Colt saddle

[robert17]

Now I know that saddles are very personal but I am just starting to wonder if I should move on. Having grown up touring, I still love it. However, I have only just started to get back in to it after a good few years of just day rides [children you know]. I have used a San Marco Rolls on a Ribble road bike [no longer have] and the same on my Tourer/Commuter now for nearly seven years. For day rides and commuting it is super. However, during my eight day/425 mile Side2Side tour this year I was starting to ache by day five. Not awful but distracting. Now [after years of my dad telling me that Brooks is the only way] I have read of the Colt which looks just a bit different and may suit me (average built tourer). Anybody help me with some golden advice? I am loathe to spend £90+ on a saddle which I find anything less than heaven. Finally, has anyone got one of the Spa own brand saddles? Any good?

Thank you,

Robert
Kidderminster CTC.

[Brucey]

Brooks saddles (pretty much any model) can be lovely once they are broken in but I have ruined several by using them in very wet conditions; the leather just stretches more than normal. I also have not found a saddle cover that is properly durable, so have resorted to using a plastic bag (Hovis, actually...) to protect the leather on my 'daily' bike. When the bag finally gets a hole in it, you can see if it has leaked or not. With a saddle cover, you can't.

I never liked rolls saddlles that much; too curved side to side and too flat front to back for me; I preferred a 'turbo' to a rolls. Some of the skimpiest modern saddles are suprisingly comfortable; the plastic hull is so abbreviated it has no choice but to flex... I wouldn't recommend a traditional leather saddle to anyone who likes to 'slide back' too much in the saddle on long climbs BTW- the rivets (even nice flush ones) chafe through your shorts. Shorts make a difference too!

A good leather saddle is an investment both in financial terms and miles you have to put in to break them in...but if you can live with the few shortcomings they are very comfortable indeed.

No experience of the SPA ones BTW.

cheers

[robc02]

Anybody help me with some golden advice? I am loathe to spend £90+ on a saddle which I find anything less than heaven.

You can often buy almost new -just a few test rides - saddles on this very forum. They are a bit cheaper than buying new but you will almost certainly be able to sell them on for more or less what you paid if you don't like them. (I did this until I found which one I preferred).

Even if you buy new and don't like it you can probably sell it on without that much of a loss - there is a healthy demand for used Brooks saddles!

[georgew]

Best to stay clear of the Colt unless your DNA is close to that of the Hippo. The Colt uses extremely thick hide and does take ages to break-in ...if ever that is. It's also quite narrow and, in my opinion, not ideal for a tourist. It will last a lifetime however, that is if you don't chuck it away first. Best to go for the B17 Special which has a thinner hide and larger copper rivets.
I have bought a Nidd touring saddle from Spa and it looks pretty good, in fact better in quality than the Brooks equivalent but have yet to ride it.
Personally I've never suffered from the leather stretching due to becoming wet. This is probably because I waterproof the saddle using a conditioner before I use it. Again, I create the dimples on a new saddle by wetting the area from underneath and using my thumb. Leave it to dry for 24 hrs and it becomes as hard as before. Only then do I use a coating of "Hydrophane" on the underside but not too much as this will cause too much softening. Beware of Brooks' current advice (which is in opposition to all previous advice) which is to rub Proofide on the underside. This advice is in response to the American market which complained of stretching due to riding without mudguards. Too much Proofide applied underneath will cause the saddle to become too soft and you will end up sitting on the former.

[Brucey]

so; too much waterproofer will stretch the saddle wet or dry, and not enough will.... stretch the saddle when wet....

'tis a narrow path to tread indeed.... my present experiment is to use wax shoe polish on the underside, which is worked in using a hairdryer. I think -and hope- that this will waterproof without softening the leather too much. I'm hoping that this will also deter rotting in the leather near the steel frame and the rivets which can also be a problem for some folk. Anyone else tried this?

cheers

[WrightsW5]

The Colt has a similar width and curve to a Rolls so you may love it. But it's not a Rolls so can't guarantee it. On a normal condition saddle i'd only use Proofide.

[ukdodger]

I really think there's a lot of hype about the 'right' saddle. I think all you need is decent padding and a cover that is both waterproof and crucially lets your legwear slide against the saddle. I did the E2E on a plastic 'Velo' saddle without one jot of soreness and I didnt wear padded pants. But then Velo went and changed the cover on the latest version of the same saddle from 'slidy' plastic to 'sticky' plastic. The result is the saddle sticks to your legwear and your inner thigh slides against the legwear. The result is soreness after even a few miles. Now you cant find the 'slidy' plastic saddles anywhere.

[MLJ]

My Colt has sat under me for well over 80000 very comfortable miles, wet and dry! I have a home-made cover from PVC fabric which is occasionally used. One way to start with a new one is to free off the tensioner a bit: the thumb should depress about 1/8" in the middle. It can be tightened up as it softens.

[Brucey]

how long before it 'broke in' ?

And what care routine have you used?

-I'm sure that many prospective owners are hoping that you will mention a number that is less than, er, 79000 at this point.....

cheers

[WrightsW5]

'80000 very comfortable miles'

[robinlh]

One of my brooks saddle covers has spent in excess of 60 nights in the open on tour without leaking.
Can I repeat that it is width that is the most critical factor in saddle comfort?
Too wide is as bad as too narrow,but there is a largish window.
It depends also on your sex,how wide yer ischial protruberances are anyway,how fat yer buttock is and how upright you like to sit.
Soft is as uncomfortable in saddles as it is in chairs and beds,because it mitigates against support.
Smooth tops without joins are best and whilst I prefer leather its only because nobody has put their mind to creating a synthetic substitute that works.
For touring,real cycling,that is.
If you are a lycra clad anorexic,and compettitive with it,then apart from offering my sincere sympathies I cannot help you,such activities are beyond my experience or comprehension.
R

[ukdodger]

One of my brooks saddle covers has spent in excess of 60 nights in the open on tour without leaking.
Can I repeat that it is width that is the most critical factor in saddle comfort?
Too wide is as bad as too narrow,but there is a largish window.
It depends also on your sex,how wide yer ischial protruberances are anyway,how fat yer <i>[rude word removed]</i> is and how upright you like to sit.
Soft is as uncomfortable in saddles as it is in chairs and beds,because it mitigates against support.
Smooth tops without joins are best and whilst I prefer leather its only because nobody has put their mind to creating a synthetic substitute that works.
For touring,real cycling,that is.
If you are a lycra clad anorexic,and compettitive with it,then apart from offering my sincere sympathies I cannot help you,such activities are beyond my experience or comprehension.
R

Oh I dunno. The original Velo had, for me at least, the perfect covering. Smooth plastic. Waterproof and slides against your leggings. The only snag is they only lasted about five years.