Best long distance saddle

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
lukehogben247
Posts: 2
Joined: 15 Jul 2020, 12:16pm

Best long distance saddle

Post by lukehogben247 »

Evening all,

I'm taking part in an event in October, a 200 mile ride over two days and am after some saddle advice.

I did 100 miles earlier in the summer in a day and the worst part of the experience was the general backside pain. I had padded shorts and was using the saddle shown in the attachment. I'm just wondering if there is anything better on the market that I can try? Or are there any secret hints/tips that I'm unaware of?

Thanks in advance

Luke
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Sweep
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Joined: 20 Oct 2011, 4:57pm
Location: London

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Sweep »

May as well ask about the best long distance bum i fear, as it's the interface.
Just try a few.
Personally i would start cheap, not really a price issue.
Make sure you are sat on your sit bones.
Sweep
Gee
Posts: 102
Joined: 24 Mar 2021, 10:11pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Gee »

That does look a cruel device.

It’s hard to give a firm recommendation.

A good starting point though is a brooks c17 or b17.

Also worth popping in to local bike shop and getting them to fit you.
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Jamesh »

Selle turbo or brooks for me....

But you need time to break in the brooks

I find it's not very comfortable for the first 30 miles but then the longer you ride the better it becomes.

The turbo I've got 3 the first two wee s/h so u brought a third new from wiggle course cloth which isn't anywhere like the first two.

I'd also look at fabric gel and wittkop saddles esp if time is short.

Finally don't forget chamios cream (on my c2c (first 200/2) I got rash on the rear saddle line so put some there ) and good personal hygiene.
ANTONISH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by ANTONISH »

Jamesh wrote: 7 Aug 2022, 10:07pm Selle turbo or brooks for me....

But you need time to break in the brooks

I find it's not very comfortable for the first 30 miles but then the longer you ride the better it becomes.

The turbo I've got 3 the first two wee s/h so u brought a third new from wiggle course cloth which isn't anywhere like the first two.

I'd also look at fabric gel and wittkop saddles esp if time is short.

Finally don't forget chamios cream (on my c2c (first 200/2) I got rash on the rear saddle line so put some there ) and good personal hygiene.
Finding the right saddle can be a long painful process.
I ditched my last Brooks saddle after years of anticipating it would "break in" - it never did.
I am told that leather today isn't the same as in years gone by - all I know is that I had Brooks saddles in the sixties and I found them comfortable - unlike my most recent experience.
I've never used chamois cream - actually I rode c2c last year with no discomfort.
I've tried a lot of saddles and I found my present type at a jumble - a selle italia - I've got a few but it's no longer made.
Any saddle choice depends very much on your own anatomy so good luck with your search.
ratherbeintobago
Posts: 974
Joined: 5 Dec 2010, 6:31pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by ratherbeintobago »

Gee wrote: 7 Aug 2022, 9:57pm That does look a cruel device.
Like sitting on a razor blade?

If you need this sorting quickly I think Specialized dealers/concept stores might be able to do a saddle fit but it'll be one of theirs they fit you to (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and I don't know what the cost is likely to be.

In terms of cream, every bottom varies but the Muc-off performance stuff seems OK and isn't frantic.
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by pwa »

I searched for a long time to find undershorts (for use under baggies / ordinary trousers etc) that had a really good and effective pad like you get with some lycra shorts. Most pads were thin and ineffective. But then I hit gold with these from Decathlon:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/mp/altura ... 195_c1.c76
The pad is very good and will help. The main material used is stretchy mesh, very breathable. After a ride, wash them in a hand basin and then get as much water out of them as possible with your hands. Then lay them on a towel and roll the towel to make a sausage. Then walk over it, so the moisture transfers from the undershorts to the towel. Then hang somewhere to dry. I can usually get them to dry by the next morning that way.

I'd also apply Germolene and play around with the angle/position of the saddle, as well as washing yourself thoroughly soon after a ride.
mig
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Joined: 19 Oct 2011, 9:39pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by mig »

no such thing as a best saddle for any type of riding i'm afraid. similar to finding a pair of shoes that suits everyone.

what i would ask is how often do you sit on that saddle? every day? once a week? once a month? the more regularly you use the saddle then the more you will harden up to get used to it. that isn't to say it's the best saddle for you though - you find that out by regular, problem free miles on the chosen one.

also i'd think to look at your saddle height and get that checked. if it's too low then you'll place more weight through that contact point and heighten the chances of problems. too high can generate rubbed areas.
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Cugel
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Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Cugel »

mig wrote: 8 Aug 2022, 9:37am no such thing as a best saddle for any type of riding i'm afraid. similar to finding a pair of shoes that suits everyone.

what i would ask is how often do you sit on that saddle? every day? once a week? once a month? the more regularly you use the saddle then the more you will harden up to get used to it. that isn't to say it's the best saddle for you though - you find that out by regular, problem free miles on the chosen one.

also i'd think to look at your saddle height and get that checked. if it's too low then you'll place more weight through that contact point and heighten the chances of problems. too high can generate rubbed areas.
These are the main issues, with time-in-the-saddle the factor that's likely to make the most difference. The saddle gets used to you. You get used to the saddle. So ride on it more to improve that ,er, interface.

The right "chammy" pad in your shorts is also a critical factor. Some pads will not ever fit your nether - might, in fact, cause you more grief than having none if they crease or bunch-up in the wrong spot. A good pad that's fits you will even out the pressures and avoid the inevitable bunch-ups and creases you'll get in ordinary unpadded shorts or longs, though.

Chammy cream is no longer to soften the real chamois pads we used to use but merely an anti-infection stuff. It doesn't really have any lubricating properties either, especially on long rides. If your skin is prone to infections when rubbed and squished, it can help. I find I get more skin-sensitive as I get older.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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Mick F
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Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Mick F »

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.
Mick F. Cornwall
RobinS
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Joined: 9 Apr 2015, 10:01am

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by RobinS »

It's different for everyone, but I have found that a Charge Spoon is great for me (and also has the benefit of not being very expensive). Also once I discovered this, I made sure that I had them on all my bikes, so my bum doesn't get used to something else MTBing, then has to readjust for the tourer.
Bonefishblues
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Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by Bonefishblues »

Sweep wrote: 7 Aug 2022, 9:55pm May as well ask about the best long distance bum i fear, as it's the interface.
Just try a few.
Personally i would start cheap, not really a price issue.
Make sure you are sat on your sit bones.
This. Especially the last sentence.
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by thirdcrank »

lukehogben247 wrote: 7 Aug 2022, 9:45pm Evening all,

I'm taking part in an event in October, a 200 mile ride over two days and am after some saddle advice.

I did 100 miles earlier in the summer in a day and the worst part of the experience was the general backside pain. I had padded shorts and was using the saddle shown in the attachment. I'm just wondering if there is anything better on the market that I can try? Or are there any secret hints/tips that I'm unaware of?

Thanks in advance

Luke
You don't mention how much riding you do more generally. If you rode 100 miles having not ridden much your backside would be sore. If you then have a break of several months and do another 100 miles then your backside will be sore again and probably too sore to ride on the next day. There's not a saddle/shorts/magic cream/ whatever on the planet that will make any difference.

The big muscles in your backside have to get used to working and being sat on and the only way to achieve that is by sitting on them and pedalling. A little and often to begin with
rareposter
Posts: 1989
Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 2:40pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by rareposter »

ratherbeintobago wrote: 8 Aug 2022, 8:56am
If you need this sorting quickly I think Specialized dealers/concept stores might be able to do a saddle fit but it'll be one of theirs they fit you to (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and I don't know what the cost is likely to be.
They do - it's a gel pad that you sit on and it leaves an indent - the gap determines the width of saddle that you need.
That said, they've got a new range of saddles that use 3D printing to create a mesh on the top. They're staggeringly expensive though!

Depends a bit on the bike and riding position too, the OP has said nothing about what bike it is (or indeed how much riding they do...), whether it's a more upright hybrid style or a more aero road bike style and that riding position will have an impact on what saddle to choose.
ratherbeintobago
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Joined: 5 Dec 2010, 6:31pm

Re: Best long distance saddle

Post by ratherbeintobago »

rareposter wrote: 8 Aug 2022, 10:37am
ratherbeintobago wrote: 8 Aug 2022, 8:56am
If you need this sorting quickly I think Specialized dealers/concept stores might be able to do a saddle fit but it'll be one of theirs they fit you to (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and I don't know what the cost is likely to be.
They do - it's a gel pad that you sit on and it leaves an indent - the gap determines the width of saddle that you need.
That said, they've got a new range of saddles that use 3D printing to create a mesh on the top. They're staggeringly expensive though!

Depends a bit on the bike and riding position too, the OP has said nothing about what bike it is (or indeed how much riding they do...), whether it's a more upright hybrid style or a more aero road bike style and that riding position will have an impact on what saddle to choose.
The 3D printed ones are frantic, but I think the sizing is consistent across the range and e.g. there seems little point in paying a premium for carbon rather than steel rails to save a few grams. They have DIY instructions on the website and Ergon (and presumably others) also do size dependent saddles.
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