flite titanium saddle and hayes hfx 9 brakes

[dave123456]

20 years ago I used to ride bikes a lot, since then I've kind of dabbled here and there..

more recently my bikes have been a trek ex-7, frame replaced with a trek 8500 as I cannot get on with full suspension for my riding, more recently I harked back to my formative years and went down the steel framed route, a cotic soul.

love the bike, but the two issues I uncovered on the coast to coast completed yesterday are:

the brakes, basically 10 year old hayes hfx 9 seem to have not much power, what is a decent replacement, mostly fast cross country riding, so weight is a consideration.

saddle, is a flite titanium as good as it gets now? back in the 90's we swore by them, but I notice now saddles are a good bit wider and flatter, I have just switched this between bikes, it's graced a 1992 trek 8000, 1995 proflex 955, specialized m2, trek ex-7, trek 8500 and now my cotic, but is it best replaced? as my arse did get a bit sore on day 2....!

thanks

[Herman Toothrot]

1990 Flite titanium is best, good reason they still sell them.

[Justin S]

Latest Deore brakes are more than you'll need. I got a set for under £70. Try a Charge Spoon saddle ( under £20). Nice and comfy, unlike the flites, which I used to swear by in years gone by, but I wont ride one now !!

[dave123456]

Ended up with some of these...wouldn't have paid £400 for them!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/hayes-stroker-g...

and this....just cos it looked nice..

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/selle-italia-tu...

although first ride out stopped to fix someone's puncture and a gust of wind took my bike over and put a nice tear in the saddle...