[yespsb]

My original saddle was a 2006 Specialized body geometry Avatar 143 with small gel pads and Chro-mo rails.It weighs a chunky 400 grams but my backside loved it, I clocked many thousands of miles including 400 miles in 4 days without any soreness.

However I am a self confessed “tweaker” and I am always looking to improve my bikes, so ahead of a W2W ride in October this year I swapped out the the 143 for a much lighter Specialized Phenom Expert with Ti rails, to my bum its a WMD !

Any ride over 30 miles causes pain that lasts for days, I have not gone beyond 80 in a day and after about 500 miles on it I have decided its going on ebay.

The big difference between the two saddles is the size of “seating” area, the Phenom Expert has a much larger platform and the larger area protrudes further forward which is where I think my problem arises from.

Can anyone recommend a saddle that weighs sub 300 grams and has a small seating area similar to the 143, see the two images below – many thanks Paul

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/equip/05SaddleAvatar143_blk_l.jpg

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=CSBC0746WW&gclid=CI7S74eNrMICFQHMtAodVwoAlg&gclsrc=aw.ds

Topic

[Bike Swanky]

Selle SMP make some great
Selle SMP make some great saddles for all posterior shapes and sizes 😉

http://www.sellesmp.com/smp4bike/en

[yespsb]

Me a dude – really ? That’s
Me a dude – really ? That’s funny – if only :))

[yespsb]

Dude, I am not a dude. I’m
Dude, I am not a dude. I’m far too old, my youngest child is 21 and my oldest 30 and thankfully they have never called my dude even though they think I’m cool 🙂

Bottom line is I like light bikes, I also like tweaking them and those two things are complimentary. On these long dark days/nights a little bit of time invested on the web searching for a lighter more comfortable saddle is something I’m ok with plus I have learnt a few things on the way. A Romin Expert 143 should be with me on Wednesday, onward and upward !

[fenix]

Dude – at 200lbs it’s
Dude – at 200lbs it’s pointless to only want a light saddle. Comfort is key.

Try a heavy saddle. You won’t be able to feel any difference in the weight of the bike.

[gazza_d]

I’ll third the comment about
I’ll third the comment about leather saddles. Ridden a Brooks team Pro for 20+ years and it’s wonderful.

Recently added a Spa Cycles Nidd to the collection (so I have leather on both main bikes) and it is as comfortable as the Brooks at a third of the price. the Nidd is my daily saddle on a 35 mile return commute.

You need to stick with leather as they may feel uncomfortable on a long ride at first. but unlike anything else they mould to your arse beautifully.

[Bazza155]

I have a Flite Titanium I
I have a Flite Titanium I bought close to 20years ago and it’s great.

[jhamlin38]

if you want Light, go for
if you want Light, go for fizik aliante VS
if you want comfort…. Uncompromised comfort, for hour upon hour in the saddle, it’s a “no brainer”
Brooks B-17 Imperial “Standard” This is the wide B-17 with cutout.
everything else will only “seem” comfortable for a month of 2 hour rides, then you’ll notice increasing discomfort, sooner into rides.
Not the case with the brooks.
Furthermore, the brooks is AS COMFORTABLE, if you have “steep” saddle-bar drop, “level” saddle bar drop, or a fairly upright position.
It’s the most versatile saddle I’ve used in over 30 years of cycling. I wish I didn’t wait until 44 years of age to “give in” and try it.
Next is a swallow…

[Anonymous]

For me Specialized all the
For me Specialized all the way, I used Toupe of some form Expert or pro for a number of years but did manage to snap them both after a year or so of use, I’ve started using Romin evo pro recently and can’t fault it.

[andyp]

ffs, some idiots on this
ffs, some idiots on this thread.
Ride whatever saddle you want and don’t let numpties try to dictate what you can and can’t do. FWIW when I was over 200lbs I always used a Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio, it’s by far the comfiest saddle I’ve ever tried.

[yespsb]

Chris does Strava have a KOA
Chris does Strava have a KOA (king of assumptions) feature or Podiums for being patronising ? If so I have no doubt you will leave mere mortals like me in your Strava dust.
I have got enough info from the helpful, non-patronising readers to progress and as I said earlier, life’s all short too to get hung up over your point of view, your entitled to it and I wish you well. The last word is all yours if you want it, I’m off to ride my bike no matter how cold it is :H

[KirinChris]

yespsb wrote:abudhabiChris

yespsb wrote:

abudhabiChris wrote:

You’re worried about 0.1% of your total weight load? FFS 8|

Where did I say I was worried ?

I think it is you who should be worried :S You clearly have nothing better to do with your time than to take a perfectly natural request to improve the comfort and weight of my bike and turn in a discussion based on percentages and then use the percentage you have calculated as means to potentially demean me ( btw I’ve no idea if your calc is right or wrong, time is precious and life’s too short to bother with such things)

ps Heres a career tip. Don’t apply for a job at British Cycling because it would appear they care about the cumulative benefit of small percentage gains ;)

Well thanks, and here’s a tip in return, which I don’t need to work at British Cycling to know…

If Brad Wiggins turns up weighing 90kg it will be quite some time before the weight of his saddle enters their thought processes.

If you think you’re achieving a marginal gain you don’t understand the meaning.

You don’t start with marginal gains, you finish with them, after you’ve done the obvious stuff. It’s just another version of the 80:20 rule.

[yespsb]

abudhabiChris wrote:You’re

abudhabiChris wrote:

You’re worried about 0.1% of your total weight load? FFS 8|

Where did I say I was worried ?

I think it is you who should be worried :S You clearly have nothing better to do with your time than to take a perfectly natural request to improve the comfort and weight of my bike and turn in a discussion based on percentages and then use the percentage you have calculated as means to potentially demean me ( btw I’ve no idea if your calc is right or wrong, time is precious and life’s too short to bother with such things)

ps Heres a career tip. Don’t apply for a job at British Cycling because it would appear they care about the cumulative benefit of small percentage gains 😉

[KirinChris]

You’re worried about 0.1% of
You’re worried about 0.1% of your total weight load? FFS 8|

[Felix28]

I am using an old and newer
I am using an old and newer model of the Romin Expert gel which have wings that curve downwards a bit more than what I can see on the Phenom. They have minimal padding but are comfortable for all day riding if you have some respectable chamy. The new ones are in low 200g with Ti rails if you are really concerned with weight.

The back of the Romins kick up so if you prefer a flatter profile saddle, I think the Toupe range is equivalent in all other aspects.

[massspike]

JudgeDreddful wrote:Pardon my

JudgeDreddful wrote:

Pardon my ignorance as I’m new to this myself, but how do you measure your sit bones? Then once you have measured them (it?) how do you know whether your saddle is right for you?

Specialized dealers will have their measuring device (a gel pad you sit on). It will likely give you a choice of sizes (e.g. for me it was 135 or 143). You then factor in your riding position (in my case more upright/relaxed = 143). That said, there are such limited choices for width (e.g. 135, 143, 155) you can probably guess yours. And since (at least around here) the only brand that offers you a choice that you can buy is Specialized it is a bit moot.

When I last changed my saddle, I rode to all the suitable retailers and swapped my saddle for one of their test saddles (if they don’t offer this they are probably an unsuitable retailer). I then test rode it for an hour or until I hated it (whichever came first). Surprisingly it doesn’t take long to figure out you hate a saddle (like every Fizik I tested). Because I would then return to my problematic saddle between stores (a 135mm lightweight non-Specialized that I bought on a whim) I really was able to figure out what worked for me.

[Author]

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