Good Morning! I am looking for some gravel saddle recommendations…
I’m not getting on well with the Fabric Line that came on my gravel bike; delightful ball chaffing issues. I’ve tried EVERYTHING with regards to position, angle, new bibs, chamois cream etc but come to the conclusion that it just doesn’t suit me.
I get on well with a SMP Dynamic on my road bike – Garry Kirk Bike Fitting set me up on that but I’m not sure I want that level of locked in support when riding off road. It’s nice to be able to move around on the saddle to suit the terrain.
Any suggestions from the STW hive mind?
My Topstone came with a Fizik Aliante. I took one look at it and thought "that'll need to go". Three years later is still on and I've no plans to replace it.
I like the SQlab 614, which is their road saddle shape, but with a bit more padding as per the mountain bike version. I had a Fabric Line briefly on my cross bike and hated it, it felt like the edges of the pressure relief groove were way too sharp and the groove - slot? - itself was too narrow. The SQlab saddles just work for me and put the load squarely on my sit bones, but it's all quite personal.
In the tradition of recommending what you have, I have the standard saddle that came with the Specialized Creo 2 Comp which is the Specialized Body Geometry Power Sport. Works great for me. Enough padding but not too much, fairly short length and easy to move about on when on trails but fine on the smoother stuff as well. Tbh, I've got Specialized saddles on a few bikes they work for me but..... it's all so personal, what works for one will be a nightmare for someone else.
When I suffered ball chafing it was because the part of the saddle I wanted to sit on was just too narrow and I would rock from side to side, hence the chafing. I spent ages figuring out the solution and it has turned out to be saddles with relatively broad noses (unsurprisingly) and gentle tapers from front to back.
The Aliante and Selle Italia flite saddles have quite an abrupt taper to you're either sat upright and on the wide part, or rolled forward and suddenly on the narrow part. If your sit bones are that shape then hunky-dory, but mine weren't. In truth I also suffered this on e.g. the Specialized Power and Power Arc, and also the Prologo Dimension. I also found the Selle Italia SLR wanted to 'lock' you in place, I guess because it is such an ergonomic shape that attempts to cradle your arse 'just so' 😆
The solution has been the Fizik Terra Argo (I ride a 150mm when I think normally I'm a 143mm saddle type) OR the Selle San Marco Aspide Short. The bonus of the Aspide is there are a lot of good deals out there and you can choose between standard padding and comfort padding. I've just picked up an Aspide Dynamic Comfort for the gravel bike having got on so well with the Aspide Short Race on the road bike. I think the Aspide mimics the SMP a tiny bit in the very gradual taper from front to back, but the Aspide is very flat nose to tail so there is no feeling of being locked in.
I would also like to try the Terra Argo in a 140mm because I'm getting increasinly suspicious that wide saddles either just increase chafing on the arse cheeks, or the wider wings sort of force you to scootch forward onto the nose a bit more.
I transferred my Selle SMP Extra from my road bike to my gravel ebike.
Ergon SM - always got on with these or charge ladles are a decent cheap option. Saddles are very personal though !
I've got a Sonder Kura on my Camino. It looked like a better shape to me than the standard one they put on their bikes, so I paid a little extra for it when I ordered the bike. It's a flatter, shorter saddle with less of a nose although not as extreme as some others.
I like it, but it doesn't seem to get very good reviews on the Sonder website. I sometimes find it a bit slippy, but that does depend on what shorts I have on and I would prefer that to an overly grippy saddle that you can't shuffle about on. Only one width available so no good if you need a specific size.
I went for the gravel version of my road saddle (Selle Italia SLR Boost) which just has a bit more padding but the same fairly flat and short shape which I get on with on the road, plus it's brown of course #gravelspecific 🤣 .
I tried the saddle I use on my MTB (WTB Volt, just the cheap one) and it just didn't work for the longer periods of sitting and pedalling compared to how much I move about on the MTB. If my "gravel" rides were more on the bumpy bridleway/XC riding end of things I might have gone the opposite way round.
I love a good brooks leather saddle.
Road and gravel bike have brooks flyers- the super heavy sprung b17 shape.
I did 80 miles bikepacking this weekend on my geometron in the lakes on a b17 saddle I was given by some on here- thanks! No pain at all despite a long MTB ride normally being 30 miles. I mostly use a chromag saddle on MTB as the nose gives me an occasional smack when going for it downhill.
Brooks saddles aren't cheap but they fit me brilliantly and last.
Road bike Flyer -18 years old
Gravel bike Flyer 10 years old. Used 4 times a week for 5 years
B17- well used second hand and used severally times a week for 3 years.
Previous b17 got nicked and was over 20 years old.
I use one of these on mine
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007562819812.html
Unbelievably cheap (<£9) but it's comfy, light and seems tough. I bought it expecting it to be crap but light and initially used it on my turbo bike as I'd pinched the saddle off it for another bike. It then ended up on my gravel bike when I built it in November as a stop gap but it's still there. I did over 100km on it yesterday and I currently weigh about 100kg.
The SMP Dynamic looks long thin and curved on top.
A Brooks Cambium Carved (the leather options are "just no" from me).
Very curved top, they are designed to sag / distort a bit so you need to nudge the height up a few mm.
I use a C15 on my gravel bike but despite my comfortable posterior I generally find very narrow saddles comfier.
C17 would probably work for me too and is probably a bit more average width saddle person suitable.
I've had a Brooks Cambium C15 on my Gen 1 Escapade for 10 years now and I wouldn't change it. It's not the lightest but neither is the bike, or rider!
I too use a dynamic on my road bike. My gravel bike (which I mostly use for commuting) has an SMP hybrid on it. Not used it for loads of longer rides but it's been fine when I have. Similarly narrow to the dynamic, more padded, the curve is a bit less pronounced but still doesn't lead to any numbness. Quite cheap for an SMP
What purpose does the beak of those SMP saddles serve? Is it just their IP protection? I'm ashamed to admit that I'll probably never fit one unless they got rid of it...
Note that I have an old SMP generously provided to me free of charge by another forum member, if I can find the old message chain and check with them I'm sure they'd be OK with me posting on if anyone wants to try it (it's currently in our club 'saddle library' for people to try).
Brooks Cambioum c17 carved for me - it’s like a hammock - v comfy!!
Selle Italia SLR boost gravel version works for me, although slightly concerned I'll lose a bollock down the cutout and involuntarily castrate myself.
I've also had good experiences with the Burgtec cloud saddles.
As someone said above, first option would be to try the saddle off road bike. Saddles are such personal things it's impossible to tell you. My local Spesh store will sell you a saddle and you can return it and swap for another if no good. Other shops may have saddles to try. I use a Spesh Power but they come in different sizes you would need to get your arse measured. Mine works on road, gravel and have used it on MTB too all fine. Current gravel bike comes with Giant Grit which has been fine so far
