FarHorizon

For those of us closer to or above 300, the "UberClydes" of the forum, what saddles have you found best/worst?

My experiences are as follows (all from when I weighed 290):

Best (for ROAD bikes ONLY - where you're seriously bent forward while riding):

Specialized Milano

Best (for cruisers & MTBs - where you're relatively upright):

Wide, padded cruiser saddles WITH springs

Worst (for ANY bike):

ANY Brooks saddle (I've pancaked them to the point of ruin within two weeks of riding)
Hard little ass-hatchet saddles made for racers who weigh less than their bikes

If you aren't an Uber, then consider that what works for you probably WON'T work for us. "Cyclists of substance" make significantly different demands on equipment than others even 50 lbs. lighter. I've heard from LOTS of cyclists between 230 and 260 who just love Brooks products. I've never heard from a SINGLE cyclist of 300 lbs. or over who had a good Brooks experience. Any out there???

epix1718

I have the Avatar 143 seat and its surprising comfy for how small it is

(51)

Ummm. Can you link to a specific brand/model? I have a Hybrid (Trek 7200) and while the stock seat is bearable, after an hour or so my sit bones start hurting.

CastIron

I'm not "Uber". Came close, but never was either. In any case, I will note that one of wierdest parts about significant (well north of 50lbs) weight loss is how my saddle tastes changed.

scottogo

Ran across this:
https://www.bicycleseats.org/bicycle-seats.htm

Tom Stormcrowe

In red.... + 1000! When I was weighing in at 450 and restarting riding, I put a Bell Comfort Gel saddle on with a rubber bushing suspension under it. Best thing I ever did! It was on a MTB, so I was in an upright position. It helped me keep riding in the early period instead of quitting because my tail couldn't take it!

geraldatwork

I'm "only" 210 lbs but the Specialized Alias is the most comfortable saddle for rides over 50 miles I have tried.

CrosseyedCrickt

At 350lbs my sprung brooks was an arse saver.
Now that I'm under 290lbs I'm sporting a brooks B17 and love it.

ken cummings

My wife is in the Uber-"Athena" class and is happy with her recumbent seat. Much more area to spread her mass over. The 20"x2" wheel under her is not as happy.

Allen

My brother is Uber (300ish 6'4") and he's on a Brooks 73 and it's held up for a year now. He likes it. But he's know for putting up with anything without complaint. Next time I see him I'll get him to give me a review of it.

FarHorizon

I popped a "Specialized Expedition Comfort Deluxe" or some such foolishness onto my MTB today (the model with springs!). So far, so good.

bdinger

Whatever is stock on the '07 Hardrock, it's GREAT. I need to get some different shorts, but the saddle is amazingly wonderful. I think it's one of the higher-end BG saddles.

VolnTitan

As a member of the Uber Clydes (lol...love that name...so much better than fat....), I am looking at purchasing a new bike. Looking at the Comfort types. Sounds like I need to kind of get ready to get a new seat regardless because the stocks aren't up to snuff for us Ubers.

FarHorizon

Not necessarily, VolnTitan - sometimes the stock seats can surprise with how comfy they are. At least TRY the stock seat. Usually, the shop that sold you the bike will allow "trade ins" on seats until you find one you like. As bdinger said in her/his post, Specialized often has very good seats even on their inexpensive bikes. The Kona I bought once had a WTB brand seat on it that was excellent, too.

VolnTitan

One of the bikes I am looking at is the Specialized Expedition. Like the bike, not nuts about the store. Also looking at Giant Sedona and Trek Navigator 300, but that one is out of my range I think. Going to look at another bike place here in Nashville at lunch. Didn't know there were so many choices!

FarHorizon

But not for long... The "bent over" position on my Rockhopper (even with a Nashbar "Comfort Stem") makes the sprung Specialized seat just too wide for comfort after about 30 minutes of riding.

Instead, I retried my old fave - The Specialized Milano. WOW - what a difference! I rode for an hour this morning and could have ridden more. I think I'm retiring from the saddle-go-round and settling down with the Milano. Your bootie may have different preferences...

FarHorizon

Again - At least TRY a Electra Townie if you can. They've LOTS to offer! Also, the store you buy from IS important - you want a continuing relationship with them, not a wham-bam-thank-you-maam. I bought my most recent bike (my second choice as to model) because I liked the store better.

VolnTitan

I found another store that sells the Townie. The REI I went to was horrible. No help at all. My only concern with the Townie is to get a bike with atleast 7 speeds, it really gets pricey. I would assume for normal riding, I would need more than 3 speeds.

Dubbayoo

I have found that saddle comfort is, at least in part, determined by how much riding you do. Last year was my first year back from a long layoff of cycling. My Turbomatic 3 Gel was killing me on 20 mile rides; so much that I decided to look for another saddle. It felt like I was sitting on a cinder block. In the mean time I kept riding it while looking for another.

Fast forward to this year and I realized a few weeks ago that I have not thought about my saddle AT ALL lately.

Brooks saddles are hardly "little saddles made for racers who weigh less than their bikes". Fact is most racers won't touch them because they are too heavy. They do seem to need a longer break-in period than most.

thebankman

The Townie big wide comfort seats are extremely comfortable to me and my girlfriend and we are both pretty big. Then again I ride on a b17 brooks (still breaking in) on my road bike and that's quite comfortable for that position, and I'm weighing in at 220 today.

It's all about what feels good to you...definitely gotta try as many as possible to find the right saddle. It is a bummer that one doesn't fit all, but when you find the right seat for your bike you'll be all smiles

bdinger

Okay, I went home and checked over lunch, the saddle on my Hardrock is a Specialized Rival. Which is downright impressive that they put a $65 saddle on a $350 bike, but hey .

Anyway, I love it. It's absolutely perfect. Most of my rides are in the 20-25 mile range, and I'm never sore due to the saddle. I do, however, need some sort of different undershort.

I highly recommend the Rival. I'm also going to give the Milano a shot, my favorite LBS has 'em for $25.

FarHorizon

Hi Dial_tone!

I wasn't implying that Brooks saddles are racing saddles. The Brooks line is one saddle group that I feel is inappropriate for Uber-Clydes. Hard little racing saddles are a different genre that I also feel is inappropriate for us. The "longer break in" period you mention for Brooks saddles was less than two weeks for mine - it pancaked completely in less than 300 miles!

a2psyklnut

I've had a lot of luck with WTB saddles.

My suggestion is to stick with a saddle with chromoly rails. Forget about all the exotic materials manganese, titanuium or whatever. They don't last. Good old Chromoly.

My current saddle on my mountain bike is an Azonic Hot Seat. It's a bigger saddle and designed for abusive riding. I bought it on sale for about $35.00.

VolnTitan

Hard for me to believe the Milano would be that comfortable for someone 300+. It just looks too small!

toddw

I'm 290 down from 305, and all I ride are Brooks. B-17 and a sprung B-66, like them both for different reasons.