Need a cheap saddle for a high-crime area

[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

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.



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.