What’s your favorite saddle?

[guyc]

They only ship to Germany and Austria!

But I have found one on Amazon. Going to try this new Mimic first which seems very promising.

[Hexsense]

But are you taking about millimeters here

Yes, thus one optimal position for all condition doesn't exist. It changes depend on condition.
Tilting road gradient already make big different on how pedaling dynamic works. Gravity angle influence pedal stroke.
Even on flat, High speed and low speed have different relative inertia that effect pedal stroke too.
How many mm to move forward/backward to compensate for 3mm of saddle too high during the ride?
Being adaptable and not too picky about setup is good. It is crucial to get things centimeter correct. But exact millimeter correct doesn't really matter much, situation change anyway. Just make sure you can compensate for it.

Btw what’s your favorite saddle and why?

Answered my preference on page 1, but will elaborate more on the reason.
Prologo Dimension is my most comfortable saddle. But i'm trying other longer saddle (Pro Stealth saddle) because on the Prologo Dimension, most of the time when i sit on their intended middle position it's good. But when i need to move forward, their short nose is narrow and uncomfortable. The back part is too wide. So there is a limited movement range that is still comfortable.

Pro Stealth have much larger comfortable/usable area to move.
On flat land, I can sit on the rivet on hard steady ride (like straight line TT) for a long time and then slide way back to get center of gravity right for tight fast corner when needed. Sit far forward (most of the time for me, but there are exceptions) is better for sustained power generation (on flat) but sit far back make cornering stability better.
When gradient change to up hill, my ideal position moves.
On surge acceleration in the saddle, either on flat or up hill i tend to slide far back for the first few strokes for glutes engaging to get initial power surge. Then slide forward a little bit back to more normal position because that far back position while powerful for torque surge, is not sustainable.
Unfortunately, Pro Stealth shine on the front/nose position at cost of less optimal back position. When i sit back, my legs rub with the wide nose. So my quest for trying more saddles still continue.

[StanK]

Just curious, how long (hours or distance) does it take for you to determine if a saddle is a good fit or not? Obviously there are extreme situations where it hurts immediately but wondering how long you allow for break-in/adaptation to formulate an opinion.

If something from the start seems not good (not just a saddle, may be a seatpost, pedals, handlebars width, stem lenght...) probably it is ... not good. In most cases one short to medium ride would be enough for me to figure that out.
If something is more of a different, with maybe slight odd feeling and even little uncomfortable, one or two short to mid distance ride is enough for me to know for sure.

As for how long ride must be to decide... ?
Well, you do one or two short to mid ride, to get little accustomed to the saddle, then you go on long ride, more or less longest ride you would be riding through the year. If saddle holds up very well, you have probably just find yourself a good one.
At least, that's works for me, for past +30 years.

[Mr.Gib]

They only ship to Germany and Austria!

What is the point? Maybe protecting distrbutors elsewhere. Contact them on Facebook and ask for a UK distributor. Then all you have to do is convince that store to bring one in for you - yes, easier said then done. Too bad. SQ Lab is probably inhibiting their own growth.

[guyc]

I was really surprised. I fully expected to be able to just order direct and ship to the UK. Maybe as a small company they can’t service a more global market.

[guyc]

Ok. So the Mimic was great for the undercarriage but I’m not a rider who can fix in one position. It resulted in some back tightness as I’m used to moving around.

So. I’ve finally tried the SQLab 612 Active carbon.

Oh my god. What a saddle. It’s absolutely superb. They’ve somehow managed to give it a nose that neither dogs in for feels like sitting on a rod. The raised sit bones area is genius and the scooped hammock in the middle allows for the undercarriage to emerge happy. The active elastomer is clever. Subtle enough that you’re not aware of movement as such (I’m running the hardest black version) but there’s enough movement to allow the body to move without any rocking at the hips.

I’m sold.

[Mr.Gib]

@guyc, thrilled for you. Nothing like finding the "one" when you have been struggling. What impressed me was that their are three distinct seating positions - sitbones perched on the back shelf, down in the hammock, or on the nose. This does make locating the saddle a guessing game based on what position you use most. As I use all three position equally, I just based the saddle location off the middle in the hammock seating position. It may take some trial and error to find the location that works best for you. Saddle tilt can also be tricky. I ended up setting tilt with the nose just a hair above the angle at which I would slide forward. If the nose is the slightest bit too high it ruins the entire feel.

Construction is first class and the lightest version is 150 grams. Not bad.

[guyc]

I’ve done pretty much the same. I’d say I’m running it about .5 of a degree up at the front to avoid any sense of sliding forwards (even as a sensation). The placement of the sit bones is clearly superior to anything else with zero sense that there’s pressure on the perineum.

This version weighs in a 207g, so around 37g heavier. I’ll gladly accept that.

[wilwil]

How do you buy an SQ lab saddle in the UK?

[guyc]

How do you buy an SQ lab saddle in the UK?

Not easily but Amazon sell some and have more via their global sellers. Otherwise eBay have some German bike shops selling them.

I’ve already ordered a second 612 for my other bike.

[wilwil]

Not sure on active or non active

[guyc]

Not sure on active or non active

Mr Gib probably better placed to advise there as he has both...

[KCookie]

I've been riding a Lupina for a few years now and always get pain in the groin area, certainly doesn't make riding fun. I move and fidget constantly. These SQ Lab saddles look promising with a plus the distributor is 20km from my home. Would be nice if they did test saddles. Shame they are not lighter though, just spend a fortune getting my bike under 5kg. Lol
As wilwil asked what is the difference between active and non active.
Cheers

[guyc]

Active has the elastomer and non-active doesn’t. The latter is lighter by about 50g or so.

I’ll take a very small weight penalty here to be pain free and healthy. I’ve a history of chronic prostatitis and back issues from a broken neck and bad motorbike crash so have to be careful.

[KCookie]

Many thanks for the reply.
Just found another Aus distributor and they offer a free home kit to determine what width saddle needed plus a 60 day return if not happy with the saddle in any way.
Also they sell world wide. So if anyone is having difficulty getting one it's worth contacting BIGGRIDE.