Saddle choices...

[Andrea]

One other note about some road saddles-
There are a few out there w/carbon or carbon/metal rails. I've seen these fail in some road wreck situations, so I'd avoid anything them for MTB use.

Otherwise... what everyone else said.

[Red Rock]

Thankyou for the continued input. I stopped by two LBS today and looked at saddles. They were a bit surprized that I wanted a saddle with minimal padding. They are so used to people that want lots of padding the owner did not know what to think.

I do not know what my current shop will have or be able to order for me. The specialized shop wants a purchase, try it and if it does not work to bring everything back so they can resell the saddle. To me that sounds like a "pain in the butt" no pun inteneded.

The Trek dealer had a few Bontrager saddles, I think the race lites that had minimal padding and the channel/cutout combonation.

When I was measured at the specialized store they had me at 135mm and if I was sitting upright it would go to 155mm for sitbone width. This is according to their chart. Would it be ok to just stay at the 135mm and not go to the 155mm for seats?

Or is this going to be a whole lot of trial and error here? Is finding a saddle always such a big deal as this?

Has anyone ever used a Bontrager saddle?

In this small town, one shop has one product and another shop has something else. So I feel like I am putting one shop against another to find
what I want.

Thankyou for your input on this.

Red Rock/Ellen

[alpha_omega]

Or is this going to be a whole lot of trial and error here? Is finding a saddle always such a big deal as this?

Has anyone ever used a Bontrager saddle?

In this small town, one shop has one product and another shop has something else. So I feel like I am putting one shop against another to find
what I want.

Thankyou for your input on this.

Red Rock/Ellen

Just out of curiosity, how were you fit on the bike? Was it a comprehensive dynamic fit? Very often saddle pains can be caused by improper adjustment. Many saddles not only go up and down on the seat post but can also tilt nose up / nose down / slide forwards / backwards. Getting the saddle tweaked into just the right position can make all the difference in the world.

Saddles are such personal pieces of equipment, it's impossible for anyone to recommend something for someone else. You really just have to keep trying until you find one that works. Many people find that a saddle works great for 20-30 min, but stretch it out to two hours and they're in tears.

After checking fit, I'd keep trying different models until you find the one that's just right. I know it's a pain to keep bringing things back, but if you're serious about riding distances you want to be as comfortable as possible. A good, well fitting saddle is crucial in that quest.

[derailed]

I suffered for my seat til I did have a friend measure my sit-bone width.

I then went to my LBS, gave them the numbers, and found myself on a perfect fit. Knowing my critical width was vital to the process, the rest was almost cosmetic.

Once you do find the "right" seat, get a spare, too often seats are discontinued.

[Irulan]

found this on another women's mtb board

Competitive Cycles has a Saddle demo program which I have used. It is the best way to try out multiple saddles and get a real feel for them.

Competitive cyclist demo costs $75. This covers the cost of both the outbound and the inbound UPS Ground shipping plus a nominal fee for 7 days of riding.
The kit includes 11 saddles. Try as many or as few as you want. It's as simple as installing one on your seatpost. The demo period is 7 days. We ask that you ship the kit back to us on the next business day after this 7-day period is complete.
If you choose to purchase a saddle from us within 30 days of returning the saddle kit to us, we'll credit $35 of the demo cost towards your purchase..."

Here for more info: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mo...es/demo-saddle

[Red Rock]

I really appreciate all of your collective input here on this.

This bike was a cragislist purchase. My first HT. The fit seems to be ok, my only issue is the saddle right now. I do not think this is extremely major, but I know if I do not have this fixed it will become one. I purchased this bike due to the economy and not being able to afford the bike I would really like. It has become my commuter and trail bike.

After reading all of your responses, you all have created more questions in my head than answers. That is a good thing. I am going to ask the bike shop to double check the fit with me on the bike and see what they say. Then this might help with the saddle problem as well.

Irulan-thankyou for the link to the competive cyclist saddle exchange program. It is nice that someone/company is willing to do this. It seems like bike shops do not want to cooperate in that matter very well. You would think they would want a sale. Part of that is making sure the product (whatever it is) fits correctly.

I also had my DH measure my sitbone width as well. So I know that number. I just have to convert to mm.

Are WTB saddles bad? Or is it the personal preferance thing again. I thought they were considered "the" mtb seat. Is this incorrect?

Thankyou for your help.

Red Rock/Ellen

[Irulan]

Are WTB saddles bad? Or is it the personal preferance thing again. I thought they were considered "the" mtb seat. Is this incorrect?

Might be a local thing, I've never heard that at all. It is all about preference.

[pinkbikes]

Are WTB saddles bad? Or is it the personal preferance thing again. I thought they were considered "the" mtb seat. Is this incorrect?

Red Rock/Ellen

I'm not really sure about perceptions elsewhere, but my impression is that the WTB seats are a reasonable quality but not "top drawer" kind of seat. They come as standard equipment on a lot of bikes (which indicates to me that they are reasonably priced for the manufacturer and they don't get too many warranty claims on them) but I know scads of people who walk straight out and replace them with something else almost on day 1.

I think it comes down to personal preference. If it's comfy to you, it's a great seat! If it ain't, then it's a horrid seat! There is no such thing as "the" seat at all I don't think. It all just comes down to what's comfy for the individual butts - and there's more variation in butts than any of us can imagine!