How do you choose a saddle?

I like Charge Spoon saddles, I have them on all my mtb's, but when I built up my first road bike I thought I should use something a little more..... road racy. My son had a couple of expensive San Marco saddles knocking about, so I blagged one and have been using it ever since.

Last night, the freezing cold gale force winds forced my onto the turbo trainer instead of my usual road ride. My turbo has a spare Yates mtb in it and I was struck after only a few minutes by how comfortable the saddle was, at the end of an hours interval work, I was still comfortable, well in that particular region of my body anyway.

Now, I could just get another Spoon and slap it on the Raleigh, but I thought I'd just have a quick flick round the net first...OMG! Choice? Too many different designs to even get my head around, so how on earth do I choose?

Do you want something correct for the period of the road build.........or a saddle that is road looking but comfortable?

Shaun

That sort of implies that period correct saddles are uncomfortable

My Raleigh is very late 1990's and has all sorts of modern bits'n'bobs fitted, so comfort is what I'm looking for, but at the same time, light and decent looking is also good.

I think saddles are either brilliant or rubbish. It all depends on personal preference in terms of shape and your riding style. I use a Selle Italia SLR on my carbon bike but that's because the frame soaks up the road buzz - I tried the same saddle on a 753 frame and it was horrendous. My other bikes all have 1980's / 90's Selle Italia Flite's - they're on steel frames and are really comfy. But if it's luxury with a touch of class then it has to be a Selle San Marco Rolls - the comfiest saddle by far.

The different position between the bikes can make the same saddle more (or less) comfortable.

Expensive and sometimes painful experimentation. Turbomatics are what I have on all my bikes. I still want to try a Brooks though.

mattr":2syhwrm6 said:

The different position between the bikes can make the same saddle more (or less) comfortable.

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That's why I thought I'd ask the question. I have a spare Spoon I could try, although I am hesitant to take the existing saddle off, as it was such a b*gger to get right again after I changed the seat post, which leaves me in a sort of devil you know vs devil you don't situation.

No implication that retro saddles are uncomfortable........spent whole days on Unicantor and Cinelli saddles in the 70's

The sella Italia on my 2011 Basso is OK but talk to the people at work who ride a lot more than me and it's all down to personal choice, the guy opposite swears by his gel-flow but the biggest miler by far wont perch on anything less than a Prologo...

Unless it's a period build use what you like

Shaun

There are some which seem to work for almost anybody:Rolls and Flite spring to mind.
Personally I really get on with the San Marco Bontrager and San Marco Regal. I tried a Concor which is almost the same shape as the Bontrager and it was awful. Personally the Flite seems OK, but nothing special.

I now have a Brooks B17 Narrow on my tandem and it was love at first sit. I have a Team Pro in a box, and I have to dare to fit it onto my tourer.

Brooks.....its like sitting on your sofa

You're probably better off getting a nice second hand one that's broken in, they are tough when they are new. I have two really comfortable B17's that I swap around onto different bikes.