What’s your favorite saddle?

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wfcarrot
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Location: New York, US

by wfcarrot

I'm currently using Specialized Phenom Pro on my Tarmac. It's a mountain saddle but with an acceptable weight(less than 200g) and unbeatable comfortable for me, which I can ride 100km without cycling shorts.
2018 Sworks Tarmac SL6 - 7.2kg
2017 Colnago C60 - 6.29kg

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

Adapter to what? Aren't all saddle rails the same distance apart? I am no an expert in this area but I assume there is a single standard for saddle rail width. I'd just force the rails into the cradle and clamp it tight. Hopefully the seating surface won't distort to any significant degree.
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Ringo
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by Ringo

you make sense! I expected to fit like a glove and I was scared to force it in.
I contacted smp (just in case..!) but if anyone has something to say, feel free to chime in..
XXTi
C60

AJS914
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by AJS914

Well, some seatposts only seem to expect skinny metal rails. Other seatposts have different clamping options to deal with fat 7x9mm oval carbon rails.

How exactly is it not fitting?

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Ringo
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by Ringo

E139C9A0-8CBE-4AD6-8072-DB20E2D80464.jpeg
Maybe I got paranoid, I don’t know..
If you see athe the picture the left rail is hugged nicely by the clamp.
The problem seems to be that I have to force the right rail to fit in the other clamp.. and I’m skeptical!
XXTi
C60

basilic
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Location: Geneva, Switzerland

by basilic

For those who like saddles with big cutouts, I use Selle Italia SLR, both the padded and unpadded tekno. More recently I tried a covered Berk with a big cutout (forget the name), and like it. Differences:
The Berk has a rise at the back, which cradles the sitbones (a good feature for me), the SLR is flatter.
The Berk has a more flexible shell, more give/comfort than the SLR.
The nose of the Berk is a bit wider, this is where I prefer the narrower SLR.
Both are very light (90g for Berk, 96g for SLR).
Pics here https://photos.app.goo.gl/dJJjuTrEVbSHNGPy7

Brynhildr
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Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:02 pm

by Brynhildr

I like the Specialized Toupé Comp Gel 130mm on my Gravel Commuter Cross Check, when I'm sporting a more upright position.
On my more aggressively fit road bike, I'm using a Pro Stealth 142.
I tried a Specialized Power 155mm, and that rubbed a little too much (one shop measured my sit bones super wide, another super narrow...), so that's relegated to my single speed cruiser with townie bars, fits really nice in a super upright position actually.

AJS914
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by AJS914

Ringo wrote:
Tue Apr 02, 2019 4:37 pm
E139C9A0-8CBE-4AD6-8072-DB20E2D80464.jpegMaybe I got paranoid, I don’t know..
If you see athe the picture the left rail is hugged nicely by the clamp.
The problem seems to be that I have to force the right rail to fit in the other clamp.. and I’m skeptical!
I had the same situation on a Brooks Cambrium and I just clamped it together. I didn't have any problems. The Cambrium is a very stout saddle. You'll have to use your own judgement with the saddle you have.

eeyoree219
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Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:08 pm

by eeyoree219

the Berk Lupina has been by far the best i have tried. and i must admit i have tried a fair amount of saddles. second best is the Fabric scoop flat

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Calnago
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by Calnago

Ok, I'll play... saddles are so personal, but I think I can generally tell if I'm going to like a saddle (finally), by studying it's shape, profile, where and how it starts to curve, etc. From there it is a matter of fine tuning to get the exact correct fore/aft, height, and angle.

But here's three saddles that all work for me... coming from old Selle Italia SLR's, through some old Fizik Aliantes years ago and right up to oh, I don't know around 2014 or so when I found the Specialized Romin Pro to be about perfect for me. I'm not bothered about whether it has a cutout or not, but the shape is important. I also like a length of 275mm, which used to be pretty standard. I really don't like the short, stubby saddles at all.

Specialized Romin Pro (delogo'd), not to be confused with Evo or Evo Pro, or the newest one from 2016 to present which is a centimeter shorter...
Image

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Bontrager Seranao RXL... I switched to this saddle when they quit making the Romin Pro above...
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And the Bontrager XXX saddle... Ultra Weightweenie option at less than 70g... the shape works for me, but I wouldn't take it on a super long ride, and don't drop it... It is also ~2cm shorter than the Serano RXL or the Romin Pro (both 275mm), so when setting up I put it on top of my existing Serano and got above it and looked directly down to try and match where the curves started, then set it up accordingly and it worked fine. Ended up really splitting the difference... the nose is 1cm further back. So, this is kind of important when trying to tell a fitter, for example, that you want say, in my case 95mm of setback. Because that is only relevant for that particular saddle. In my case, both the Romin Pro and the Serano have 95mm of setback, but the Bontrager XXX would need 105mm and so on. I tried the newest S-Works Romin Evo but it wasn't the same, and they knocked off a centimeter of the length as well in 2016. That's when I made the switch to the Serano RXL. But now that I've finally figured out what parameters work for me in terms of saddle shape and ultimate setup, I'm pretty ok with being able to find a saddle that works. Not so much some years ago when I accumulated quite a box of saddles that, had I known how to set them up better back then, many of which would have probably been just fine. If we only knew then what we know now kind of thing.
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kgt
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by kgt

Ringo wrote:
Tue Apr 02, 2019 4:37 pm
E139C9A0-8CBE-4AD6-8072-DB20E2D80464.jpegMaybe I got paranoid, I don’t know..
If you see athe the picture the left rail is hugged nicely by the clamp.
The problem seems to be that I have to force the right rail to fit in the other clamp.. and I’m skeptical!
Just force the rail in place. It will be fine.

dim
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Location: Cambridge UK

by dim

Brooks Cambium C17 Carved has been my saddle of choice for the past few years .... I've tried several saddles and I have not found one as comfortable as this. I ride Audax (long distance), and on a ride, these Brooks Cambium are on several bikes

Image

Downside is that it's 400 grams and I have a lightweight bike and am planning to keep the weight down

I'm going to try a Berk Lupina based on what some have said on this thread (I will save approx 300 grams) .... I will buy one in May (I have a few bits and bobs to buy this month first)

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frommel
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Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:00 pm

by frommel

I have a question about the Berk Lupina... I really think that curve as the saddle gets wider looks like it will give you a lot of stability and a good platform for pushing backwards on the seat when you need some support from the back of your saddle. Am I thinking about it the right way?
Also, I *never* see pictures of a Berk Lupina with a saddle bag. Is it just that people don't want to ruin the beautiful pictures, or is it that it doesn't work well with saddle bags?

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Hellgate
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by Hellgate

I've a Brooks C15 I'm happy with. Not light but I can put the miles down comfortably.

AJS914
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by AJS914

If you guys like the Cambium, then you might want to check out the C13 carbon. It comes in wider widths now and is pretty light.

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