I seem to go through saddles faster than i’d like. WTB split in less than a year. CrankBros snapped. Spesh Phenom Adventure – wore through two in a year. Spesh Phenom leather creaks like buggery where the frame goes into the mounting.

So what am i best off getting as something that will last a good few years? I’m guessing something leather and expensive?

(Comfort’s pretty much irrelevant to me, I don’t even notice the saddle half the time (maybe that’s why i kill them so fast). But I hate waste and having to replace stuff.)

Brooks

You could probably pass it on to your grandkids.

It’s tempting, although I do ride in the wet an awful lot, and in summer the seat is covered in sweat. Not sure whether all the reports about them not handling the wet are true.

In the subtropics I’ve noticed a lot of leather goes mouldy in the summer… Apart from Kangaroo. I’ve tried getting hold of roo leather to re-cover a seat myself but nobody wants to sell such a small amount. And I’m no hunter.

I too have had a few creaky saddles (it’s so bloody annoying!) but managed to always cure them one way or another.

My latest cure involved silicone spray and it’s lasted for months even with the bike upside down being washed, so the water gathers on the underside of the saddle.

I’ve used that in the past. Nail varnish has helped a bit. It is more than just creaking now, the saddle flexes and feels like it’s rocking. Probably exacerbated by play in the dropper.

Ah, that’s a bit of a sod then.

There was a recent post on here about it I think.

People have also used super glue to good effect apparently. It wont take up much play though if there is a lot of movement there though of course. A thin epoxy might be worth a shot?

Incredibly annoying having to change a saddle just over the noise,I feel your pain there.

I was thinking actual silicone or epoxy, something with a bit of give, unless it’s FUBAR I won’t give up!
New saddle would be for the other bike though. The awful canvas fabric has worn through on the nose.

Brooks Cambrium. Like a Brooks but not leather.

Brooks or an original Flite (my 1990s one is still going strong)

Superglue dissolves in water…so once the saddle is soaked, the superglue will stop doing whatever it is you are trying to get it to do…

Looked at the Brooks Cambrium… Do they last really well?

Original Flite, I have one that is easily 20 years old and another that’s 12 ish.

A few Cambiums have failed where the rubber cover is held by the nose rivet.

Get a bike with a push fit BB and you’ll never moan about swapping a saddle every 2 years again

Brooks Cambrium c13 carved. I’m slowly putting one on each of my bikes. The expense is the only thing letting it down.

Brooks
You could probably pass it on to your grandkids.

Can confirm, I have my Grandads B17

Tioga Spyder Stratum. Very light, comfortable and there’s virtually nothing to go wrong on them.

The Spa Cycles [cheaper] equivalent of the Brooks range have a more waterproof bottom (so to speak)

Allows flex, but stops them getting drenched apparently

They are thicker leather than the Brooks; take a little longer to bed in, but are completely indestructible. And as they’re cheaper, you can get a Titanium one for cheaper than a steel Brooks one.

@downshep if there’s a place anything can possibly fail, I seem to be able to locate it!

@smokey_jo the only press fit bike I had… Well the carbon frame broke before the BB wore out!
But I’m on my third Saint BB for the price of one as CRC warrant them for two years and they wear out before then. They just send me new ones!

@petec thanks – never heard of Spa. Looks interesting.

@dc1988 that’s leftfield, but I like the simplicity!

That Tioga oddity,

As with most predominantly plastic load-bearing structures – reinforced or otherwise – the saddle will eventually start to sag, and Tioga quotes a relatively short lifespan of two to three years with regular use.

(ref. BikeRadar).

Ahhh, that does make sense.

Possibly the Fabric Scoop..? Not a leather saddle so should last well. Can’t comment on creakiness though!

I’ve not had issues with my Tioga sagging yet, I’ve had it at least 4 years

Brooks b17 since 2002 for me. It’s been retired for mtb as I got fed up of getting stabbed by it in he legs on tricky/ jumpy rides. It’s got a crack that started looking terminal a year before it was retired. If I was bike packing or doing long distance rides it would go straight back on.

Brooks b17 flyer ( with springs) since 2011 on the road bike.130 miles are fine on my bum.

Chromag leather trail master on one mtb and non leather trail master on the other mtb. These are a similar shape to my b17. They are both a year old, and holding up fine.

Can you recover them? Its not that hard

Use the old cover as a template

I was aiming to recover the canvas one, but struggling to source any leather. I like what this guy does: http://busymanbicycles.blogspot.com/?m=1

Just get a charge spoon. Mine have all lasted well. All my bikes have them now; road, gravel & mtb. All except the one with a knife. Because mostly same but lighter.

My Fabric Scoop is now 3 years old and still going strong. It’s been through hell and came back alive, all sorts of crashes, including me landing on my arse from 2m flat drops more than once (don’t ask) and a crash so hard that the seat clamp assembly of the Reverb it was installed on unthreaded from the dropper stanchion.

Do you have a video of that happening? Sounds impressive!

For the record I’ve managed to get a decent price on a tanned roo skin. Hopefully I’ll get a couple of seat covers out of it.