Saddles: which perch and why?

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Saddle fit depends on:
The rider's ar5e
The bike's riding position
Familiarity
Quality
Aesthetics

I could almost never swap a saddle from one of my Drop bar bikes to an mtb or flat/ riser bar one.

Drops, I love san Marco
Flat i love flite.

The charge saddle was excellent as a cheapish option - we sold loads, plenty of happy customers.

We sell Brooks too, and once in a while you'll get an earnest customer who really wants to love them, but gives up after a few thousand miles cos it's still not working for them.
And then you'll get others have literally ridden them round the world, till the rivets fell out.

I dont think they added a hipster tax at brooks though - I think it genuinely costs that much to make a saddle like that in the UK using victorian premises, methods and equipment.

They cost (from) a days work at the minimum wage.
Probably never been cheaper.

You could well be right re my hipster tax comment. I think Brooks are owned by Selle now. The Spa saddles are half the price and the quality is superb. I speak as a Brooks fan boy since the 70s. I think the older saddles have better leather and I tend to look for n.o.s now.

 

[grantoury]

I love to sit on a leather saddle, but apart from the Gilles Berthoud, they don't look particularly nice. For a retro build a Turbo, a Kashimax or indeed a Flite would look best, I think.

 

[novocaine]

Cut out from amazon for the road, charge spoon for the mtb. I have a hate for brooks saddles.

 

[bikeworkshop]

The Spa saddles are half the price and the quality is superb. I speak as a Brooks fan boy since the 70s.

Spa point out their saddles are made from Australian leather, but I can't find any mention of the country of manufacture. I will ask them.

Obviously it's a lot cheaper to make stuff in the far East and ship it over, but the reasons why it's cheaper aren't great.

Buy local
But it's like food... its not generally going to be cheaper.
Gosh I'm only a step away from kicking off about amazon!

 

[CassidyAce]

Madison Flux or Charge Spoon: close to being the same saddle. I find the Flux a little more comfortable than the Spoon but the faux leather doesn't seem to last very long on the Flux; the Spoon seems a bit more hardy.

 

[Bike Hoarder]

San Marco Rolls - it was the first decent saddle I owned, and just seems to work for me (once broken in).

 

[bikeworkshop]

Madison Flux or Charge Spoon: close to being the same saddle. I find the Flux a little more comfortable than the Spoon but the faux leather doesn't seem to last very long on the Flux; the Spoon seems a bit more hardy.

We thought they were from the same factory (velo?) - the rails and the saddle base were the same.
And the trade price.
Cover a little different.

The early brooks cambiums (which also have obsessive lovers and haters) wore through cycle shorts at a pace.
Horrendous tales of LE JoG group rides with hideous "views"

 

[CassidyAce]

We thought they were from the same factory (velo?) - the rails and the saddle base were the same.
And the trade price.
Cover a little different.

That's my understanding too. Same underneath but cover and foam a little different. And I think there's another one by Gusset that uses the same rails and base.

 

[DrDaveTampa]

For photography, I keep a turbo around. May upgrade that to a flite someday.

For riding, I finally (after 60 years) got around to measuring my sit bones. "Honey, what in the everlasting **** are you doing." Now all is good.

My favorite el cheapo take-off saddle is a Liv, believe it or not. Not a great womens' saddle but for a man with wide sit bones, it's surprisingly nice.

For a bike I actually intend to ride, I'm loving Specialized lineup. There are some subtle differences among the models so its' worth going to the store, get measured and sit on some before you plonk down the money. I hear on good authority, their womens' models are exquisite.

 

[kingoffootball]

Another fan of the Specialized BG range here. I have them on most my bikes.