Need a cheap saddle for a high-crime area

[soprano]

Next fall I will start commuting into a university campus with a very high property crime rate. I picked up an old 10-speed today (calling it a "beater" feels wrong, it's a nice old Raleigh) so I won't need to worry about leaving my Surly locked up on campus all day.

I have a Brooks Imperial on the Surly. It works well for me, but I'm not dropping $150 on a saddle that I plan to leave in the middle of campus all day, every day. (No, removing the seatpost and carrying it around is not an option. I have enough crap to schlep around all day, thanks.)

The commute is 4 miles each way. No long rides planned for this bike. I absolutely need a saddle with a cut out that is at least 155 mm wide. Other than that, it would be nice to find something that doesn't look too awkward on a vintage road bike. My budget is $50 or less. Suggestions?

[emily_in_nc]

I had this saddle on an entry-level mountain bike I sold a couple years ago. It was actually quite comfy -- and cheap! 159mm in width.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes//CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&pageSize=16&beginIndex=0&sortBy=Dollar+Rank%2F%2F1&searchType=resultSet&cn1=&searchTerm=women%27s+contour+saddle

[Biciclista]

If you trust your bike, why not the saddle too? Get a lock that will keep the saddle locked well to the bike! I would HATE to have to ride a crappy saddle because of fear...

oh sorry, you're replacing the SURLY with a beater bike. GOod luck!

[radacrider]

A "cheapy" saddle may make the commute awful. Some use the trick of using an old section of bike chain to loop through the seat then through the seat stays. To protect from paint chipping and noise, you can use an old inner tube around the length of chain.

[OakLeaf]

Spec' Dolce is $55 and comes in 155 and 175 mm - too squishy for me, but I have a friend who rides thousands of miles a year on hers.

[soprano]

I had this saddle on an entry-level mountain bike I sold a couple years ago. It was actually quite comfy -- and cheap! 159mm in width.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes//CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&pageSize=16&beginIndex=0&sortBy=Dollar+Rank%2F%2F1&searchType=resultSet&cn1=&searchTerm=women%27s+contour+saddle

Hey, that looks just right! (At least, on paper.) I'll have to run by Performance and see if I can pick one up.

Outright theft is not the only thing I'm concerned about here. The campus bike racks are super crowded; anything I put there is going to get banged up a bit for sure, and probably vandalized at some point. Everything I put on this bike needs to be cheap and durable. I found the perfect bike for this situation: a vintage Raleigh 10-speed (from Nottingham) in decent shape with a horrific paint job. Now I'm setting it up with a saddle, rack, fenders, lights, etc.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Whether your bike or your saddle are cheap or expensive, they both likely be stolen if you don't lock them up VERY SECURELY while left on campus outside all day. The question becomes: do you want to spend the big money on really good locking system, or is it cheaper to just replace the bike (and the saddle) periodically?

[Kerry1976]

What if you still use your Brooks but cover it with a cheap plastic baggie (obviously one with color, like grey) or a cheapie shower cap or something?

[soprano]

Thanks for the suggestions! It's nice to have options.

[malkin]

Another vote to lock the saddle. Get a short cable and keep it locked all the time.

[Melalvai]

For 4 miles, a cheap saddle won't have time to get very uncomfortable. +1 on locking it even if it is cheap. Why replace it if you don't have to?

[soprano]

I ended up ordering the saddle Murienn linked to. It came today, and it's totally fine. Maybe a little pear-shaped for me, but experience says that won't be a problem until mile 30 on any given day :cool:

In case anyone's interested, here's a photo of the bike in question. It's pretty much the perfect Craigslist beater: fits OK, decent mechanical condition (gotta love friction shifters) and a horrifying paint job. The paint looks OK until you get close, and then you realize that there is something weirdly wrong. It's automotive paint! Of special interest also is the shifter arrangement: the rear shifter is mounted on the stem, while the front shifter is a bar end.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2101/5759499554_ab73deff63.jpg

I still need to add a water bottle holder (99 degrees outside right now, not going to make it very far without water) and I ordered some replacement brackets for my lights, so I can move them back and forth between bikes. At some point I'll have to do something about the handlebars and brake arrangement; right now it's serviceable, but far from comfy.

No one need worry about my locking technique. I've already been locking up downtown for 2 years. Generally I put my U-lock around the rear wheel + chainstay + bike rack, and then I also use a heavy cable lock around both wheels + bike rack. I actually don't worry too much specifically about saddle theft; it seems like components are more popular targets around here, and it's simply not practical to put a lock on every little bit of the bike. At some point, one has to stop worrying, y'know? However, I didn't want a Brooks for this bike because that little "Brooks" stamp screams "expensive" and "take another look at this bike." I also don't plan to put in the miles on this bike that a Brooks needs to break in.