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Saddle Trade Thread

My first Trek San Marco was firm and comfortable but I always blamed it for saddle sores.
My 2 Selle saddles were rock hard and took me a long time get used to. Not good for long rides so they were my race saddle.
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The new bike has the most comfortable saddle I've ever used.
Bontrager Race Lite

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Seeing as all my saddles have had a close relationship with me, I'd probably never be able to part with them.. :eek:
 
My new carbon saddle, made from angel tears fused with 1K and 3K carbon weaves and touch by the hand of the Gods of Olympus.

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So, who at this point has a saddle that they have lying around that I could borrow, try out and pay you cash for if I like it?

Some padding and cutout would probably be ideal. My old bike had a touring style (?) Selle Italia that was great but I can't seem to find the model here and I can't steal it off my old bike as it is back in the states. I tried a WSD Selle Italia but the saddle was small and I couldn't push it back far enough. (Y's in Shibuya let me return it but I didn't tell them I rode 30k on it and then took the train home because it was too uncomfortable.)

Rather than advice I would really just like to try some other saddles out and see how they feel.

Let me know if you want to turn you cobweb collector into cash!
Thanks!
 
I'm not sure if they do this in Japan - but some of the shops had a Fizik 'test' program. This is pretty cool - you can try out the various Fizik saddles (on deposit of course), then you know for sure. Nothing beats 30k in a saddle to really know - or better yet 100k. Personally I'm a now Fizik fan , but would love to try out some other saddles - always searching for that perfect fit. Get those crunches in boys! Alot of prostrate pressure issues happen cause the core body muscles (read stomach) are weak and allow back arching which naturally puts more pressure forward on your groin. Get your stomach in shape to hold a more neutral and 'tucked ass' pose and you'll find the pressure moving back to the sit bones .
 
Rather than advice I would really just like to try some other saddles out and see how they feel.

Good call. :cool:

I have a few San Marco Regals and a Turbo you can try out if you like. Not much padding at all and no cut-out, but nice and wide at 150 mm so they provide good sitbone support.

Problem is they have old-fashioned saddle rail positioning, short and to the rear, so if you like a lot of setback they probably won't work for you (depends on your seatpost)... (This is why they are sadly coming off my bikes.)

Regals:
- Plain back leather, copper rivets, I think steel rails(?)
- Black synthetic with bold white San Marco logo, copper rivets, titanium rails.
Turbo:
- Plain black with small logo.

Let me know if interested.
 
The winner is!!!

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I just raced 300km across Japan on this solid carbon saddle.... no padding, no nonsense!

Amazingly comfortable, in fact it defies logic and common sense.

Love it to bits and hope they continue to make them if I ever wear this one out!
 
I'm going to revive this old thread.

A friend told me that once you get in better shape and the 'soft tissue bits' get a little more toned you will have fewer problems with your saddle. On that advice, I got a saddle that was pretty ok in the summer and though it wasn't perfect figured it would get better as I got fitter. It's an ok saddle and is comfortable for rides up to about 100km.

But after coming back from Shikoku and two 200+ days thrown in the middle and end... I literally lost a layer of skin (sorry, too much information) and am ready to re-begin the search for a better saddle. One of my 2011 goals is to ride out and back to mountain rides more (rather than rinkobukuro it), do at least one 200+ km ride a month and enter at least one brevet. So that's type of saddle. It doesn't have to be hill climb light.

My frame is on the small side for me so my saddle is about as far back as it will go. In other words, a very short saddle probably won't work for me.

I anyone interested in handing off or mailing me a saddle you want to get rid of, letting me ride it for 100+km and then either I'll return it and pay you back for postage or I'll buy it from you.

Fareast: you said some good things earlier in this thread about your current 'made of angle tears' saddle but don't mention what it was called-- only pictures that aren't working anymore. Can you add the name of it?
 
One of my 2011 goals is to ride out and back to mountain rides more (rather than rinkobukuro it)...

Well, if you're in Kichijoji you're already half way there! :D

Regarding the saddle James referenced, unfortunately I don't know the details. I had posted before I realized that this was a revived thread and didn't notice the multiple pages and time gap.
 
I'm not sure if they do this in Japan - but some of the shops had a Fizik 'test' program. This is pretty cool - you can try out the various Fizik saddles (on deposit of course), then you know for sure.

Yes, you can try out the Fizik ones. A decent sized bike shop that deals in Fizik should have them. There are 3 saddles you can try. All are bright orange, possibly to stop you stealing them, and can probably be found on a Fizik display stand. I tried them out last year and didn't need a deposit.

I also tried out few models of the Selle Italia Gel Flow series which were in the shop as "test rides".

One problem with saddles is that they are constantly changing. If you find one you like you should buy another as a spare.

If you have a saddle that you like and want to refurbish, there is a company in Osaka that does saddle repairs - they can put a new leather coat on worn saddles. These are pretty cool as you can customize them with your name or whatever.

But after coming back from Shikoku and two 200+ days thrown in the middle and end... I literally lost a layer of skin (sorry, too much information) and am ready to re-begin the search for a better saddle.

Don't assume straight away that the saddle is the problem. Other things to consider:

  • Saddle height - too high and causing rocking, friction and hence the sore bum?

  • Shorts - there are a whole range of different pads out there. If you have continuing problems, the Assos range have a nice chunky pad for comfort.

  • Chamois cream - you should lubrictae before every ride. Check out "Oronine" in any Japanese drugstore - as good as any expensive chamois cream out there.

  • Laundry - pads harbour bacteria very well especially in summer. A prewash in antibacterial detergent is a good idea before washing shorts with standard deteregent.
Hope these few ideas help.

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
I'm going to revive this old thread.

A friend told me that once you get in better shape and the 'soft tissue bits' get a little more toned you will have fewer problems with your saddle. On that advice, I got a saddle that was pretty ok in the summer and though it wasn't perfect figured it would get better as I got fitter. It's an ok saddle and is comfortable for rides up to about 100km.

But after coming back from Shikoku and two 200+ days thrown in the middle and end... I literally lost a layer of skin (sorry, too much information) and am ready to re-begin the search for a better saddle. One of my 2011 goals is to ride out and back to mountain rides more (rather than rinkobukuro it), do at least one 200+ km ride a month and enter at least one brevet. So that's type of saddle. It doesn't have to be hill climb light.

My frame is on the small side for me so my saddle is about as far back as it will go. In other words, a very short saddle probably won't work for me.

I anyone interested in handing off or mailing me a saddle you want to get rid of, letting me ride it for 100+km and then either I'll return it and pay you back for postage or I'll buy it from you.

Fareast: you said some good things earlier in this thread about your current 'made of angle tears' saddle but don't mention what it was called-- only pictures that aren't working anymore. Can you add the name of it?

I have a very very lightly used red Selle Anatomica you can have for a song. Please PM me if you are interested. :)

http://www.selleanatomica.com/

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Okaerinasai.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
Good reading if you haven't read it yet. There's also a "Women's Issues" section.

My frame is on the small side for me so my saddle is about as far back as it will go. In other words, a very short saddle probably won't work for me.

Maybe getting a seat post with some setback can help you out.


About the saddles with "holes" in them, they're comfortable. I had no problems with numbness after I got a saddle with a hole (Specialized with minimal padding) BUT if it has been raining prepare to get wet. Your bum is going to be the one that will get soaked first, together with all the road grime. I have been searching for a new saddle because of this issue, no hole, but must not get me numb.

Yeah some shops do have the Fizik test program. The test saddles at Aoyama's shop are purple. Tried out the Arione CX, groove in the middle, and my bum didn't like it. The raised areas are putting too much pressure on my bum. The old Arione felt better.
 
Tried out the Arione CX, groove in the middle, and my bum didn't like it.

The Arione CX does not have any groove or hole in the middle (unless there is some new model, but I imagine they'd alter the name). http://www.fizik.it/product.aspx?c=Arione-CX-Kium

I'm not a fan of the groove/cutout fad. With some rare exceptions, people who are getting too much pressure in that area are not sitting properly. Their hips are tilted too far forward. My understanding is that you should be bending at the area of the upper stomach just below the rib cage, not at the waist.
 
Pete, if you were right, professional cyclists wouldn't be so prone to prostate problems, because I suppose they know how to sit right??

My understanding is that there is a fair amount of research that suggests that some hole in the saddle may help quite a bit.

I myself have switched to Selle SMP for this reason - meaning I want to avoid future problems, rather than because of current comfort. I have written about this here before. There is definitely a difference in how the saddle feels on the prostate (SMP vs other, in my case Selle Italia two models without holes). I can't say SMP is necessarily more comfortable OVERALL, though not significantly worse either. More a matter of getting used to a different type of saddle/seating. With SMP I'm more prone to getting my bottom bones hurting after very long or bumpy rides, but this must be also a matter of having very little fat on my bottom... :)
 
There is definitely a difference in how the saddle feels on the prostate (SMP vs other, in my case Selle Italia two models without holes). I can't say SMP is necessarily more comfortable OVERALL, though not significantly worse either. More a matter of getting used to a different type of saddle/seating.

I agree with Ludwig on this, the research is there to prove the benefits of having a hole down the middle.

The SMPs do take a while to get used to but once you've got used to them you can ride all day. The minimal amount of padding on these saddles proves that saddle shape and set up on the bike is the most important thing for comfort.

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Pete, if you were right, professional cyclists wouldn't be so prone to prostate problems, because I suppose they know how to sit right??

My understanding is that there is a fair amount of research that suggests that some hole in the saddle may help quite a bit.

I would chalk that up more to the shear number of miles that they rack up. And, no just because someone is a professional doesn't necesarily mean they are utilizing the best techniques and/or practices. Even assuming they were doing it perfectly, if you do anything to excess, you're going to have problems!

That being said, I don't discount the potential benefit of the cutout. And just for the record, on my secondary bike I do have a Selle Italia Flite with a cutout and it's not bad, but for me the Arione povides far more all day comfort and performance.

After all is said and done we each have to find what works best for us.
 
I bought a Fizik Antares a while back. I only used it for about a week but didn't like it any better than the stock Prologo. It is all black and comes with matching bar tape. I could sell this if someone wants it.

I also have an older Fizik saddle that came stock with my MTB of anyone wants to try.

Y's road in Shunjuku lets you try Fizik saddles.
 
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