While currently trundling around New Zealand on a hired touring bike, musing on the woeful bum numbing uncomfortableness of the Specialized 'Body Geometry' saddle that has been fitted to it – why is it that all Specialized 'Body Geometry' stuff somehow fails to ever fit my body so…? I long for my favorite saddle.

I remember a quote in MBUK once, from about 1992 or thereabouts, saying 'A flite titanium will be fitted to every bike I ever own'.

Without trying to load the question too much… 😉

What is the greatest saddle of all time?

The one that fits your arse.

For me is's a Selle Italia SLR.

SDG Bel Air.

Spesh phenom, rival, toupe, avatar and alias in 143 for me which kind of makes the point that there is no universal answer. I used to use Flites but found speshs better when they were released.

charge spoon

2nd sdg bel air

for the money: charge spoon.

sdg bel air

Flite, followed by SI SLR, followed by Charge Spoon for me.

Flite since 91 and Aliante since 05.
Although a Turbomatic 2 has been very comfortable since 98.

Spoon looks ace and is good however its hard.

I've got a Selle Italia Oktavia Genuine Gel- that Ive never used (came on a bike and I took it off)- I may give it a whirl although it is heavy.

Edit- I have a specialized avatar 143 on my commuter/track bike. I didnt even know it was there or think about it until this thread. I remember taking it off a hardtail but I might just try it on my full susser. If you dont know its there -its definitely working isnt it?

Fizik Gobi. End of story.

My favourite has to be my WTB SST98 Ti which sadly had to be retired 2 years ago when it finally fell apart. Irreplaceable.

Another for the Gobi and of course the legendary Brooks B17!

Flite no question! In particular the transalp! Don't know what I'll do when this one dies.

Flite question- Are you guys light/heavy, using them on your mountain bike?

Saddle fit has nothing to do with being heavy or light.

Flites are narrow so tend to suit people with narrow sit bone spacing. Also, a flatter backed position will tend to suit narrower saddles (eg on a road bike)

i used to run a flite on all my bikes til i got a fizik arione i now have them on all my bikes great saddles (for my arse anyway lol)

sdg bel air

was WTB 98 till they died, tried the later version and hated it. Since then its been SDG Bell Airs

I had a sdg bel air – unless I really dipped the nose it always gave me cock-pinch.

SLR, SLR XC, Fizik Arione (road bike only) and SDG I Beam I Fly have all been good for me.

SDG Bel Air on the other hand was like sitting on a house brick.

I get on with Fizik Gobi's and SDG Belair's – either works for me.

Done 50 miles on my charge spoon with no issues.

Fizik Gobi for me, but I used Flite Ti's for years before I started having problems, I don't know if it was me getting older or the Flite design changing 😕

Flite followed by the original WTB SST

Flite question- Are you guys light/heavy, using them on your mountain bike?

I'm medium-ish weight, used a flite for years on road and off. ALthough they look narrow, the part you sit on is the same as most apparently wider saddles. Also the rails are so flexible they really provide some cushioning. Not tried any of the new style flites.

+1 gobi

spoon for me, although i haven't really used it in anger yet.

the greatest saddle of all time has to be the Flite, totally changed the way saddles are designed, it's irrelevant if you find it comfortable or not

runners-up have to be the Brooks, the Rolls, the Turbo and the Concor for longevity, and the Spec. BG for making the most of a hokey bit of 'research' 🙂

As this is a MTB forum I'll give you the Flite, begrudgingly. But in reality, the only answer is the Brooks B17. Or indeed any Brooks model you choose. Ti Swift? The question needs changed to "the greatest MTB saddle of all time" to avoid that answer.

Charge Spoon.

I also rather like the OE Boardman one on my commuter bike, longest distance is 62 miles with not a worry in the world, I think they're a Prologo copy or summit similar

I've found the SDG Fly Ti, although it looked really minimalist was pretty much as comfy as the Bel-Air. Contact points seem the same and you save weight, if that matters to you.

Currently using a really old Velo Titanium railed thing with a cut out on the road bike and it's great – looks like a torture device but works fantastically.

Used to use Brooks all the time, but in all honesty, I just can't be bothered any more, 'specially when bikes keep getting nicked after you've spent the last 4 months breaking one of them in……

Flite for being so radical in 1990 or 91 when first made and still looking cool today. Classic design and exceptional comfort – for me anyway.
My last one died a month back and's been replaced with a Charge Knife; so far so good!

SDG Bel Air Ti-Fly

The flite has to go down as THE classic saddle.
But, I used flites on all my bikes till the SLR came out, and since have been using various versions of that plus the odd San Marco Aspide
Weirdly, I cant sit on any Flite for more than a few minutes now, without it feeling like my perineum is being ground away.
Very strange…

Fizik Gobi:
I get on OK with SDG Bel Air too.
But then I've only tried maybe 5 saddles.

Bel air for when i used to sit down….

Another vote here for the Flite.
Classic, minimalist design offered comfort and strength far in excess than it's looks would suggest. Often copied but never bettered.
Used them on all my bikes since 91 although recently defected to the Specialized camp (Phenom SL).

has to be the SDG bel air