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new saddle time. what's the goods these days?

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,927
14,442
where the trails are
I need a new saddle and haven't really strayed from WTB rockets for 20 years or so.
I'm prioritizing for comfort over weight.
Any recommendations I should be looking at?
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,562
24,182
media blackout
saddle fitment is really an ergonomic / anatomic thing. what's comfy for one person might not be for another.

i have a wtb saddle and quite like it. i also tried a shimano pro saddle (would have to check which model) on a whim and rather liked it too.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,030
7,549
I have WTB saddles on most of my bikes. But on the Pivot I have an Ergon one currently. It is quite flat and quite firm but somehow it works with my butt.

YBMV.
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,839
6,145
Yakistan
Been running Chromag for a decade. I like their firm/small saddle - the Mood DT on my mtb. I just bought their new saddle the Lift and impressed with its large platform and firm feel. It's like a love child between the Trail Master and Mood DT.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
ok then what's the proper way to determine how wide a saddle I should have?

Anyone want to measure my ass for me?
best way I've seen/used is to take some aluminum foil, fold it over so it's two-ply, then put it on a carpeted stair. Sit on the foil, and measure the distance between the two center points of the circles your ass left behind. This was pretty effective for me, and i came up with like 119mm. Then you add 20mm to the width to get your minimum saddle width (139mm for me). So, in theory, I should be OK with anything from like a 140 and higher.

The reality is that sitbone width means fuck all and it's just a starting point. I have like 6 or 7 saddles hunting for something that doesn't cause numbness and I've come up with zilch. Wide saddles, narrow saddles, big cutouts, tri saddles, SMP, ISM, Aeolus...there is little I haven't tried. So far the best has been Astute, which I run on my Road mountain and trainer bikes, plus a good chamois.

tl;dr buy a few cheap saddles and figure out what works with your ass. Then spend more on a nicer version of the same.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes

Unfortunately, if you were hoping there was a correlation between measuring sit bone width and simple saddle selection you were wildly let down by this article. Yet, if you’ve made it this far the truth is revealed. At the end of the day, the goal is to enjoy cycling and an uncomfortable saddle likely will render that mission futile. Do you love your saddle? If you don’t, visit some of your local shops and keep testing until you find the right seat.
BTW, if you want to try any weird and wacky saddles, I have plenty I've been too lazy to sell. Currently have a Fizik mistica, Cobb Vflow 2, and SMP just hanging out.


I can talk shop all day, but all this being said the biggest things are- do you like a wide or narrow saddle, cutout or not cutout, and curved or flat surface? Then which one has the padding and kevlar you want.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,194
4,419
I need a new saddle and haven't really strayed from WTB rockets for 20 years or so.
I'm prioritizing for comfort over weight.
Any recommendations I should be looking at?
I had trouble finding a saddles for lots of seated pedaling after being away from it for a while during the dh/dj days. Tried a few w/ limited luck, so I just went to ebay and bought up what worked for me in the old days. Still rocking those sdg kevlar seats. Which is a long way of saying: why not grab some more of what's been working for you for 20 years?
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,194
4,419
I had trouble finding a saddles for lots of seated pedaling after being away from it for a while during the dh/dj days. Tried a few w/ limited luck, so I just went to ebay and bought up what worked for me in the old days. Still rocking those sdg kevlar seats. Which is a long way of saying: why not grab some more of what's been working for you for 20 years?
Respect to the old seat.

C75DC760-3753-4E78-8F36-63280F481765.jpeg
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
15,827
13,063
I'd probably look at the Ergons if I was going to try something new.

I think I'm Spec. Romin's on most my bikes.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,261
8,767
Crawlorado
I have a Chromag Trailmaster on the way. 10mm wider and slightly moar padding. Stay tuned.
I'll be interested to see how this plays out. I had a WTB Rocket V for 10 years, but then one season it was suddenly no longer that comfy. Tried several other WTB seats with mixed success. Moved the Rocket to the hardtail and the Silverado to the FD, and suddenly they are tolerable again.
 

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
I've never been able to come along with WTB saddles, and I've tried at least 4 different versions/generations. As many others here, I tend to repeat a saddle model/brand if it worked for me. Back in the day I loved SDGs, then spent some time on a couple of Fi:Zi:k Gobis and lately I've been on three consecutive Specialized Henges. Good padding, flat surface, and they don't kill my perineum in long pedaling rides. Cover could last a bit longer though.
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,623
12,915
Cackalacka du Nord
currently have a trailmaster and a silverado. i find the trailmaster a bit comfier on longer rides. ran sdg bel airs for a long time and liked those too. if i was trying something different maybe a fabric or an ergon...
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
Now that pretty much every saddle on the market has been reference I am confident that @Nick has a clear direction forward. As he hasn't replied to my PM offering to measure his ass I am guessing he got help from someone a little more local.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,927
14,442
where the trails are
Now that pretty much every saddle on the market has been reference I am confident that @Nick has a clear direction forward. As he hasn't replied to my PM offering to measure his ass I am guessing he got help from someone a little more local.
Trailmaster inbound.
This place lived up to our reputation for being helpful.
Thanks again for the offer. It's not that I didn't think you could do a good job, but your request for all the cameras made me a little uncomfortable.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
Trailmaster inbound.
This place lived up to our reputation for being helpful.
Thanks again for the offer. It's not that I didn't think you could do a good job, but your request for all the cameras made me a little uncomfortable.

A proper measurement requires both external and internal views.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
I don't like a wide or soft saddle when I have to pedal. MTB specific saddles have never worked for me, too much padding and too much stitching. Simple is best. For the last 5 years I've used Brooks C-17 Carved for the full squishies, and B-17 Carved for the hardtail. The B-17 is the most comfortable but not ideal for riding off the saddle, baggies tend to catch on the nose. The C-17s have grip similar to fabric and a nose that doesn't catch your shorts.
 

BadDNA

hophead
Mar 31, 2006
4,257
231
Living the dream.
I ran WTB saddles for years but switched every bike over to an Ergon in the past couple of seasons and it's the best saddle I've ever ridden. IMO it's worth every cent. I've got both the Sport and Comp versions on my bikes.
 

UnusualBread

Chimp
Nov 2, 2020
24
15
Can't recommend SQLab saddles enough. Have them on all three bikes. Have converted quite a few friends onto them (who then also buy them for all of their bikes) so they seem to work for a wide variety of people anecdotally.

Have tried 2 ergon saddles in the past and they did not work for me.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,927
14,442
where the trails are
I installed the new to me Trailmaster and pedaled around; very nice, fits well, just slightly wider in the back and padding just right. Sits slightly higher than the minimalist WTB it replaces, and it seems to have just a few mm longer rails for moar adjustment. I think I have a winner.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
I have a Chromag Trailmaster on the way. 10mm wider and slightly moar padding. Stay tuned.
If they made them 10mm narrower in the middle they would be perfect for me, if I was less fat it would probably perfect as it is.
 

Leafy

Monkey
Sep 13, 2019
542
350
Don't be afraid of "womens" saddles either, I use a WTB Koda, its like a Volt with a less pointy tip and a bigger nut sack groove. I also found WTBs measure your wrist magic to get a pretty good bead on sit bone width.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
I bought one of these a few years back as it was cheap and light and I really liked it, loaned a mate my dropper with seat attached and the seat didn't come back, it was deemed comfier than a Bel-Air.
EDIT-The above seat fucking sucks on a bluetooth Reverb, it is so low profile that it taps on the post's head even if you cut the bolts down, but I am fat and ride a hardtail.

I quite like my current leather Selle Flite seat, brown leather appealed to my inner hipster.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
Don't be afraid of "womens" saddles either, I use a WTB Koda, its like a Volt with a less pointy tip and a bigger nut sack groove. I also found WTBs measure your wrist magic to get a pretty good bead on sit bone width.
I've heard the mimic is dope even for those with a scrote. No experience however.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,927
14,442
where the trails are
Trailmaster inbound.
This place lived up to our reputation for being helpful.
Thanks again for the offer. It's not that I didn't think you could do a good job, but your request for all the cameras made me a little uncomfortable.

So, the Trailmaster is very comfortable to sit on, but the nose is slightly wider than I'd like. I might let Westy measure my ass after all and keep shopping.

Is there a saddle like a Trailmaster but with a more narrow front/nose?
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,562
24,182
media blackout
So, the Trailmaster is very comfortable to sit on, but the nose is slightly wider than I'd like. I might let Westy measure my ass after all and keep shopping.

Is there a saddle like a Trailmaster but with a more narrow front/nose?
new custom title for westy: "the ass master"