I Need A New Saddle...

Re-energizing this thread. Asking others for saddle preference is about as pointless as asking someone their favorite drink at Starbucks, but what the hell...

I've been on WTB saddles for ten years - Rocket V, Silverado and most recently Volt. My ass hurts.

I'm gonna get the Ergon something - maybe the SMA-3 or the SME - 3. Somebody tell me how awesome these saddles are and how they caress your nether regions like a roll of cashmere Charmin, while making you stronger, younger, faster, better looking and more virile!

This just in - considering the Chromag Trailmaster too. Heavy, but Chromag know WTF they are doing for riders like me...

 

I will say that the stock Giant saddle on my 2015 XTC is just about perfect. I have had no complaints. YMMV.

 

I have the SME3 and I love it. I've done several 4-5 hour rides without any discomfort. A buddy of mine has the SMA3 which I believe has a little more padding and he loves it. The SMA3 may be my next saddle.

 

Spoon Charge has done it for me for the last 5 years. Cheap and confy.
The only bike I don't have it on, is the RLT 'cause it came with a decent saddle but be sure that when it's time to replace it, it'll be with a Spoon.

 

I have been running a Fizik Tundra 2 M5 for the last few years. I love it but if you want a more curvy saddle it may not be the one for you, since it is flat as an ironing board.

 

Herz, considering that you've been rolling on WTB saddles for 10 tens, can you honestly say that your backside hurt after each and every ride? We develop "butt calluses" from riding. My backside hurts when I ride if I have been off the bike for several days. But it gets better once I start riding regularly again. Could this be the case for you?

If you've truly been miserable after every ride, then I am sorry to hear that. And, good luck in your quest.

 

My buddy actually has the SMC3 Pro. FYI they come in 3 widths.

 

I have the SME3 also and I like it.

It is also so Enduro!

 

I've been wanting to try the Ergon (SMA3 probably), but I've been super happy with the Fabric Scoop I picked up to replace the torture device that was the stock Ibis seat.

 

I've been using the Rocket and Volt pro in the medium width for a few years, the Rocket has more padding and is comfortable even without a chamois on sub-hour long rides.

 

66sick espacio libre.


Based on sqlabs tech and pretty heavy. But man is it comfortable.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/review-66sick-espacio-libre

 

A few years ago I would not have believed that.

An OEM saddle I got in '09 got chucked in the parts bin. That thing killed me when I got it, and I tried unsuccessfully for many rides to like it. I came off the Divide last year and put it on a bike. I've been riding it ever since as my only saddle, including all-day rides with no padded shorts/liner.

 

A lot of other things hurt me more than my butt on longer rides, maybe I'm lucky with my natural cushion or perhaps my saddle choices have just worked out well.

The Specialized Phenom on my HT has always felt fine and when I built up my FS bike years ago I tried a few and settled on an SDG Falcon. The SDG has more cushion but I've used it the most and I guess I like it since I don't notice it, if that makes any sense.

 

Chris, I hope this isn't a dumb question, but have you ever gotten a fit? I find that most people can get along with the majority of the saddles if you play with the tilt and fore/aft position. A few cm's here and there can make a huge difference. To level my saddle I use one of those small bubble levels and place it on the front third of the saddle.

My rear end used to hurt real bad for years. I tried a bunch of saddles and some were better than others...but never really fixed the problem. I went to a fitter when I really started to have pains in my lower back. He told me that my saddle was too far back. He moved it up quite a bit...boom pain was gone. I was able to feel the difference on the first ride.

The other thing I've noticed that did relieve some pressure on my sit bones is the height of my handle bar. The lower I went...the less pressure I had on them. My road saddle is 134mm wide and curved. I guess that's why I can ride for hours with it on my road bike and only 30 mins on my mountain bike before I want kill it in the worst possible way. A the same time...I know that you can lower a bar on a MTB so far before it becomes hella scary.

A lot of people out there will try to find that magic saddle that will fit like their favorite recliner...but in reality...all they need an adjustment to their fit.

 

Thank you for this thoughtful response. The short answer is "yes," but the longer answer is "not exactly."

I used to think the back pain I experienced while riding was just a part of my history of a bad back and was simply something that I had to endure. Then I got a bike with a much steeper seat-tube angle (from 72° 74.5°) and voila - back pain all but gone. So that's the equivalent of your discovery of your saddle being too far back. Same physiology at play there.

As for seat angle, I run it flat. A lot of people tip the nose down, but to me, that just puts more pressure on your hands. Probably not while climbing, I suppose. And descending you shouldn't be seated at all. As for low bars - I run my bars about 3" lower than my saddle. That's a pretty fair amount of drop for running a 160mm fork! So have I had a professional fit? No, but I've read a lot, experimented a lot and made most of the adjustments that a professional would suggest.

I know a saddle is not a seat. It is one of five contact points on your bike (two hands, two feet and one ass). Comfy gel saddles are for beach cruisers. That said, I think my current problem, which I figured would go away with more time in the saddle, is a collection of years of years of saddle-induced anal rape. Fortunately, that's the only kind of anal rape I've experienced - so far. I've given the WTB Volt a good run - about 2 1/2 years. I'm gonna try the Chromag.

BTW - a combination Analyst and Therapist is an Analrapist.

 

I pretty much run my saddles level. I used to run them slightly tip up. That...after a while would eventually lead to numb nuts. The worst case I've ever some across was with a Selle Italia SLR. Came back after a long road ride. I couldn't feel my nutz while feeling my nutz.

I remember just sucking up the butt hurt. I would just suck it up and just live with it. I recall my ass hurting so bad, I couldn't sit on the saddle. It would take some time to get readjusted to the saddle if I did back to back days...like it hurt so bad...that after a while...my ass would just go numb.

 

I had to pull my saddle to do some bike maintenance and accidentally moved the saddle angle. It was like a completely different saddle. So my statement would be to adjust and try, repeat till happy... or replace.

What is also odd is for me the more padded the saddle the more my butt hurts on long rides. I use a Specialized Phenom 155mm width. Hardly any padding but for me it is very comfortable.

 

Paraphased straight from Morgan Hill kool-aid classes:
A lightly padded saddle helps keep the cheeks slightly spread. This promotes better power transfer and helps prevent chafing. It also helps by promoting the proper seated position of being on your sit bones, not fat and muscle.
A squishy saddle lets the cheeks rub together so what felt good at first can lead to discomfort....add some dirt, sweat, hair....you get the picture, and it ain't pretty!

 

A masher I know, by the name of Carl, once said "If your seat is hurting your bottom, you're not putting enough power down".

 

I didn't get the picture. Please try uploading the file again.

 

Sorry, here you go....

 

Lol...yes! I used to wonder why my ass would hurt so bad when I start to get really tired. I would start soft pedaling and my ass would end up bearing all my weight.

 

Yep, a front chainring is cheaper than a saddle.

- reformed spinner

 

I had such a shitty day at work today. This place never fails to make me laugh out loud.

Thank you imtbtrails...

 

Chromag is on...

Proctologist on speed dial just in case.


(Jenson two day delivery. I prefer buying from retailers, but good luck finding a Chromag retailer around here with the right saddle in stock).

 

I am not enjoying my Chromag Lynx DT all that much. It's a pretty good shape, the color is right, but I keep sliding up unto the nose during riding and have to re-position WAY OUT THE BACK to hit the comfort spot. Still better than the old WTB's I had used, but my favorite was the SDG Bel Air.... Used those on every bike but my how times (design trends)have changed. maybe I need a new saddle.

 

I fit on 142mm wide saddles best, according to all the sit bone charts, and run my bars barely below my saddle (higher if the seat's dropped). I'm torn between a Spec Phenom and Fabric/Charge Scoop (radius), as to which is my favorite saddle. These two both allow me to adjust myself comfortably anywhere along the length of the saddle and are firm enough to hold up to 3.5+ hour (~50 mile rides) rides without the padding eventually bottoming out to the hard shell. I broke one Phenom's saddle rail on a sketchy trail and I rubbed through the cover of a Fabric saddle with normal riding/pedaling motion, but they're so good that I bought replacements (and another as backup).

I like the WTB DNA padding and their flex shell too, but their Rocket V is on the narrow side, and the Volt's tail is a bit too tall, with the transition between it and the middle being too steep, causing me to slide back forward when I actually want to get just enough back to expand the power zone to my spin (from more up-and-down, to using more than half the stroke with forward push/heel drop at the 10 to 11 o'clock position up top, all the way past 6 o'clock with a "foot scrape" at the bottom). I threw my Volt onto my singlespeed, since its nose is too hard to utilize, and I'm out of the saddle more, and happen to sit into the middle hammock-like spot more while cruising on rough terrain (I typically extend my spin on smooth surfaces at steadier grades at higher RPM).

Frankly, I get along with a lot of saddles well at first, but some only last like 1.5 hrs before discomfort, like some stock (rebranded Velo) saddles with thick padding. It's only when I really push things to the limit that I really discover all the downsides. The saddle's got to keep up with what I want to do--I just want one that does it all, that I can install and forget about it. If the stock saddle works, I leave it. I find the Bonty Affinity that came on my old CX bike was stellar, but didn't work too well on my Air 9 RDO, likely because of the position difference--I was on the drops a majority of the time on the CX bike, with my spine angled flat enough to the point I had to crane my neck back to even look forward, while the bars are more level with the saddle on the 29er HT.

 

It had been so since I rode my roadie that I had forgotten how uncomfortable the OEM saddle was.

I am ordering a WTB Rocket for this one, too. Couldn't be happier with this saddle.

 

Just found out I have narrow sit bones and should be on a narrow saddle. Then found out why that matters. I have an older Rocket V (titanium!) I slapped on for my next few rides. The white looks horrible on my bike, but, if it improves my comfort, I'll get a black one.

The Chromag has a great nose, and I like the way it allows full leg extension, but I was still in a lot of pain at the end of the 3 or 4 rides I did on the saddle. It's about 145mm, and evidently I should be on 130-135. Honestly, 10mm shouldn't make much difference. I am still convinced my problem has nothing to do with saddle and/or shorts, but everything to do with age and compounding irritation.

 

I just won an auction for a slightly used Rocket Ti 142. That one is going on my roadie.