Saddle recommendations

[andye30m3]

I'm after recommendations for a saddle for my road bike the will be comfortable (if thats even possible) for a longish 3 day ride.

Currently have the standard cannondale saddle that came with a relatively entry level CAAD8 bike, I've been talked into doing a ride from London to Paris with work and think a change of saddle could make it a much better weekend.

So any recommendations? if it makes any difference I am probably the best part of 100kg which I'm sure doesn't help.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Whats wrong with your current saddle?

Having spent hundreds trying saddles over the years , ive settled with a basic £10 that fits me well

Buy the best BIB shorts you can, or at least ones that fit you well

[ecs]

I've been using SDG Bel Airs on all my bikes (road and MTB) for years - not sure if it's really road specific, but they're good for long days in the saddle.

[andye30m3]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Whats wrong with your current saddle?

Saddles fine but my backside really starts to hurt after a 40+ mile ride and we're doing more than that for 3 days in a row,

I'm not sure if its inevitable when being sat on a saddle for that long or if it's a case of upgrading would make things more pleasant.

[leyorkie]

No, changing saddle won't make things better, just spend more time on the bike or take a break every two hours.
I've just ridden 3 sportives each with over 5 hours in the saddle. Prior to that two hours was a normal ride and I wondered how I would do it. But I did.
The only way to practice long rides is to take long rides!

[upsidedownmark]

To a certain extent, inevitable.
But.. having a saddle that suits you *will* help (if only to extend how long it takes to get uncomfortable)
However.. one man's meat is another's poison. There's no such thing as a good saddle for everyone, you need to find what works for you. "I have XYZ saddle and it's wonderful" is utterly worthless.
.. and more time in the saddle will make you more resilient!

[bigdom]

andye30m3 said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

Whats wrong with your current saddle?

Saddles fine but my backside really starts to hurt after a 40+ mile ride and we're doing more than that for 3 days in a row,

I'm not sure if its inevitable when being sat on a saddle for that long or if it's a case of upgrading would make things more pleasant.

Having recently gone though a bike and saddle fit, if you can, I'd try and have a saddle fit. From my experience, there's definitely not a best saddle, just one that will suit you better, it also plays a part in overall bike stability.

I went through 10 or so saddles on the fit, currently have a test one which I think may be the one for me, although it's positioning is also key - it's amazing how much difference 5mm here or there and a couple of degree angle change make. As mentioned above, good shorts will help.

[Matt_N]

leyorkie said:

No, changing saddle won't make things better, just spend more time on the bike or take a break every two hours.

That's nonsense.

Changing the saddle could easily alleviate his issues.

As said, saddles are very personal, most shops have a pressure pad that you sit on to measure your sit bone width, as a starter match this up to a saddle that will support you.

From there you can then play around with a width that you like but with or without a cut out, or a dropped nose etc. most shops have demo saddles, they're normally a lurid colour to stop people nicking them!

Are you confident that you have the saddle height and fore/aft position correct? That's the first place to start before spending any money.

The combination of a supporting saddle, correct position, good bib shorts and saddle time will see you comfortable.

[donfisher]

Agreed, IME saddles are all pretty similar until you find one of the few examples that really doesn’t work with you.

It doesn’t matter how much you change the padding, or try to tough it out thinking it’ll get used to you or you’ll get used to it, if it doesn’t fit, try something else.

For me it was a Pave CX. I just could not get on with it.

[leyorkie]

Matt_N said:

That's nonsense.

Changing the saddle could easily alleviate his issues.

Unless you have a specific problem, which would need adjustment up, down fore, aft etc
Just try more time.
I have some Cannondale saddles that have been discarded and some others that didn't work in the end I just spent more time and it was ok in the end.
Of course you can throw money at the problem but it's no guarantee and saddle fitting will only come up with the best fit that they sell, there could be the perfect saddle for you but how do you find it?

[bigdom]

leyorkie said:

Of course you can throw money at the problem but it's no guarantee and saddle fitting will only come up with the best fit that they sell, there could be the perfect saddle for you but how do you find it?

That could be true, although with pressure sensor mapping, 12 different brands and well over 100 to choose from I'm sure I've ended up with one to suit my needs.

The good thing from my perspective was the saddles weren't 'sold' so I had no idea on any given saddle tried out what they cost. Although it would appear my butt has quite expensive tastes!

Edited by bigdom on Wednesday 28th June 11:50

[Evilex]

TwistingMyMelon said:

...Buy the best BIB shorts you can, or at least ones that fit you well

This. Try on some Castelli shorts or some by other reputable manufacturers. They can make all the difference.

[Banana Boy]

I was finding that the more time I spent on the OEM saddles the less comfortable I was feeling... finding shorts that fit nicely with padding that feels right requires trial and error. I'm a 5'6" skin flint so expensive clothing is out. My cheap ebay shorts are a bit loose and the padding's ok but the fit allows for too much movement, I've found the DHB shorts from Wiggle (I think) too tight and uncomfortable but the Altura's seem to suit me - oh and my Endura tights are pretty good too!

Chamois cream is also worth a mention. Long rides can result in lots of sweating, the salt in your sweat can build up in confined spaces like the nether regions which becomes abrasive and causes soreness where the skin rubs. Chamois cream has totally relieved this area of discomfort for me.

Back on topic though, I like a big cut out in my saddles... I'm not saying I have big balls because I don't but as my position became more aero and aggressive the more pressure I was feeling down there. I've gone over to a Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow on the commuter and a Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow and love them - well worth the money in my eyes.

• Don't forget to play with the saddle position either! I nearly caused myself some serious problem fking up my saddle angle! I thought it was level but actually ended up with 3 degrees pointing nose up! I now have it 6 degrees nose down which feels spot on at the moment.

[idiotgap]

Have a read of this: https://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering-field-notes...

It explains what you might look for in order to get more comfortable. Cervelo don't make saddles, but did some research on them and shared it.

Hopefully it can take a little of the guesswork out of it for you.

[anonymous-user]

The only sensible recommendation is to try as many as you can

There will be one out there that is perfect for you and you can narrow the choice down a bit with things like the cervelo paper and other research

But you need to sit on some for some time to really decide

For me it is the Selle SMP Pro and I would always suggest including that range in your longlist

www.selllesmp.com