commuting saddle?

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

hi all,

for the last couple of weeks i have been commuting 41 mile round trip in and out of manchester. my posterior is not happy with the pounding it is taking from the rough city roads. i have tried the broken in brooks i have, no good, feels like i am sat on the rails. the brompton standard is comfy but for some reason gives me saddle sores and i do shower at both ends and liberally apply vaseline. i have thought about going a sprung brooks but i don't fancy wasting more money on a brooks if i just don't have a brooks bum. what other saddles do you guys recommend from experience of 3 or 3 1/2 hours in the saddle per day on rough roads?

cheers

 

[BentMikey]

A recumbent.

 

[recumbentpanda]

Seconded. Although the 'bent effect will kick in -it's so comfy it tempts you to ride longer, harder and further than ever before. Sooner or later even a feather bed starts to hurt . . .

If you insist on remaining upright, try gel pads, either built-in, or add on. Also a sprung saddle and/or a sprung seatpost can help if your bike is a 'hardtail' frame.

If your posture on the bike is leaning forward a fair bit, check the saddle isn't too wide -the further forward you lean the narrower the saddle needs to be for comfort, the more upright, the wider.

Balloon tires like Schwalbe Big Apples can also be worth considering, if the problem is lack of suspension on rough roads. They soak up quite a bit of vertical aggro without being particularly slow and protect both you and the bike from jarring.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

With your Brooks, are you actually sat on the rails - perhaps a turn on the adjuster will help.

 

[fossyant]

Charge Spoon of Knife (ti rails) - come highly recommended for miles sat in the saddle

 

[4F]

specialised toupe 143 for me. Why don't you see what the saddle library on here has so you can try before you buy

http://www.cyclechat.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=53

 

[HJ]

Difficult thing to advise on, everyone is different so what is right for me (Specialized BG Toupé) is not necessarily right for you...

 

[chap]

How about a Brooks Flyer Aged, it's sprung, versatile, and softened so you have little work to do. It won't last as long as the equivalent that is not in the Aged category, but will probably last longer than a gel saddle or equivalent.

 

[Debian]

Difficult to recommend because everyone has different requirements.

I use a sprung Brooks and it's the most comfy saddle I've ever used, even from brand new it was comfy.

You don't really want a squidgy gel saddle IMHO, a firm but properly shaped firm saddle is always best so that your "sit bones" take the weight, not your perineum.

Padded shorts and Big Apples complete the comfort zone for me.

 

[John the Monkey]

I'm using a B17 on my commuter (32 mile round trip) and I love it.

I've also used a Fizik Arione that I got on very well with - that went because of having to bodge a Carradice onto it (I really like using bag loops, as opposed to zip ties). My quick bike has a Pro Logo Nago PAS on it, but I think that's probably too firm for your commute.

As 4F says, the saddle library could be the place to start.

Is it the seams on the Brompton saddle that are chafing you? If so, watch out for that kind of "feature" on other saddles - another plus of the Arione is it's smooth top, and it's probably padded more than most other "racing" saddles.

BTW, if you do try a sprung Brooks & don't like it, I doubt you'll lose much selling it on.

 

[MacB]

Covering the same distance daily I began with a genric hybrid padded saddle, then moved on to a Spesh Alias 155 and finally a B17 standard. I did suffer a saddle sore that began on the first saddle and took a while to sort. I now use the Alias for weekends and has been no problem for 100+ mile rides. The Brooks rarely does more than 30 miles in one hit but has been comfy from day one and includes a 90 mile ride on its resume.

I've not ridden a Brompton but 40+ miles a day I would want any help that a bike could give. I started on the lightweight Giant but this is much better as an unladen day ride bike. Moving to the big steel framed Surly and 700x35 tyres was a revelation in terms of comfort for the long commute. Especially coming home, as you get tired and are more likely to slump, fail to avoid potholes, etc. I can hit things on the Surly in relative comfort that would have me wincing on the Giant if I'd failed to lighten myself on the pedals in time.

I also found saddle time mattered, when I started my bum told me I'd ridden 20 miles. Towards the end 20 miles just didn't register on the nether regions.

 

[eldudino]

I use a Massi Biohole that I got cheapo, it's a really comfortable saddle for me, I have a Spesh on my road bike which is also ok too.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

thanks guys totally forgot about saddle library...i will have look now. could be that my ass just needs to toughen up!!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

hi macb apparently you have the saddles i am interested in borrowing.