perhaps using boot wax to soften the leather slightly.

Did you try neatsfoot oil?

No, G wax I think. Then gave up and sold the saddle on eBay......