Fat ass saddle or razor blade

[scrwright]

Right, I bought my Cube MTB minus its original saddle thanks to it getting nicked while PO left it outside a shop. So I had a wide boy gel saddle in the shed which I fitted & have been plodding around with that but its giving me sore arse cheeks (probably down to lack of use but making a effort & doing 10k every other day for the last 2 weeks).

Question is how do you find the right saddle to fit you? LBS has a load on the shelf, but without fitting one to your bike how do you know it will be anything like the right shape for you? Don't want to go down the padded shorts route tbh.

ta

[anonymous-user]

scrwright said:

Right, I bought my Cube MTB minus its original saddle thanks to it getting nicked while PO left it outside a shop. So I had a wide boy gel saddle in the shed which I fitted & have been plodding around with that but its giving me sore arse cheeks (probably down to lack of use but making a effort & doing 10k every other day for the last 2 weeks).

Question is how do you find the right saddle to fit you? LBS has a load on the shelf, but without fitting one to your bike how do you know it will be anything like the right shape for you? Don't want to go down the padded shorts route tbh.

ta

i bought a charge spoon because over 500 reviews on wigle said it was nice and comfy.....and it is.
so much so that i have one on my road bike too so for £25 it might not bea bad place to start. also try adjusting it fore and aft whilst you are riding, only a cm at a time but you might find a particularly comfy spot.

preferred saddle shape does depend on the shape of your backside and hte amount of natural padding but i would err against the razor blade styles for a mtb as you tend to sit back on a mtb more than on a road bike where you are pitched forwards a bit more.

that all said, padded shorts will make a world of difference, if you dont want the full on lycra, there are loads of baggy shorts with padded inserts that are unnoticeable, then go for the chamois cream. any idiot can be uncomfortable on a bike but you dont need to spend too much to make it much more enjoyable

[Animal101]

Specialized have saddles in diffrent sizes to suit the width of your sit bones. Some shops have a device from specialized you can sit on which measures your sit bones and they'll reccomend a saddle to suit. Or you could do it the ghetto way and sit on a bit of tin foil then measure the distance between the 2 deepest indents left by your rear to work it out.

http://specialized.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail...

I went the ghetto route and bought myself a Specialized Phenom. It looks like a torture device but after about 3 rides to break it in the saddle got comfy. I don't have any pain at all now :-)

[Speed addicted]

Another one for the charge spoon here, it's much better than the similar looking saddle my bike came with. So much so that two of my mates have now bought them.

[littleandy0410]

I've had a Charge Spoon on my MTB for 3 or more years. Can't fault it, much better than the Specialized one that came on the bike.

I've got a Charge Knife on my road bike, which is almost as good.

Padded shorts will help a LOT though, worth considering if you are wanting to increase your ride distances.

[scrwright]

these are on offer at the mo, any difference to the £25 ones?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/charge-spoon-saddle-with-c...

[paranoid airbag]

one says '2011', the other does not, so I'd wager that's why one is more expensive. (I'd also wager a tenner that that's the only difference between the two)

[scrwright]

what I thought too, look the same, will have to check if the 2011 is the right size for me

[VinceFox]

Rolls san marco. Consistently the comfiest saddles ive used. Got one on my road and offroad bikes.

[dudleybloke]

i swapped my razorblade for my comfy dmr saddle off my downhill bike yesterday and its lots better.

[Fat Albert]

I bought the 2011 Charge spoon for my new bike and early indications are good...