What do Rivendell riders use for bicycle saddles? 3 questions for RivRiders.

[Michael]

Since I asked about shorts, I thought I'd ask about saddles, too.

 

1. What are the most comfortable saddles that you use? Please give the full name of the saddle (like, don't say just "Terry saddle", if it was a "Terry Liberator Y Gel saddle").

 

2. Please state for which kind of riding you use the saddle (ex: racing/touring/dirt/stunt/commuting/drops/upright, etc.).

 

3. On which of your bikes do you use the saddle (ex: Riv/All-R/Lego/Cust/Ram/Rom/Red/Bomb/Ap/At/Bet/Yv/Sam/Hunq/Road/Glor/Wilb/Bler/Homer/Simp/Quick/whatever other models they make)?

 

4. Feel free to link to a pic of your saddle.

 

Interesting to read about these things.

For instance, I read that someone stated they used their B67 or 68 for bars-below-saddle riding, though contrary to its designed purpose, I think.

 

Always nice to hear that people are using gear outside the box with success.

Helps keep perspective and not always buy into the "no you can't" gear zeitgeists that are always flying around bicycle circles.

[Cecily Walker]

I have a Brooks B67 S Aged saddle. It's the same as the B67 S, but it was treated with special materials to help it break in faster.  I used it on my Dutch bike, and I'm planning to use it on my Betty Foy as well. I mostly ride around the city, but I also use it for rides out in the country of 25-30km.

I quite like it, but the leather has developed the most embarrassing squeak, and I can't seem to get rid of it no matter what I try.

[Bruce Herbitter]

Squeaks often come from the tension bolt or the frame where it is held by the seat post clamp. A bit of grease there may help

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[Bruce Herbitter]

I have Selle Anatomica Titanico Saddles on 3 bikes and a Brooks B5N on one.

Saluki w/bars above saddle:  S-A without the cut out, for light riders: Most comfy saddle ever, but stretched to the max soonest. Leather starting to crack around the rivets after 5 years of wear. Can be sent back for new leather.

Road and Rambouillet have S-A with cut out, heavy rider version. Both fine after a number of years. Handlebars just above saddle. Reasonably comfy from day one, but seriously comfy after a month or two.

Maruishi (for Nashbar) crit racer set up with tall stem and M-bars. B5N was an OEM saddle shaped like a B17N with pebbled top and thinner leather. Got one NOS and treated it with Obenauf's before riding it. Actually a pretty nice saddle. These come up on Ebay from time to time.

Saddles I rode and took off to put on the shelf: 2 Brooks B-17s, a Team Pro and a Gyes road saddle (god awful POS). I just don't like the B17 all that well, despite the fact that many love them.

 

On Thursday, August 15, 2013 10:21:41 PM UTC-7, Michael wrote:

Since I asked about shorts, I thought I'd ask about saddles, too.

 

1. What are the most comfortable saddles that you use? Please give the full name of the saddle (like, don't say just "Terry saddle", if it was a "Terry Liberator Y Gel saddle").

 

2. Please state for which kind of riding you use the saddle (ex: racing/touring/dirt/stunt/commuting/drops/upright, etc.).

 

3. On which of your bikes do you use the saddle (ex: Riv/All-R/Lego/Cust/Ram/Rom/Red/Bomb/Ap/At/Bet/Yv/Sam/Hunq/Road/Glor/Wilb/Bler/Homer/Simp/Quick/whatever other models they make)?

 

4. Feel free to link to a pic of your saddle.

 

Interesting to read about these things.

For instance, I read that someone stated they used their B67 or 68 for bars-below-saddle riding, though contrary to its designed purpose, I think.

 

Always nice to hear that people are using gear outside the box with success.

Helps keep perspective and not always buy into the "no you can't" gear zeitgeists that are always flying around bicycle circles.

--

[Eric Platt]

All three of my bikes have different iterations of the Terry Liberator Y saddle. Ages range from about 10 years old to one year old.  They change the mold and design every few years it seems. 

 

The style of riding is more a "just ride" type.  Some commuting, general getting out there and goofing off, a little dirt road and sometimes double-track.  In the last couple years the longest ride being about a metric century in length. 

 

Did use Brooks B-17 saddles until a bit over a year and a half ago when I started getting serious skin problems from the rear part of the saddle frame.  Have also tried the Cardiff saddle and unfortunately it's the same problem.  Briefly tried a B-67 which is wider and should avoid that, but found my thighs chafe on the sides of that saddle.

 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[Ron Mc]

I've aged through the saddle comfort gambit, starting with Unicanitor, later Concor, then Terry.  Now very happy with a high-mileage B-17 (added laces) on a moustache cockpit, which I would call semi-upright.  

and a Selle Anatomica X on my drop-bar road bike

Both of these saddles I call Invisible in the comfort scheme - the Selle was that way out of the box, the Brooks took 800 miles to get that way.  

Tension is everything on the Brooks.  On a long, hard climb-training ride last month, I had made a subtle tension adjustment before the ride, added just a little more tension on a water stop during the ride, and immediately subtracted it at the next possible stop.  

I found this arfticle with worthwhile reviews of current 

http://www.randorichard.com/hints-helps/saddles

this one is OK, with a strong recommendation for Lepper

http://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/zadels/index_en.html  

I've never sprung for a Bertoud or Lepper, but they always get the highest marks across the board to go with their price tags.  My buddy is also very fond of his 4 Bertoud saddles (though his wife hates hers)

On Friday, August 16, 2013 6:02:25 AM UTC-5, Cecily Walker wrote:

Thanks. I tried that, but nothing changed. I just got a response fun Brooks who suggested checking the tensioning. I hope that works

[Deacon Patrick]

1: B-68

2: Touring, with many consecutive days of 70+ miles. More important than milage is time in the saddle, which would typically be 5-8 hours a day, though I've had 12 hour days. I focus mostly on single track now though, as it's remote enough to not mess with my brain as much.

3: Hunqapillar. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/9360326375/

With abandon,

Patrick

[Patrick Moore]

Selle Italia Flites, Flites, and only Flites, the original edition or later models that are the same. I have a stash.

For all my riding on all my bikes.

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Albuquerque, NM

[Cecily Walker]

Thanks for the advice! I tried this in the past, but nothing changed. I wrote to Brooks and they suggested adjusting the tensioner. I'll try that today to see if it makes a difference.

[Ron Mc]

btw, my daughter and I rode yesterday.  Of course she adores the B68 on her upright bike, but complained during the break-in on her B17S Imperial.  

It's finally broken in, and she loves it - she said she could ride it forever now

I also read the nose angle is more critical for women than men.  I started with hers pointing at the stem (a hair below flat), but raised the nose one notch and she liked it better right off - it helped her make the longer ride that finally broke it in.  But what I read was that women typically need a lower nose angle then men.  There are probably women on the board who have better anecdotal evidence than me...

[Toshi Takeuchi]

I use the Rivet Pearl saddle on all of my Riv bikes. (Homer-tourer/commuter, Ram-randonneur, Roadeo-supported events/club riding, all drop bars on all my bikes).

I have a Terry fly saddle on my tandem.  I don't like the cushion on the saddle. It's more uncomfortable than the straight leather seats for me. It's not uncomfortable enough to force a change in saddles, but eventually I'll probably get another Rivet. 

I've also used a Brooks Swift, but have found that the wider Rivet is better for my big butt :).

Toshi

[velomann]

First, I guess I'd be classified as a lurker, since I don't own a Riv and, with the imminent arrival of my Ocean Air Rambler, am not an aspiring Riv owner at this time.

Given that, my main saddle for commuting up to 300k rando (my longest ride) and overnight camping is a Brooks Professional. I also ride a B17 and find the fit identical for me. As a matter of fact, I'm not a fan of the big copper rivets and when I someday need to replace the Brooks Pro, I'll do it with a standard B17. I also have a ti railed Brooks Swallow, seems to fit similar, but I don't have enough miles on it to speak with authority.

The other saddle I have on a couple bikes, as well as a stash because they can be picked up cheap, is the WTB Rocket. I've done comfortable centuries on this saddle, the only synthetic saddle that I can say that about. But I also have a couple Selle Italia Flite saddles, just one mounted now on my fixie, and I like it too. My cross bike has a Fizik Arione, and it's also very comfortable. But the main reason it's on there is it's light and the top is flat making for easier cross mounts.

Mike

[Deacon Patrick]

Anyone else ride the Rivet saddles? How do you like them, and can anyone compare the Pearl with the discontinued Brooks' B68?

WIth abandon,

Patrick 

[Matthew J]

Hilsen - Berthoud Aspin

Hilsen is on Nantucket.  Use it for all my annual visit transportation.  Upright bars.  The Aspin is very comfortable saddle for me.

Got my Brooks Cambium the other day.  So far liking it a lot.  On a non-Riv reel bike with '80s era Italian geometry and drops.  

[Patrick Moore]

Welcome to the outed list.

Shameless, self interested remark: if you should ever decide that you don't like those Flites, and if they are the older, lightly-padded, no-hole and no-damn' gel type, I would be very interested in talking about a swap or purchase.

Thanks. 

Back into the aether.

Patrick Moore

On Fri, Aug 16, 2013 at 10:31 AM, velomann <velo...@gmail.com> wrote:

I also have a couple Selle Italia Flite saddles, just one mounted now on my fixie, and I like it too. 

--

[Patrick Moore]

Dammit! I meant this to go directly to the OP. Sorry.

GD google, and gd lack of IT skills.

[Lynne Fitz]

I used the Terry Butterfly (both cro-mo and ti) on the Riv, the Sweetpea and the Lemond exclusively for years.  A decade maybe.  Just got a Selle Italia Diva Gel for the Sweetpea, 100k on it so far.  I'll have to see how it does on a longer ride.

For me, my commute is 10 mi each way, and I ride 200k perms/brevets for fun a couple times a month on the Sweetpea.  The Riv WAS my rando bike, but the top tube is just too long for the long rides.  Also ride the longer brevets, but not every month!

There is a Brooks Flyer S with the Selle Anatomic cut-out in the cabinet.  We just do not get along.  Every so often I'll give it another try, and then put it back in the cabinet.

Stay tuned.

On Thursday, August 15, 2013 10:21:41 PM UTC-7, Michael wrote:

[Brewster Fong]

On Thursday, August 15, 2013 10:21:41 PM UTC-7, Michael wrote:

I might have missed it but I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Avocet O2 saddle?  I love those saddles and have them on all of my bikes and several backups,  including one that is almost new. Of course, Avocet is basically dead, so that may be the reason no one is using them anymore. :(

 

I also have a "Ferrari" saddle. Its a 90s Selle Italia Novus that was made for the Colango-Ferrari bike. It looks like this one:

 

http://racevelo.com/105-thickbox_default/selle-italia-nuovos-ferrari-saddle.jpg

 

Of course, it is really "bobish" with its carbon rails....;)  Good Luck!

[Garth]

Lookin Moderate Saddle

Style of riding : Just Me Riding :)  Like most of us, you just ride. 'Nuff said.

2 Bikes . A Bombadil and a custom Franklin Frame

[RJM]

B17 special on the Sam

B17 Select on the Olmo

Roadeo is going to have something lighter and sleeker. I was thinking something like a fizik arione.

 

On Friday, August 16, 2013 12:21:41 AM UTC-5, Michael wrote:

[samh]

I recently ditched all my leather saddles: a Berthoud Aspin Touring Saddle, a Brooks B17, and a VO Model 6.   Just too painful.  The B17 was especially torturous.  It bruised my sit bones so bad riding it a couple of times that for a whole season, it hurt to bend over and touch my toes.  The VO Model 6 is a beautiful looking saddle, but it's as hard as cement.  I put lots of miles on the Berthoud and the V0, and they remain as hard as the day I bought them.

In the past, I've always found Selle Italia saddles to be extremely painful, and gel saddles to be instantly numbing, but I'm currently pretty happy with the Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow Saddle 

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/selle-italia-max-flite-gel-flow-saddle?ti=UExQIEJyYW5kOlNhZGRsZXM6MToyMQ 

> The other saddle I have on a couple bikes, as well as a stash because they can be picked up cheap, is the WTB Rocket.

I'm also using a WTB saddle on my Riv: the cheapest version of the Silverado.  I threw it on my Riv after yanking the VO, and my sit bones have thanked me ever since.

No more leather for me, although I do harbor notions of trying the B17 Imperial Narrow.  I think the Brooks Pro would also be the right size, but I've read that the leather is harder on a Brooks Pro.  Harder??!!  

On Thursday, August 15, 2013 11:21:41 PM UTC-6, Michael wrote:

[ascpgh]

I use Brooks B17 Special and love(d) it so much my other bikes all have B17 Standard saddles.

I use the same saddles for faster or slower, any distance riding, across the country, the length of the GAP/C&O trail from Pittsburgh to Washington, and on weekly rides from the neighborhood. I commute daily in an urban setting where there is just below 40" of rain annually, and just above 40" of snow.

It all started with the Special on my Rambouillet.

https://plus.google.com/photos/109160474815391208206/albums/5913056595287610545?authkey=CL3wxuH24_bXHQ

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Tony DeFilippo]

Andy, great shot if you're Rambouillet! I want to do that DC to Pittsburgh ride. What time of year did you do yours?

Tony

[Chris Halasz]

B17 Select on the Bombadil, B17 Champion Special on the Brommie. I typically ride in nylon shorts (Patagonia); no padding.

Used to like the Avocet O2 W40; not so much any more -- not even the latest discontinued incarnation.

Have tried many, many other saddles. The costly Selle SMPs were among the least comfortable. Had Anatomicas too, but found them too hammock-like. There is a variant of a Selle Italia Diva saddle I've kept. It's OK, and lightweight with bag loops.

My wife rides a Brooks B67s, and refuses to try anything else at this point.

Chris,
Tucson, AZ

[ascpgh]

Tony:

Rode it west-east in August (on the B17 Special). The Riv Rally East '12 rode Cumberland, MD-west in April (on the B17 Special). The least rainy months historically are February and October. Post-winter months likely to be suffering from winter accumulations still melting. October stands out as the best target if your calendar permits. I distinctly remember arriving at Harper's Ferry from Hancock at 97°, a thunderstorm downpour and the vision of that footbridge over the tracks and Potomac and the point of the historic town. Seemed great at the time but an advertisement for a more moderate weather repetition. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Cyclofiend Jim]

Hey there -

My tastes are kind of an outlier.  I've found that I'm more comfortable on slightly narrower saddles.  Now, I'm sure this has a great deal to do with years running low handlebars and a current position which is still at or lower than the saddle.

Unfortunately, I came into a very good deal an exceedingly comfortable saddle - the Brooks Swallow.  "Unfortunately" because at the point it needs replacing, I'll have to go on the Ramen-and-sample-tables diet for a couple months to afford a new one.

I can handle a B-17 around town (still have one on my Dawes), but on longer rides when I used it on the Hilsen, it felt like it was putting my hips into a funny motion. 

The Brooks Swift has been excellent as well - the one I got had fairly thick leather, which I've also noticed on others - but it was just about perfect when it snapped a rail.  Unfortunately, I haven't heard word one from Brooks on how to get that repaired.  That's on the list to follow up on this week.

I've found that a lot of the WTB models work well for me - though the more padded they are, the less well they behave on longer rides.  I loved the original ones - thin padding and the rolled-down nose.  They always struck me as cousins of the Avocet O2's (which I rode and liked).

Basically:
1 - narrowish
2 - flattish

and I find they end up working.

- Jim / cyclofiend.com

[Garth]

Yeah samh, I get that about leather saddles !  Riding them is like a sit bone torture test for me also. I really wish I could ride one, but I couldn't when I was 14, nor can I 3 plus decades later.
I've found pretty much ALL theories on bike seats mean nothing to anyone other than to the person who imagined it. Either a saddle works for a person, or it doesn't, and that's about all there is to it.
----------------------

[cyclotourist]

Similar to Jim, B17 saddles are okay to hop on and go, but I find when
I'm riding in dirt (which is as often as possible) they don't let me
move around enough, particularly back off the saddle. So I've slowly
moved over to the Brooks Swift model which has the same flat top as
the B17 but is about 2cm narrower. Happy with that.

Also the WTB Devo/Deva saddles are great minimally padded, flat topped
saddles that I use on my 29er and would be happy riding on any bike,
except they look out of place on a Rivendell IMHO.

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"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[cyclotourist]

Forget to mention I don't wear any padding. Just MUSA shorts and
boxer-briefs. Occasionally I'll put on bike padded shorts, but I'm
never quite sure why.

[Patrick Moore]

Regarding Brooks saddles: I've tried six different models (on very different bikes): B 17, B 17N, Champ Flyer, two different fat, tractor type models, one with springs and one without, and the Pro. (I've also used a medley of Ideals, Fujitas, and others inclluding the stock saddle on my 1966 Indian Hero that was a magnificent, majestic saddle with huge, coiled, chromed loop springs at front and (2 of 'em) rear -- big, 4" diameter loops, none of your pissant coil springs). All the Brookses were no go except the Pro which I used for ~2 years for regular commuting. The Pro was very, very nice EXCEPT for one problem that I had with all the Brookses except the tractor seats: I could never get the tilt right. Either too high, and impertinently poking the family heirlooms, or too low, and pushing me off the saddle onto the bar.

Too bad, because in regard to sit bones it was as good as or better than the default Flites.

[Patrick Moore]

Oh, no padding for me, either.

[bwphoto]

I prefer leather saddles and have ridden them since the '60s when I got an Ideale for my schwinn 3 speed which took me thru college. Later on returning from SE Asia I had a fuji leathe saddle on a Fuji 10 speed. I tried various unicanitor saddles on my Nishiki Pro when I was racing in the early to mid '70s but switched to Ideale for touring. I rode that saddle through to the '90s and into the early 2000s when I had to stop ridding.

My beater bikes usually had whatever I had laying around.

I currently have a B17 on my both my Sam and my Xtracycle, and a B5N on my Pugsley. I've had no problems with ridding leather even on muli thousand mile tours. I think wearing wool cycling shorts with real chamois (no diaper padding) must have toughened my butt up. I like hardness because it makes me feel more connected with my bike.

While my first choice will always be a leather saddle I'm not that picky, I generally will ride whatever is available.

[hangtownmatt]

A problem with the Brooks B-17 for some is that the saddle will not slide back far enough.  When I hear someone complain that the B-17 bruises their sit bones I can't help but think that they might need the saddle pushed back further, and therefore, might be sitting on the on the rear steel rail.  A nice thing about leather suspended saddles is that while you are riding/peddling you can reach underneath the saddle and feel with your fingertips exactly where your sit bones are resting.

Matt

[hangtownmatt]

Patrick,

I do not own a Rivet, but I did almost buy one.  They are available to touch, feel, and test ride where I live.   A friend of mine has one.  They are a top-notch quality saddle, but an entirely different animal than the Brooks B-68.

Matt

[Evan]

Brooks B17 Special on Sam H.,  B17 on Univega Gran Rally. I love these saddles: firm and comfortable. I ride at slowish speeds for moderate distances, usually 10 to 18 miles, mostly on pavement, often on hills. On each bike the bars are about half an inch higher than the saddle. 

[Benz, Sunnyvale, CA]

Like most here, I've found Brooks saddles to be my mainstay nowadays. But it didn't start that way.

Long ago, when I was racing, I went through the saddle musical chairs and found Avocet's 40R and the Selle Italia Flite to be the ideal saddles. I even traded expensive failed experiments for Flites and 40Rs. I eventually ended up with a nice collection, including two full-carbon (rails + shell) Flite. Grant will cringe at that. Heck, I'll cringe at that, even if I do still have one now (in box, unmounted).

Following my salad days, I stopped riding for a few years due to work. I restarted riding when I discovered I had a double-chin (Who, me? What?!!) and had to do something about it. I then realized I didn't have to train for the next hammerfest or race anymore. I also found out that Flites and 40Rs (and 4" handlebar drops) are not compatible with the newer, heavier me anymore. The search for a new riding paradigm led me back to Rivendell's style* and Brookses.

I started the Brooks addiction with a Swift because I was still in semi-denial about being a racer. That saddle almost had me swore off Brooks saddles entirely. It was painful before being broken-in and the break-in period was quite extended. But either my butt or the saddle (or both) got molded and it was all good after 4 or 500 miles of discomfort. Yes, the pundits were right. You needed to pay your dues.

With the Swift experiment a success and the purchase of a more upright riding bike with essentially no handlebar drop, I tried the B17, fully expecting to suffer through another break-in period. But the B17 was wonderful out of the box! How can that be? And it got even more comfortable as the miles piled on. Padded shorts added to the comfort even more but normal shorts weren't bad at all! It was a complete revelation and I had became a closet evangelist!

Quickly, the fleet got B17s outright or B17 retrofits. The only bike that I currently ride without a Brooks is my racing Seven with a Selle San Marco SKN and my mountain bike with a WTB SST (with the gonzo nose). The SKN is not uncomfortable but it shows its presence at about 70 miles. In comparison, I've ridden 200km brevets without even giving a thought to my bum or saddle while on a B17. But the SKN looks good on the Seven (style points!) and I don't really ride the Seven that much anymore.

So now the count is this: Four B17s, two Swifts and a sprinkling of miscellaneous saddles. Of the Brooks-equipped bikes, only one has a positive handlebar drop (1") and the rest have their handlebar level or higher than the saddle.

* back because I knew Rivendell from my college days, as a quirky and interesting outfit that didn't really had anything for me at that time.

[LeahFoy]

1. Brooks B 68, in honey.
2. Commuting around town
3. Rivendell Betty Foy

I have found it to be true about the saddle position someone else mentioned re: Brooks and women. Nose tipped up just a bit, but not much.

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/daytondogg/8575858776/