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Selecting a new saddle



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 16th 03, 02:12 PM
Nick Kew
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Default Selecting a new saddle

I have a knackered saddle that badly needs replacing. Criteria for
a new saddle include comfort (I'm a wimp) and that it shouldn't
rip holes in my trousers too quickly (hate that kind of waste).

I had a look in my normally-friendly&helpful LBS, and they have
a range of wierd and wonderful things, including some with holes
or slits in, which leads me to wonder how far some people take the
leg-over metaphor. However, they didn't seem particularly keen
for me to test-ride with any of them, leaving me unable to choose.

So, I'm looking for tips. How do I go about selecting a saddle
"blind", without risking a sore bum?

and - ahem - what are the strange shapes in aid of?


--
Finally, someone takes a stand against Humbug.
Three cheers for Austrian shop workers!
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  #2  
Old December 16th 03, 04:42 PM
Peter Clinch
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Default Selecting a new saddle

Nick Kew wrote:

I had a look in my normally-friendly&helpful LBS, and they have
a range of wierd and wonderful things, including some with holes
or slits in, which leads me to wonder how far some people take the
leg-over metaphor. However, they didn't seem particularly keen
for me to test-ride with any of them, leaving me unable to choose.

So, I'm looking for tips. How do I go about selecting a saddle
"blind", without risking a sore bum?


You go to a shop that doesn't think that's out of the question, is my
advice. Or at least get to sit on them in the shop: if they won't even
do that then you want the door, not one of their saddles.

As has been said many times, your bum is a personal thing (cue
multiple-entendre side comment involving a matron) and how it interfaces
with any particular design, size and construction of saddle isn't
predictable over Usenet :-(

I've ridden some popular "you will be much more comfortable on this!"
saddles and found them torture equipment, others have used my Brooks
saddles that *I* think are wonderful and felt they should be used as
cricket bats rather than bicycle saddles.

and - ahem - what are the strange shapes in aid of?


Supporting, or in some cases significantly *not* supporting, various
bits of your anatomy. The cutouts are usually to relieve pressure on
the sensitive "bits" peculiar to either ladies or gents, width will
depend on the personal layout of your sit bones, and so on.

Try before you buy really is the way forward, but some worth trying
would be trad leather Brooks, Georgina Terry Liberators and similar and
Specialized Body Geometry (by no means an exhaustive list btw).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

  #3  
Old December 16th 03, 06:13 PM
Graham
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Default Selecting a new saddle


"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
Nick Kew wrote:

I had a look in my normally-friendly&helpful LBS, and they have
a range of wierd and wonderful things, including some with holes
or slits in, which leads me to wonder how far some people take the
leg-over metaphor. However, they didn't seem particularly keen
for me to test-ride with any of them, leaving me unable to choose.

So, I'm looking for tips. How do I go about selecting a saddle
"blind", without risking a sore bum?


You go to a shop that doesn't think that's out of the question, is my
advice. Or at least get to sit on them in the shop: if they won't even
do that then you want the door, not one of their saddles.

As has been said many times, your bum is a personal thing (cue
multiple-entendre side comment involving a matron) and how it interfaces
with any particular design, size and construction of saddle isn't
predictable over Usenet :-(

I've ridden some popular "you will be much more comfortable on this!"
saddles and found them torture equipment, others have used my Brooks
saddles that *I* think are wonderful and felt they should be used as
cricket bats rather than bicycle saddles.

and - ahem - what are the strange shapes in aid of?


Supporting, or in some cases significantly *not* supporting, various
bits of your anatomy. The cutouts are usually to relieve pressure on
the sensitive "bits" peculiar to either ladies or gents, width will
depend on the personal layout of your sit bones, and so on.

Try before you buy really is the way forward, but some worth trying
would be trad leather Brooks, Georgina Terry Liberators and similar and
Specialized Body Geometry (by no means an exhaustive list btw).


Don't forget the Selle Italia Flite, the king of saddles !

Graham

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/



  #4  
Old December 16th 03, 07:04 PM
Alex Ferrier
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Default Selecting a new saddle

Graham wrote:

Peter Clinch wrote:

As has been said many times, your bum is a personal thing...*S*******


What he said.


Don't forget the Selle Italia Flite, the king of saddles !


Y'know, I'd have said the same thing a couple of months ago.
I've used Flite Ti saddles on my mountain bike for the past
7 years and always swore by them. Recently I've been converting
to the roadie thang which initially meant lots of very long road
rides on my slick shod MTB. After four or five hours of being
sat down spinning, the old bung hole was in absolute agony.
I then tried one of them thar WTB Rocket V saddles which improved
the situation greatly, though still not perfect.
When I bought my new *cough*road*cough* bike I specced a Fizik
Aliante on it. And thus far it's been bloody marvellous.
Whether that's down to a genuine ergonomical improvement, a change
of riding posture down to the different type of bike, or simply the
mind refusing to accept that having spent all that dosh on a saddle,
that it could possibly be uncomfortable. ;-)

Whatever it's all highly subjective and personal. You'll just have
to try different saddles until you find something that works for you.

--
Alex
BMW R1150GS
DIAABTCOD#3 MSWF#4 UKRMFBC#6 Ibw#35 BOB#8
http://www.team-ukrm.co.uk
Windy's "little soldier"


  #5  
Old December 17th 03, 12:01 AM
Patrick Herring
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Default Selecting a new saddle

Peter Clinch wrote:
....
| I've ridden some popular "you will be much more comfortable on this!"
| saddles and found them torture equipment, others have used my Brooks
| saddles that *I* think are wonderful and felt they should be used as
| cricket bats rather than bicycle saddles.

The point about Brooks saddles, in case the OP was wondering, is that
they /are/ hard, relatively, but the leather gets to be shaped exactly
right which gives you a much more even pressure across the said
geometry, which is much more comfortable on long rides and just
generally. You have to look after the leather though.

--
Patrick Herring, Sheffield, UK
http://www.anweald.co.uk
  #6  
Old December 17th 03, 10:00 AM
Peter Clinch
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Default Selecting a new saddle

Patrick Herring wrote:

The point about Brooks saddles, in case the OP was wondering, is that
they /are/ hard, relatively, but the leather gets to be shaped exactly
right which gives you a much more even pressure across the said
geometry, which is much more comfortable on long rides and just
generally.


But the leather needs to be in more or less the right place to start
with. Roos doesn't like the Brooks on my Brompton because one of her
sit bones isn't properly on the saddle, and the fact she gets to choose
which one doesn't make up for the basic problem!

You have to look after the leather though.


It's not that hard though: Proofide it once in a while ("while" is
measured in months), stick a Tesco bag over it if you leave it parked in
the rain and that's been quite enough for all of mine (B17 on the MTB,
Brompton one and a B66 which has transferred from my old tourer to the
freight bike).
My B66 is the most comfortable saddle I've ever sat on as it was more or
less the right shape before wearing in more exactly to me. But for
*real* comfort the recumbent sprung, padded armchair on the
Streetmachine is an order of magnitude better.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

  #7  
Old December 17th 03, 10:20 AM
MSeries
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Default Selecting a new saddle

Nick Kew wrote:
So, I'm looking for tips. How do I go about selecting a saddle
"blind", without risking a sore bum?




Your bum will be sore until it adapts to the new saddle, just like new shoes
are. I have never agonised over choosing a saddle. I have a Rolls San Marco,
Selle Italia Turbo and Flite Titianium. Don't really see why folk have so
much trouble, ones backside will mould itself to the saddle, at least mine
has, takes some time though. The trick is to ride regularly so your backside
does not soften up and change saddles rarely.




--
The Reply & From email addresses are checked rarely.
http://www.mseries.freeserve.co.uk


  #8  
Old December 17th 03, 10:30 AM
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
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Default Selecting a new saddle

Your bum will be sore until it adapts to the new saddle, just like new shoes
are.


If the shoes fit properly in the first place - they won't cause your feet to be
sore at all.

I have never agonised over choosing a saddle. I have a Rolls San Marco,


Oh I have - having had my posterior on saddles which have caused *excruciating*
pain to my delicate nether regions...



The trick is to ride regularly so your backside
does not soften up and change saddles rarely.



The trick is to have a saddle which is comfortable to sit on and therefore
assists in making one's cycling enjoyable, as opposed to an offshoot of the
medieval torture chamber, as that way, one is more likely to want to keep at it
:-)


Both my Bianchis - with the saddles supplied on them were really, really
painful to sit on. As soon as I switched the saddles to Terry's Liberators
(TiLite on Gino and RaceLite on Luigi) the difference was incredible. I cannot
stress how much difference the change of saddle made to me. Put it this way -
when I got Gino - after cycling ten miles on it when it had the original saddle
on it - I literally could hardly walk for a couple of hours afterwards. With
the change of saddle to Terry's Liberators, it is so comfortable I don't even
notice them there, so to speak.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove dependency on fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e**nd***$o$ts***i*$*$m**m$$o*n**s@$*$a$$o* *l.c**$*$om$$


  #9  
Old December 17th 03, 12:36 PM
Peter Clinch
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Default Selecting a new saddle

MSeries wrote:

Your bum will be sore until it adapts to the new saddle


Not the case with my saddles.

are. I have never agonised over choosing a saddle. I have a Rolls San Marco,
Selle Italia Turbo and Flite Titianium. Don't really see why folk have so
much trouble, ones backside will mould itself to the saddle, at least mine
has, takes some time though.


So rather than agonise over choosing it, you agonised over sitting on it
for a while instead. I think I prefer my way!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

  #10  
Old December 17th 03, 02:11 PM
Nick Kew
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Default Selecting a new saddle

In article , one of infinite monkeys
at the keyboard of "MSeries" wrote:

Your bum will be sore until it adapts to the new saddle,


I've ridden enough saddles to disagree. One I had in my youth was
always painful (dug right in to the bones). Others have ranged from
neutral to nice. Also noticable was the time when I had two tourers;
both saddles were OK comfortwise but one wore through the trousers
far quicker than the other.

just like new shoes
are.


Not mine, unless I make a bad mistake buying them. Not even the
heavy mountaineering boots (bought in a small village high in the
Italian Alps) caused serious soreness.

much trouble, ones backside will mould itself to the saddle, at least mine
has, takes some time though. The trick is to ride regularly so your backside
does not soften up and change saddles rarely.


It's not so much the soft bits... not even the vitals if I wear pants
that hold them up safely.

--
Finally, someone takes a stand against Humbug.
Three cheers for Austrian shop workers!
 




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