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Road saddle experiences/recommendations
 

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PConvery
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 2

7/22/21 3:20 PM

Road saddle experiences/recommendations

Hi guys, I have been using a Flite since Flite's were cool. Took some years off. The Flight never bothered me when I was training/racing almost every day, but now I'm looking to take the edge off a little. What are you guys running that you like? I will be just riding for fitness, a couple of time a week, but old habits...

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/22/21 4:46 PM

So subjective with little doubt.

I have had good success with buying expensive barely used saddles locally. The high end stuff always resells fast. No substitute for your own butts opinion.

Butt would say too much and/or soft pad is worse than not enough for longer stents in the saddle.

Before you get to the saddle, make sure you have the most expensive shorts you can justify. ;)

Castelli Progetto X2 air under my parts makes every saddle a lot better. I stay away from gel pads, especially in warmer months myself.

The Spesh Romin EVO Pro is my goldilocks performance saddle.

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KerryIrons
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 3234
Location: Midland, MI

7/24/21 2:07 PM

Swap

My saddle preference story comes from long ago. When in college, two guys I rode with were complaining about their saddles. Somehow they came to the idea of a swap. The "other guy" each liked the saddle that the owner didn't like, so they made the swap permanent. There is virtually no way to know what saddle will best suit you, especially since you haven't explained what you don't like about the Flite.

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Steve B.
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Posts: 769
Location: Long Island, NY

7/24/21 4:22 PM

My Cannondale Topstone came with a Fabric saddle, never heard of them. Ive been on Selle San Marco's for 20 years. The Fabric was very comfortable so I ordered and have been happy with a Scoop Sport Flat for my carbon road bike. So far so good

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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2625
Location: Canberra, Australia

7/24/21 6:22 PM

On a couple of my bikes I have women's saddles - I bought them for my wife; she tried them and didn't like them, so when I was putting the bikes together and needed a saddle, I chucked them on as a short term measure. I found them both comfortable enough that they've stayed there - in fact I've ridden 200km Audax events on them without discomfort.

One is the women's version of the Selle San Marco Squadra, and the other is an Ergon SR Pro women's saddle.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/24/21 6:55 PM

I got two white Bontrager Ajna pro carbon [fem] saddles for 50.00 each. I figured I am big and wider sit bones just by my size. At a minimum a new white high end saddle on a sale bike never bad for 50.00. ;)

Not quite as favored as the EVO Pro Spesh. But better than the Spesh EVO [non pro] I have.

Again, you gotta try stuff for your own butt.

I can say when I lost the 35lb late 2018 it changed a lot of things riding, preferred saddles included...

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/25/21 11:19 AM

Before I forget, I got the same saddle on used parts bikes I am finding invisible, being used they were certainly broken in.

These are Fizik wingflex line, Aliante model.

The shell/base is mostly a flexible matrix with the outer edge being more normal hard frame for it.

The matrix is quite flexible on the non top end race versions. Race one are stiffer I'd assume.




Came across this img. shows fizik saddle choices per rider position, interesting.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

7/27/21 8:52 AM

An impossible question and a possible answer

I have done multi-day 500-mile rides twice across much the same territory and in pretty much the same conditions.

The first time I rode a Flite, and suffered in spite of generous applications of Bag Balm. Two or three years later, I rode on a Brooks Swallow. No pain whatsoever.

Now, I have no doubt that other things had changed in those few years--changes in position and technique, perhaps in bar height. But I believe that the hard, smooth leather of the Swallow made a substantial difference as well.

Your mileage will almost certainly vary from mine, but....

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sanrensho
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 835
Location: North Vancouver

7/27/21 11:15 AM

My preferred saddle history.

Flite -> SLR (original "135g") -> Romin 135mm

Never thought I would move on from the SLR, until one year I realized it wasn't working for me. Go figure. (Not a saddle wear issue, as I had other SLRs to compare.)

Now settled on the Romin (not EVO) for 4+ years. I can't imagine going back to a non-cutout saddle. If the Romin had not worked out, I would have tried a Superflow next and maybe a Bontrager Paradigm.

Incidentally, Specialized Power most definitely does not work for me.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/27/21 11:31 AM

>Flite -> SLR (original "135g") -> Romin 135mm

Thats me basically. I have not used a flite since 2003-4 though.

I have one SLR on an ISP bike just because it is the lowest stack saddle [rail to top] i have or know of. I did not have to cut the ENVE ISP seat tube with it. ;)

Like the EVO Pro best as said.

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sanrensho
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 835
Location: North Vancouver

7/27/21 6:56 PM

My last Flite was a Genuine Gel model, so I must have switched mid-2000s.

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