Saddle Recommendations

[Zorro]

I have been riding my specialized Allez 2009 for 6 months now and as I am planning on increasing my milage over the summer I would like some recommendations for a racing saddle that is comfy and costs up to around £100.

The bike came with the Specialized Comp Road saddle which isn't too uncomfy but does start to hurt after 45-60 mins. Before anyone suggests padding... I never ride without it!

I am interested in Selle SMP and Fizik, but would like any suggestions or reviews.

Thanks in advance

 

[yello]

Did you get the bike set-up for you? Because it is possible that you can get that Spec saddle more comfortable by tinkering with the position a little. Might save you a few quid.

Saddles, as you will discover from the variety of replies you'll get, are a personal thing. What works for you will not work for someone else, and vice-versa. Some will swear by the Spec toupe, others will loath it. You can end up spending a fortune trying out saddles on the recommendations of others! See if your LBS will let you try a few out, see if you can gauge what sort of saddle shape your backside likes!

 

[Zorro]

Did you get the bike set-up for you? Because it is possible that you can get that Spec saddle more comfortable by tinkering with the position a little. Might save you a few quid.

No I didn't get the saddle set up for me, but I have looked at adjusting the saddle and have moved it along the rails to the position it fits me best. I cannot adjust the angle of the saddle though.

 

[John the Monkey]

No I didn't get the saddle set up for me, but I have looked at adjusting the saddle and have moved it along the rails to the position it fits me best. I cannot adjust the angle of the saddle though.

It'd be an unusual seatpost if you couldn't!

Can you post a pic?

 

[bonj2]

spesh toupe
brooks

 

[Zorro]

here you go hope you can see what you need

 

[Zorro]

spesh toupe
brooks

Do Brooks do a racing saddle?

 

[John the Monkey]

Ok - that looks like a two bolt seatpost?

Sheldon Brown's site has this;

Two-bolts seatposts use a pair of bolts to hold the blocks of the saddle clamp. Loosening either one of these allows you to slide the saddle back and forth. Loosening one and tightening the other allows you to adjust the tilt. (If one of the bolts is larger than the other, the larger one should be loosened before making any adjustment to the smaller one.) This type of mechanism allows a finer level of control of the saddle tilt, because it doesn't rely on the meshing of teeth in serrated parts, so this type of seatpost is also known as a "microadjust" seatpost. (Single-bolt seatposts are also sometims called "microadjust," with questionable accuracy.)

Full article here; http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html#seatpost

 

[Zorro]

Ok - that looks like a two bolt seatpost?

Sheldon Brown's site has this;



Full article here; http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html#seatpost

Wow that is great!, will go and play around with it. Had no idea that my seatpost could do that. Thanks for your help

 

[John the Monkey]

Wow that is great!, will go and play around with it. Had no idea that my seatpost could do that. Thanks for your help

Pleasure.

Bookmark Sheldon's site, he provided a really great resource for virtually anything you could want to know/do with bikes.

Post back if you still can't get on with the saddle, and people can give you thousands of conflicting recommendations

 

[bonj2]

Do Brooks do a racing saddle?

Well a B17N could sort of be described as a racing saddle, but it's still the best part of half a kilogram. Might not worry you too much but when you consider that that might very well be getting on for half as much again as your frame.
A toupe by comparison is 155g.

 

[Zorro]

Well a B17N could sort of be described as a racing saddle, but it's still the best part of half a kilogram. Might not worry you too much but when you consider that that might very well be getting on for half as much again as your frame.
A toupe by comparison is 155g.

Not too bothered about shaving off loads of weight... I don't compete but am looking to do some longer rides so want something that will be effective and comfy in the long run. I know Brooks have a great reputation, a friend of mine has just bought one of them and raves about it. The only worry I have is the geometry of the saddle, it looks a lot larger than my current saddle (extra chaffing and/or forcing my legs out of the pedalling line). I am planning on doing John O'Groats to Lands End next summer so am trying to get a saddle sorted for that now to break it in. Rough estimates for it will be 70-80miles per days for two weeks.