Touring Saddle?

Looking for a good saddle for my winter training / cross / touring bike. Not really sold on brooks etc…too much maintenance and too heavy. Leather, maybe 300-400g, not too sure about width (seem to have narrow sit bones). I’m not a pro by any means but will normally do 40-50 miles on typical run..

Going on a titanium genesis ATR if that makes any difference!

Thoughts?

What maintenance does a Brooks require? My B17 got a quick grease-up before being fitte 4 years and several thousand miles ago and has only required the odd re-tension since.

Seems they need proofed regular…my garage is quite damp and not best place to store…

Mine hasn’t been re-proofed since I got it. And it gets wet!

Tbh..have spent too much on saddles…a brooks of acceptable weight will be too expensive to maybe not fit…
They don’t allow trials or returns….

Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow (couldn’t have come up with much longer name if they’d tried!) works well for me. Light-ish, comfy, sensible width, last for yonks. I’ve got two, but only the one road bike, so could part with one if you were interested…

spa cycles nidd. less than half the price of a brooks.

Selle San Marco Rolls on my touring/shopping/carting the dog to the vet bike. It’s 10 years old in June, has done maybe a million miles, give or take, mostly in blizzards and its still rather nice. They come with ti rails these days too.

Saddles are a personal thing.

What works for you currently?

Try a Charge Scoop seriously comfortable, very cheap compared to others listed above and if my other Charge saddles are anything to go by long lasting.

Fizik Aliante is nice on long road rides.
What about the new rubber brooks saddles?

Saddles are a personal thing.

+1 if you have one that works on your other bikes for hours, get another.

Try and try again,

Have tried a charge spoon and specialised phenom. Took delivery of a selle itallia SLR gel flow today but sending back as it seems intended for wide sit bones and crouched position..

Nudging thus one up as still not found the right saddle! Did 45 miles on my Specialized Phenom yesterday and it was sore!

Looking for a good saddle for my winter training / cross / touring bike.

a brooks of acceptable weight will be too expensive

Going on a titanium genesis ATR if that makes any difference!

So, you have a very expensive winter bike… that you want as light as possible… but dont want to spend any money (was the frame free??) to make it comfortable…?

😉

Stato…don’t object landing cash on saddle if I’m convinced it will be comfy. Looked at one at bike shop and it felt hard and heavy! Yes it is an expensive frame that I don’t want to put lardy parts on unnecessarily… 😛

FWIW my Brooks B17 is on a Ti framed VN Amazon. It’s an acceptable weight gain for the comfort.

Only jesting. I have a phenom saddle also, its quite comfy… sometimes. A brooks can be great, if they sag tho then yeah the comfort can be lost. I had a swift which was very nice but then got soaked mtbing and could never get it back, you could tension it but al that does is make a line down centre super stiff, the bits either side still sag so you end up crushing bits that should never be crushed, its like the opposite of specialised saddles LOL!

I think that was an isolated case tho, when they are running sweet nothing else compares, even the finest italian padded short on any other saddle. I have a B17 which is superb but is starting to do the same as the swift, going to lace the side together to add some more rigidity.

Yes I am concerned about weather resistance of leather saddles…on last years tour tour it rained heavily every day and night which would not be ideal for Brooks etc…

Did you get a chance to try a Charge Spoon? I’ve always liked mine

Saddles are obviously a personal thing and the Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow is just about perfect for me – no soreness after a century (on or off-road). Got four.

I took a stanley knife to mine to get rid of that ridge. Much more comfortable now.
Sheldon Brown recomends losing the tension spanner, as if you get into the habit, you only have a few turns to use before you need a new saddle.

as above, if you have one you get on with, get another. Ive got a handful of various types in the shed i just havent got on with. Specialized BG ones for me (or the brooks on my trucker)

Anyone tried a saddle from SQlab? Look interesting but seem little known in UK…wiggle used to sell

Anyone tried a saddle from SQlab?

Yes. Didn’t work for me. I stupidly went on a long tour without trying several long days in a row on the saddle. Made it usable by sticking a gel cover on it.

For me a saddle needs to be the right width and have the balance between firmness and cushioning right.

I now use a Specialized Sonoma 175mm. No longer marketed in the UK though 🙁

I’d suggest that anyone who finds a saddle that works buys a spare or two if it isn’t something like a Brooks that will always be there.

I’ve currently got 2 Sonomas in use and a spare I picked up second hand hanging in the garage. In fact if anyone has one they are wanting rid of let me know.

Irc…seems Sonoma saddle is available in few places…

Do you remember which sq saddle you tried?

Anyone tried a Rivet Diablo or Independence saddle?

Selle san marco Rolls, got one on my beloved galaxy and its crazy comfy over long distance. Not to shabby looking either.

Worth having a look at a Brooks Cambium; have been clocking up the miles on mine for a month or so, and am sitting very comfortably 😀

Get to a place you can try some, John Atkins in Leamington have Fizik and Selle Italias you can try, I’m sure plenty of other shops do as well.

For me, you will never beat an old style Flite Ti but then I’m weird like that.

I have a Charge Spoon which works fine for me on my cx / do it all bike.

like my ProLogo saddles, but also have a Brooks..

The LBS had various ProLogo saddles in stock, would allow trials.

I have a Charge Pan, it is a slightly more toury saddle than most. Really well made and comfy. No maintenance in two years, but this last week I used some nikwax leather proof on it.
They are cheap in sales 🙂

Irc…seems Sonoma saddle is available in few places…

Do you remember which sq saddle you tried?

Sorry, can’t remember I ebayed it after the tour in 2009.

Sonoma Available? Yes, but unless your google skills are better than mine the 175mm width is only sold outside the UK and German bikeshops won’t ship it to the UK. Presumably a restriction by Specialized.