Saddle questions

Benjamin Lewis wrote:
Roger Zoul wrote:

I enjoy my Brooks a lot. However, I would not ride on it without
my
padded shorts.

That's what I thought about mine, until I tried riding it without
padded
shorts, and still found it comfortable, at least for shorter
distances
( 20km). I think the main benefit of the "padding" is actually
moisture
absorption.

Mind you, for the first week or so when I was breaking in the Brooks,
I
carried a gel seatcover with me for when it got too uncomfortable.
I'm
very low on "natural padding"...


Aren't you lucky. I think. Ummmmm. Very low on natural padding may not
be that good. Everyone likes a nice butt on a nice guy. :-) I guess
it depends on how low on natural padding you are. What is this thread
all about? I forgot.
All Good Things,
Maggie

Two thoughts:

1. definitely ride with bike shorts that have a liner (sometimes called a
chamois, even if made from artificial material). The benefit is not
cushioning, but rather preventing chafing. The pad in a well designed pair
of bike shorts will be made with special flat seams that will not irritate
you, and the materials typically wick away perspiration to further reduce
the chance of chafing. Also, don't wear underwear, since the underwear's
seams will just negate the benefit of the pad. I buy my the house brand
shorts from Nashbar or Performance, and have been very happy with them. I
get the six or eight panel shorts, which cost more, but they fit better.

2. Check out Terry saddles.
http://www.terrybicycles.com/product.html?c=Saddles
Georgena Terry originally introduced the saddle design with a cut away in
the middle for women. But the concept caught on for men, too. Her company
now makes a wide selection of seats for men as well as women. Look at the
the Liberator (the basic Terry model), which has padding as well as the
Terry cut-out, and the Liberator Y, a variation with more padding. I've only
heard good things about the Fly and Fly Tri (sportier), and I'm trying to
decide between one of them and a gorgeous Brooks leather saddle for an old
touring bike I'm having restored. The Brooks would be perfect on the bike,
but at $180, I may have to forego the luxury.

If you're experiencing discomfort on your bike, you probably should change
your riding position before you do anything else. The saddle really is a
critical component in how a bike feels and how it responds -- and the
padding is the least of it. Height, horizontal angle (nose up or down), fore
and aft position, relationship to handlebars all make significant
differences.

Check Sheldon Brown's web site for articles saddles and riding position.
This will get you started.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Good luck.

"Maggie" wrote in message
oups.com...

Tom Sherman wrote:
Ken Marcet wrote:

Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me
ride more
than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants?
Or is this
just a dream of mine? I was browsing nashbar and they have some in
the $30
to $40 range that look as though they have a bit more padding than
a "stock"
read "cheap" seat.

I prefer sling-mesh seats with a foam pad. You could inquire at
Lightning Cycle Dynamics since they make such a seat, but I expect
their
seat is more in the $300-400 range.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth


THE SEAT COSTS $400?????????????????????????????? The Seat??? I paid
40 dollars for my new seat and when I mentioned I bought a seat someone
promptly corrected me as being a "saddle" not a seat.
I think when spring arrives and I start riding more, I have alot to
learn about this sport of champions.
All Good Things,
Maggie

I use a Specialized Body Geometry with the cutout. It is a pretty firm
seat but as others have said it fits my bones pretty well. I bought it
on Ebay for about $35 or so. I have heard a lot of good things about
Fizik brand seats also. A nice on goes about $100.

Brooks Swift works great for me...

"Peter Cole" wrote in message
oups.com...

Pat wrote:
What you write is true, BUT--I ordered a Brooks saddle from them and
tried
it out and returned it. It was killing me! I thought it was just the
wrong
model, so I got another one, the B-17, and still have it. There is an
ongoing battle, though as to who will give up first--me or the
saddle. So
far, the saddle's winning. Brooks saddles are NOT for everyone or
Wallingford wouldn't have their "buy it used" listing.

This pretty much mirrors my experience. I first tried a Brooks
Professional for 3 months and 1,000 miles. It was the most horribly
uncomfortable saddle I've ever used, despite trying every possible
adjustment. I traded that for a B17, which was a bit better, making it
only the second most uncomfortable saddle I've had.

I traded the B17 to my sister, she had a new bike with a Selle Italia
"Trimatic" saddle. She loved the B17, I rode the Trimatic on a 250 mile
brevet without discomfort about a month after I put it on.

Maggie wrote:

Tom Sherman wrote:

Ken Marcet wrote:


Does an one know of a economically priced saddle that will let me

ride more

than a couple of miles without the need for padded cycling pants?

Or is this

just a dream of mine? I was browsing nashbar and they have some in

the $30

to $40 range that look as though they have a bit more padding than

a "stock"

read "cheap" seat.

I prefer sling-mesh seats with a foam pad. You could inquire at
Lightning Cycle Dynamics since they make such a seat, but I expect

their

seat is more in the $300-400 range.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth



THE SEAT COSTS $400?????????????????????????????? The Seat??? I paid
40 dollars for my new seat and when I mentioned I bought a seat someone
promptly corrected me as being a "saddle" not a seat.
I think when spring arrives and I start riding more, I have alot to
learn about this sport of champions.

See http://www.lightningbikes.com/sp38blue2.jpg for a picture of the
seat in question. In all likelihood, more labor goes into fabricating
this seat than most bicycle frames.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Tom Sherman wrote:

See http://www.lightningbikes.com/sp38blue2.jpg for a picture of the
seat in question. In all likelihood, more labor goes into fabricating
this seat than most bicycle frames.

And here it is /without/ the pedals and chain:
http://www.horsemanpro.com/articles/photos/trot.jpg

:-P

B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:

Tom Sherman wrote:


See http://www.lightningbikes.com/sp38blue2.jpg for a picture of the
seat in question. In all likelihood, more labor goes into fabricating
this seat than most bicycle frames.


And here it is /without/ the pedals and chain:
http://www.horsemanpro.com/articles/photos/trot.jpg

That version has a bonus: http://www.wrightguide.com/media/IM000942.JPG.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

In article .com,
wrote:

A new Brooks is over a hundred bucks. In fact I've seen used ones
sell for that
much.

Matt O.

Try $50-60 for the b-17 standard. The expensive ones are a bit lighter
is all

The brand newly upgraded B-17 will be more expensive and they will be
out in the spring of 2005. The classic B17 standard is getting harder
to find, but not impossible.

David.

In article 1110421358.f05c6d9e4af23442183b6915be704e0e@teran ews, Mike
Kruger wrote:

wrote in message
oups.com...
A new Brooks is over a hundred bucks. In fact I've seen
used ones
sell for that
much.

Try $50-60 for the b-17 standard. The expensive ones are a
bit lighter
is all

I've managed to equip multiple bikes with used Brooks saddles.
My first one came on a garage sale bike that I bought for
$10 -- I got a Brooks saddle, a pair of pedals, front and rear
derailleurs and levers and a couple of other random parts off
that bike. The other used Brooks I've bought have been in the
$30 range. (one at Urban Bikes in Chicago, just to name one
good place for stuff like this.)

I also got one by reading a posting from a guy disparaging
Brooks saddles. Sure enough, he had one and was happy to sell
it to me cheaply.


There is a love hate relationship with current Brooks saddles. That's
why, there is a person that modifies Brooks saddles to make them more
comfortable. The website is http://www.mcmwin.com and they sell the
modified version of the B17, the Pro and I think the Swift under the
brand name Selle Anatomica. The Titanico is the B17 with 3 different
cutouts plus a color of your choice!!

In article , Baka Dasai
wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 15:44:20 -0500, Roger Zoul said (and I quote):
Yeah, my butt hurt a lot at first, but after the first real ride on mine
(like 50 miles) my butt transfered enough heat into the saddle to cause it
to give. Then I saw these two dents on either side of center. That was
curious.

You're lucky. After about 10 minutes on my B17 there were two large
deep depressions under my sit bones, which would be fine, except the
depressions were so deep that they left a high center ridge down the
middle of the saddle that pressed painfully on some sensitive bits.

This happened with two B17s in a row - the second of which was prepped
exactly in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.

And what would that be?

You can tension your saddle with a special Brooks spanner you know?

David.