Road saddle recommendations…

Right, I realise this is personal but whats the word on the best road Saddles? It appears to be either a Selle Italia Gel Flow or Fizik Arione if the media is to be believed.

FWIW, I’m a “blue” (wide sit bones) on the Trek ass measurer, am an comfotably using a Fizik Gobi on the road bike (but want a proper roadie saddle)

I just want to avoid an expensive mistake, and don’t have a reliable LBS to do the “saddle guarantee” thing with.

Thoughts?

If it fits your ass then its the right saddle, regardless of if its mtb or road.

If you like Fizik saddles, find a local dealer who carries the pink demo range, and give them all a try till you find the one you like, and buy that model from them. As S_Shep, it’s fit, not Road or MTB that matters.

If you can cope with the weight and a couple of weeks of discomfort then Brooks!

Seriously once broken in they are fantastic.

I’d demo a Spesh Romin if I were you and get your sit bones measured again before. I didn’t get on with any of the 4 Fiziks I tried but the Romin works well for me and from other forum threads a lot of people get on well with it (not everyone though hence you need to demo it!). It’s not as comfy as some saddles right from the off but doesn’t get any worse during the ride (I found the Fiziks really comfy for 10 miles then I ended up wanting to stand up after 30 miles as they became really uncomfortable).

Buy a handful of cheap second hand ones for fit. Try them all. Buy a new version of the one you want. Sell the old ones.

Charge Knife for me.

I used a Fizik Aliante until recently on the basis it was shaped a bit like the SDG Bel Air’s I have on the MTB’s. No problems. Then had a fit and changed it for an Arione, again no problems. I also ride B17’s on the tandems/tourers but CANNOT get with their Pro’s.

If any of the above applies to you, happy to help 🙂

I sat in a shop and tried a whole hoast of fizik and specialized saddles on my bike on a turbo trainer (props to rock and road yeovil[/url]) and then demoed a fizik for a week or so. I ended up with ariones on my road bike, my commuter, a PX arione copy on my track bike and I have an arione coming for my mtb. The only bike without one is the TT (had one on for a while and it was fine but put on an adamo to try and it’s better on the aero bars, horrible sat up mind.) So my vote other than try them would be an arione.

Iain

I have a Selle Italia Flite Ti shaped-derriere. But have also found the Arione to be comfortable. To be honest the Flite may be a little narrow for you, but it’s been brought back by popular demand. Try a used one first for about £30.

The SI Gel Flow has a very noticeable hammock effect – I had one for a while and just couldn’t get on with it – depsite the cut out I found I was getting numbness where you don’t want to be getting that kind of sensation. Demo’d a Fizik Antares and got on with it really well over 4 days of 2-3 hours a day on the bike – slightly less padding but the firmer hull meant my pelvis wasn’t rotating forward with the hammock effect and creating pressure or numbness, therefore a damn sight more comfortable and now the saddle of choice on my road bike.

So, from your choices, depends whether you prefer a softer hull with the hammock effect or more firm platform…

i am more road cyclist than mountain biker but have a gobi on my road bike, mtb and cross bike .why would you consider the gobi a mtb saddle?

The Arione feels like you’re perched on top for a couple of hundred metres then it feels ‘normal’. The Aliante feels like you’re ‘in’ rather than ‘on’ (no sniggering at the back). I thought I’d made a huge mistake going to the Arione but it and my arse are now in harmony.

Trouble is, saddle fit is such a personal thing, people can only tell you how it is for them….

If you are planning on doing big miles and you have found a saddle which feels comfy keep hold of it regardless of what it looks like or how heavy it is.
As a roadie who has been in (and still is) the constant quest for a lightweight race saddle that fits I still end up doing my long miles on an old bontrager.
The problem I am currently having is finding a saddle for the TT bike as the recent experiment with the prologo TTR has not gone well.

As you point out this is an expensive business as most performance saddles cost upwards of 100 pounds!

If you are after a fizik and have wide side bones DONT go for the arione.
It is only around 130mm wide which wont fit your arse.
Go for the antares, 145mm wide I think,should fit better.
Good luck with your search.

Too personal a choice to recommend really. It’s like asking what size underpants.

Thanks all. Seems like I should stick with the Gobi while I take the time to experiment.

Tom Hughes, I’ll start with the Antares – interestingly the Gobi measures 142mm width. cheers.

If you are planning on doing big miles and you have found a saddle which feels comfy keep hold of it regardless of what it looks like or how heavy it is.
As a roadie who has been in (and still is) the constant quest for a lightweight race saddle that fits I still end up doing my long miles on an old bontrager.
The problem I am currently having is finding a saddle for the TT bike as the recent experiment with the prologo TTR has not gone well.

As you point out this is an expensive business as most performance saddles cost upwards of 100 pounds!

If you are after a fizik and have wide side bones DONT go for the arione.
It is only around 130mm wide which wont fit your arse.
Go for the antares, 145mm wide I think,should fit better.
Good luck with your search.

Have you tried an adamo? I really didn’t want to get one as they are sinfully ugly but it works. I don’t like long rides on it and sat up it is awful plus your arse sits on the “prongs” at exacly the same point so it takes a while to get used to but you really can rotate right the way forward on it so you’re basically lying on it, giving you a nice flat back and an open-ish hip angle.

Iain

I have tried all sorts, i have spoon’s on all my mountain bikes but a prologo nago evo on my road bike its very very good.

k,

If you live near Wokingham, come round and try a few Flites and a few others.

PaulD

I got measured and bought a specialized road saddle, which turned out to be the most miserably uncomfortable perch it’s ever been my misfortune to use. I now use a Charge Spoon or Flite. If it’s comfy, it’s comfy – doesn’t need to be road specific.

Oh, and Brooks = weapon of ass destruction.

I`m af an of Fizik saddles.I find the Arione pretty good on 60 mile plus rides but it is firmer than the Gobi.

I`d also look at the Aliante, which has some of the give the Gobi is known for.

Had an Arione, wanted to like it but after 30-40 miles it started to feel like it was cutting me half slowly, a little more with each bump I rode over. It didn’t get better with time.
Changed it for an Aliante and am much happier with it.

Still got the Arione in a box somewhere, if anybody more slender hipped than me wants to buy it.

I’ve used a few over the years but most recently a Prologo Nago and find it really comfortable. There’s a few shops that loan out demo ones so may be worth a try if you can find a shop that will let you try one.

yip, another romin here, got the expert and its real comfy when you break it in..

Get super fantastico shorts and you’ll be comfortable on anything. Current road bikes all have different saddles.
1 x old Flite
1 x new flite
1 x Concor Team
1 x SLR
1 x Brooks Swift

Had a fizik something on my giant which was progressively more uncomfortable the longer past 2.5 hours I was perched on it… 😯

Recently got a new flite which was peachy on the 5 hour rides I did while recently in the alps.

I have however bought on of those tarty SLR team edition jobbies off planet x, not fitted it yet but it looks ace 🙄

I think the pad in the shorts is equally as important.

I find a massive difference in comfort wearing different shorts on the same saddle.
Bought a cheap £15 Charge from Wiggle and used it for 8 days in the Alps.With decent bibs it was as good as anything else i’ve had.

Another plus one for using an arione and finding a fisik dealer with the demo range of saddles

Probably out of ur price range but I demoed a fisik kurve arione shape and its by far the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever used. Really takes out all vibration and feels like U have a flat tyre (in a good way) just demo one and dream!

Prologo scratch…they do a wide (143mm) on and a scratch plus with a cut out bit for yer danglies (if you’re that way inclined).

I’m using Castelli bib shorts.

Interestingly, during a 100 mile ride yesterday I got uncomfortable on the saddle at 50 miles and was shifting around for the remainder of the ride.

Thats the Gobi – which I had no issues with on the other bike and is setup (by measurement) the same on this bike.

I splashed out on a Specialized Ronin following bike shop fitting and after 120 miles decided it an instrument of torture. Specialized do a 30 days return thing so swapped it for a Toupe which is much better.

Another lbs carry the fizik demo range which I would have used if I had known at the time.

I think you really need to try before you buy. I dont know if any online retailers will honour a 30 day swap out type thing but that may be worth a try…

the gobi is similar to the older style road saddles,in depth of padding.
you could try something like a rolls,or that other san marco saddle I can’t remember the name of,the one with rivets at the back.

I took a gobi off my mtb because I prefer a slr on the fs.
works nicerly on the ht though.
got the antares on a road bike,it’s very different,quite similar to the slr.

i’d find a shop that lets you try them out/has demo saddles.it’s cheaper.
even cheaper,leave it on your bike,a 100g weight diff in a saddle is nothing if you’re comfortable.

had no end of problems getting comfortable for longer than 50 miles on the road bike too, i’ve been through loads of saddles recently, but the one i’ve now stuck with which is by far the most comfortable thing i’ve ever used is a brooks b17. I’ve got them on all my road bikes now, the weight is definitely offset by the comfort

Emanual, I had a Selle San Marco Ponza Arrowhead come with the bike, with cut out.

I did a 100k ride on it and I was chaffed for a week, a boil too.

I think its a width issue, as both the Gobi and the Ponza are about 130mm, and after I had a Trek measure I came up in the Blue zone (wide sit bones) which in Bontrager saddles would need a Blue or 148mm size.

I’m just eyeing up the Prologo Scratch – thiers a wide size (143) and has a narrow nose which may help. (i get sore around the inside thigh area).

San Marco Regal seem get good write ups and postive comfort comments ..i used to ride on a Rolls saddle which was ace but wanted something a bit more modern in looks hence the Regal model with Ti rails etc etc

Just did a metric ton on the Prologo scratch 143.

I didn’t feel a thing for the first 50k, a good sign. Thereafter I started to feel some discomfort, which had me “hovering” about 4 times for the remainder of the ride to get comfortable. If I had to pin it down I’d say I was feeling the seams of my shorts (castelli’s, so not cheap ones.

However, within 5 mins of getting off the bike at the end, although I can “feel” I’ve been on a saddle for 3 and a half hours, I’m not battered, aching or chaffed, but I feel “hot”.

I’m hoping then as I get used to the saddle / it “moulds” to fit things will get better.

I’m also hoping that for any rider, your crotch after riding 100k will never feel as though you’ve never ridden at all. Lets face it, even the grand tour riders can barely walk sometimes at the end of a stage, so I’m assuming long road bike rides always comes with some level of discomfort.

as a serial saddle buyer, in the hunt for the perfect perch, my favourite is the Romin Evo, followed by the standard Romin…..both of those were the Expert model

Run a bel air on the mtb.

Got a 143 spesh alias on the road bike at the moment which is firm but comfy and a 143 spesh bg comp on the ss road bike which is cheap but even more comfy. Had a spesh avatar for a while with gel bits, which was super comfy for about 40 miles then started to niggle.

Got a spoon on cx bike at present that i had on the road bike for a while but didn’t really get on with over 40 miles either.

Ran a San Marco Regal for a couple of years (one of the suede ones) and this was fairly good but a little too rounded on top (looked ace though) 🙂

Had a Selle Italia XR for a short while too which was brutal and is now on the race bmx.

Fizik Aliante..

found my using their excellent saddle trial service.

Brooks B17 narrow– just gets better and better with use, remember it molds to your unique shape and stretches so needs tightening every now and then , wouldn’t dream of a long ride without one(on the bike)

But what I really want to know (please be honest) do none of that have found the “perfect” saddle feel ANYTHING after a long ride, or nothing – as if you’ve just got off the sofa?

I want to know if I’m looking for something that doesnt exist?