Best long distance saddle

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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CyberKnight
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by CyberKnight »

charge spoon and fabric scoop are both 143 mm width approx
the cell saddles comes in at 155 mm
some of the fabric saddles do have cut out but they tend to be the flat and shallow versions and not the scoop radius which is the most similar to the spoon.TBH i have tried cut out saddles and much prefer a saddle without one ,It is designed for "upright " position but i find it fine even when on the drops as im a back bender rather than a pelvic tilter
John Wayne: "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on... I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
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Paulatic
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Paulatic »

A German couple are pitched next to me. He has just completed LEL and they have just gone off on a 140k ride up the Yorkshire Dales. He tells me he has no sores whatsoever.
Both riding Fabric saddles.
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Jamesh
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Jamesh »

Did 260 miles yesterday on a brooks - nuff said!!
PJ520
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by PJ520 »

Jamesh wrote: 7 Aug 2022, 10:07pm and good personal hygiene.
This brings up a pet peeve. What never seems to be discussed is laundry and hygiene generally while on tours. Lycra shorts are not too bad; you can wash them with any old soap and usually they dry overnight. (In hot weather it doesn't hurt to start the day in damp shorts)
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
in4time
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by in4time »

Alternating between the usual Lycra shorts and padded ones (Corrine Dennis) works well for me. Tropical cycling reinforces one’s regard for good personal hygiene protocols
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andrew_s
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by andrew_s »

Jamesh wrote: 14 Aug 2022, 1:47pm Did 260 miles yesterday on a brooks - nuff said!!
I've done that too, brand new out the box :D (apart from a mile or so on a few loops round the block the day before, getting the position & angle just right).

One point to make is that if you find a saddle that's just right for you, go and get another one or two, before it goes out of production or they redesign the shape (does not apply if it's a Brooks).
crossy
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by crossy »

The most comfortable saddle/seat I’ve got is this one
1046E18D-4463-4250-8EAF-5F83E6A24B12.jpeg
ICE Adventure E51, Van Nic Amazon E40, NWT Bike Friday E17, Orange Rohloff, Total E58
Jdsk
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Jdsk »

1046E18D-4463-4250-8EAF-5F83E6A24B12.jpeg
robinshaw
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Joined: 10 Sep 2022, 9:28pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by robinshaw »

Mick F wrote: 8 Aug 2022, 9:49am I agree with all the advice except one.
My Brooks took no time at all to be comfortable. Two of them - one for each bike - bliss from the first minute I sat on them.

However, all bums are different.

No advice as per saddle would be good advice, other than all bums being different! All you can do is feel what's wrong with the one you have, and find one without the "wrong bits", then try it. If you don't like it, sell it on here, then buy another.
I'll go along with this, my Brookes Professional has been comfortable from day 1 and it's around 40 years old now and been fitted on several bikes and trikes over the years.
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Paul Smith SRCC
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Paul Smith SRCC »

Saddles can be very personal to each rider, one may swear by a saddle that another may swear because of it!

Generally there are a few pointers:

Sit bone width, many quality bike stores have a simple device to measure sit bone width similar to that shown below. Often this simple device is accurate enough to make sure the saddle is wide enough to support your sit bones. Looking at the picture in the OP that saddle does look quite narrow so potentially worth checking to see if it is indeed wide enough.
Sit bones.jpg
Posture rating, in the pictures below that same rider will need a variety of saddles that matches the relevant riding position. You no doubt will have a rough idea of what posture you have on the bike and many brands will list a relevant saddle, again a quality bike store will be able to advise. The saddle shown in the OP is not only narrow but looks like a saddle you'd normally associate with a longer lower drop bar bike, for sure we only have a picture of part of the bike but using my Sherlock Smith detective skills the flat pedals allude to a more conservative upright position that would often need a wider saddle than that shown.

The correct bike fit is also a consideration, if that's wrong the rider may compensate by shifting to the wrong section of the saddle; that alone cause discomfort. It's not unusual that a rider will come in for a bike fit and reference that they are having saddle issues and as such they expect a different one is needed, only to find that when their bike fit is optimised the saddle that wasn't working for them now does; vice versa can apply of course.
Sitbone3.jpg
With or without a centre channel, the older we get as a male the larger our prostate will often become and saddle pressure can result in numbness, a centre channel or in the case of the saddle shown below a hole can help reduce that pressure. Ladies will also often desire a saddle with a centre channel to reduce soft tissue contact
Bontrager Verse Comp.jpg
Ticking all those boxes will normally be of value, although understandably saddle manufacturers are well aware that there is only so much analysis that it is appropriate any bike fitter or store will do; I am not medically trained Doctor after all. As such there are quite a few brands that have a comfort exchange option.

Using that Bontrager saddle shown above as a guide it has a width of 155mm and a 'performance' bike fit posture rating (click to on the picture for reference); often a valid choice for endurance road bikes, with the added peace of mind that it comes with the 'Bontrager comfort guarantee', so you can try it for a month then exchange for another if need be, most quality brands will have something comparable; in addition I'd personally suggest a brand that does offer some kind of trial service.
Paul Smith. 37 Years in the Cycle Trade
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cc1085
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Joined: 8 Feb 2015, 11:41pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by cc1085 »

Recumbent?
Jamesh
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Jamesh »

andrew_s wrote: 10 Sep 2022, 10:32am
Jamesh wrote: 14 Aug 2022, 1:47pm Did 260 miles yesterday on a brooks - nuff said!!
I've done that too, brand new out the box :D (apart from a mile or so on a few loops round the block the day before, getting the position & angle just right).

One point to make is that if you find a saddle that's just right for you, go and get another one or two, before it goes out of production or they redesign the shape (does not apply if it's a Brooks).
I've got a lovely soft brooks saddle so I went out and brought another one. . hard as nails going to have to be brave and break it in!!!! :oops: :oops: :oops:
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andrew_s
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by andrew_s »

Jerome K Jerome wrote:There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard
peetee
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by peetee »

In my twenties I was a Selle Italia Turbo kind of bloke. ‘Born-again’ and middle-aged and I was riding Rolls. Recently I find the Rolls OK but a bit too round on top. I’m converting to Charge Spoon. It’s the perfect shape - I’ve never before sat on a saddle that doesn’t feel like it’s there - but the carcass could be a bit more elastic for me (at 12 stone) and it starts to feel a bit too firm after a couple of hours.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
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