I cycle probably 4-5 times a week so i am no stanger to sitting on my gooch but i just cant seem to get a saddle that is comfy. The caveat to this though is that most rides these days are zwift based so really only an hour or so long but its not out of the saddle. I manage real world riding once a week which is anything up to about 3 hrs but i am squirming and standing for the last hour just to relieve the tender rear end. I measured my sit bones at home last year and i reckon it was 120mm so i reckon a minimum 143mm saddle. What else should i think about in saddle choice?

Specialized have a 30 day trial period on their saddles, if you don’t get on with it you can trade for a different model/width, until you find one that’s right for you. It’s worked for me a couple of times and I now have no saddle issues on MTB or road. I think there’s other brands that offer a similar schemes too, but spesh ones work for me!

I still can’t find more comfy than a Charge Spoon.

Get yourself to a specialized store and have your sit bones measured, 120 sounds very narrow! I’ve been through a load of saddles over the years and now have two phenom’s, 5-6hours riding and no issues.

Sit bone measurement and then get a Brooks Cambium C15; you won’t regret it.

Figure out if you like flat or curvy. Try a bunch at a decent shop.

I worked out I need a curve on my saddles, flat ones really don’t work for me. Tried some recommended curvy ones, found one that I thought was right.

Felt pretty good, but not perfect. I thought it was as good as things got. A couple of years later I tried something slightly different from another manufacturer… and jebus… that’s what a saddle should be like.

I’ve done 12 hour road rides with thin padded shorts with absolutely no ill effects.

The moral… keep trying until you find “the one”. Then buy 5 of them.

Do not discount really cheap saddles.
I’d been riding a few different ones and settled on a fizik Pave CX, but maybe this is oversharing – was having some issues in the penis/sexual department.
After trying a variety of things I thought about how much I was cycling now (started long distance commuting).
Some £12 Selle Royal one out of Halfords and everyone is a happy chappy. I also don’t get a sore ass on 6 hour+ rides
It weighs not far from the more expensive ones at 250g too

I have been through a few saddles already, i guess its going to take a few more. I have a charge spoon but its not overly comfy and the creaking after just a couple of months drove me mad. I think there is a spec store in Harrogate so i will check there policy and go for a sizing up as my crude measuring of my bones may or may not have been accurate. Am i right in thinking you need a saddle approx 30mm wider than your sit bones?

Measured plus Phenom here as well.

Not sure, but my local spesh concept store measured me at 155 which I thought was way too wide. I tried a bunch of different saddles in that width trying to find one that worked, eventually went back to the original model but in a 143mm, perfect right away. I prefer a flat saddle to a curve, but everyone is different. The thing that makes the biggest change for me is the cutout, I can sit and pedal for hours, where my old saddle would have me shifting about, trying to take the pressure of my spuds.

I did try Spesh sit bone test and tried 3 or 4 of their saddles but none of them were comfy. Ended up on ISM Peak on MTB’s. There is no golden rule, just trial and error.

My problem isnt spud related or numbness in that region but it just feels bruised/tender around sit bone area. Can be tender after 2 days of zwifting which amount to only 2hours in the saddle. I have good gel padded shorts which always work well for me and cycling 4 times a week for about the last 9 months so its not as if that area needs breaking in. I currently have a cheapo brand x saddle (tenner) which seemed ok but 12 months down the line its just not cutting it.

Brooks leather saddles every time for me. Get one of the right width and the break in period isn’t nearly as bad as legend has it and then within a couple of hundred miles you have a completely custom fit.

Why not speak to a shop that do trial saddles? Fizik and Selle Italia both have a range you can try.