What’s your favorite saddle?

[MiddMan]

Is there a good aftermarket for slightly used saddles? My LBS, to my dismay, does not offer trial periods, so I have to just buy in order to try. I don’t want to be left with several hundred dollars of saddles. (Nor do I want to drop that much to begin with!)

I’m using an old Specialized Toupe Ti 130. I’ve also used a Selle San Marco from early 2000s. Both are ok, but not 100%. Toupe is better for shorter rides and more aggressive positions with cutout, San Marco is more supportive for longer rides but less conducive to aggressive position.
Between those two different styles I have a hunch about might work, but it’s still a bit of guesswork and trial and error. Probably in 130mm - low 140mm range.

Hoping to try—and then possibly sell—Prologo Scratch or Nago, Selle Italia SLR SuperFlow, Fizik Aliante, maybe SMP Dynamic. Not necessarily in that order.

[Johnny Rad]

+1 berk lupina. weight content and on top supports up to 100kg!

1. Berk Lupina; 132mm, oval rails and unpadded
2. Selle San Marco Aspide Composite; pre-Superleggera
3. Selle San Marco Superleggera; first-gen (haven’t ridden current-gen Superleggera)

[zefs]

Is there a good aftermarket for slightly used saddles? My LBS, to my dismay, does not offer trial periods, so I have to just buy in order to try. I don’t want to be left with several hundred dollars of saddles. (Nor do I want to drop that much to begin with!)

I’m using an old Specialized Toupe Ti 130. I’ve also used a Selle San Marco from early 2000s. Both are ok, but not 100%. Toupe is better for shorter rides and more aggressive positions with cutout, San Marco is more supportive for longer rides but less conducive to aggressive position.
Between those two different styles I have a hunch about might work, but it’s still a bit of guesswork and trial and error. Probably in 130mm - low 140mm range.

Hoping to try—and then possibly sell—Prologo Scratch or Nago, Selle Italia SLR SuperFlow, Fizik Aliante, maybe SMP Dynamic. Not necessarily in that order.

What issues are you experiencing when testing saddles? Maybe it's a setup issue.
See local groups on facebook for used saddles or the classified ads.

[sooni]

I like a flat saddle.

Was using Fizik Arione for a while, but just tried a San Marco Mantra (another flat saddle) and it felt nicer so i'll stick with that.

[AJS914]

Is there a good aftermarket for slightly used saddles? My LBS, to my dismay, does not offer trial periods, so I have to just buy in order to try. I don’t want to be left with several hundred dollars of saddles. (Nor do I want to drop that much to begin with!)

I look for used deals on ebay for saddles I want to try. If you get an exceptional deal you can make money reselling it or worst case scenario, you lose a tiny bit.

[Mockenrue]

After years on SLRs (and a brief dalliance with Fizik Ariones) I'm getting on very well with the Prologo Zero II CPC.

[coresare]

So far Shimano Pro Stealth

[muti]

After years of slr/slr s2,my favorite saddle is fizik arione vs evo(both r1 and r3).The r1 model is a little bit stiffer than the r3.In comparison with slr,it is a more stable saddle.The hull has the right amount of"give",and the density of the cushioning material is spot on.The edges of the groove are just right,not too soft so they will be crushed, but not too hard so that you get discomfort from the edges themselves.The groove in the middle is not noticeable at all,to the point that you forget it's there.It feels like a "normal" saddle just without the discomfort that you get sometimes around the prostate area.The backside of the saddle is a little bit more rounded than the normal arione.The new microtex cover is also spot on,not too grippy but not too slippery.You can move around when you want,but it is grippy enough so it will not get you out of position.Finally, it is the only fizik saddle that I noticed the wingflex feature actually working!Highly recommended.The only "bad"thing is that the fizik dealers don't offer it(at least in my region)through their test program.I think fizik should take a notice of that so that more people can get familiar with their new offerings.

[devonbiker]

I've got a Giant Contact SL Forward, 222g, on my TCR. It is light and comfortable enough. Trying to find something else with carbon rails that is black and red to match by bike. Antyone know if the SLR version is worth it?

[robeambro]

Hi guys, have tried the Power saddle. I am only partly satisfied. It being short is quite good for my nether regions, so this I liked. However, I found it to be a bit harsh on my bum.
I have good bibs (Assos T.100, Rapha Pro Team..), and am riding with a high-ish saddle to bar drop (~9-10cm), so I definitely wasn't expecting this to be an issue.
I have only ridden some ~200k on it so far, so maybe my bum needs to be broken in..

If not, what could be some good alternatives?

[zefs]

Which version did you get? the more expensive (Pro and S-works) have level 1 padding and the Comp has level 2 so maybe try the Comp?
For me the padding in Comp is enough (even a bit on the comfy side), also using good bibs. Give it a a couple of weeks?

[robeambro]

Which version did you get? the more expensive (Pro and S-works) have level 1 padding and the Comp has level 2 so maybe try the Comp?
For me the padding in Comp is enough (even a bit on the comfy side), also using good bibs. Give it a a couple of weeks?

I have the Pro. I thought it had level 2 padding, I must have mixed them up

Yes you're right, I'll give my bones time to calcify around the right areas.

[ancker]

I've had some really good luck with super cheap chinese carbon saddles from eBay.
The 100% carbon ones tear my bibs, but the ones with a tiny bit of "leather" padding work well.
I've done several centuries and 1000s of kms on them.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carbon-3K-leat ... ndaxlP82sg

[Mazza]

Had one similar to this for about 3 years. Cheap as chips and the only saddle I’m not even aware of when riding. Done Ventoux x3 and a few 100 milers on it.

[Schadenfreude]

I thought I would give an update on the SQ Lab Ergowave 612, in case anyone has thought about trying it. I had chosen the 12cm Active version based on my sit bone width (~10cm) and the fitting guide on their website. However, I was getting some pressure on my left pubic ramus (I think around there), so I emailed SQ Labs for some advice. They forwarded my enquiry to the Australia Distributor, who then emailed me. The person I dealt with there was really cluey about the saddle and asked me a bit about the way I ride, etc. He then asked if my saddle was roughly at the same height as the tops of my bars, which was right (I don't have an aggresive position), so immediately he said I would need a wider version. So they asked me to send back the 12cm, and they sent out the 13cm version at no charge. After a 30km ride this morning, I can say there's no pain in the same area. It was a little hard on my left sit bone after a while, but I'll try it with different bibs and work out the best sitting spot and position of the saddle. It's really hard to work this out as it feels a little different to sitting on other saddles. However, I felt absolutely no pressure on the soft tissue or the boys, which has plagued me on pretty much all of the saddles I've tried (at least 8 now), and cutouts seem to cause me different issues. Also, with the elastomer, their instructions say to select the firmness based on your weight. I was between the soft and medium firmness elastomers, so the distributor suggested trying the soft one first, which seems to have worked out fine this morning

Anyways, if anyone was considering trying the Ergowave, perhaps it's best to contact the distributor for your country (available on their website) to get some advice on fitting and whether or not they would replace the saddle if it turned out to be the wrong width.