Same saddle for road and mtb?

[Irulan]

Over the weekend I acquired my new Trek Madone, the first road bike in the stable in many years.

Here's the question. Is there any reason not to put the same saddle that I have on two of my mtbs on a road bike? The stock Bontrager WSD on the new bike is.... not working. (*** hatchet, anyone?) I pulled a specialized Ariel off one of my other bikes as a temp fix and it seems great. I expect LBS to match is as close as possible. They have saddle guarantee but they aren't a Specialized dealer. I've logged hundreds of miles of singletrack on an Ariel, is there any reason I shouldn't use the same one for road?

thx.

[Owlie]

I don't think there's a reason not to use it as a starting point, at least. That's what I'd do.

[Ered_Lithui]

Congrats on the Madone! I got to test-ride one a while back and it was fun.

Also, I love your description of the Bontrager saddle. I've never met one I liked.

If the Ariel saddle is comfortable after a long ride on the road bike, then stick with it. "Road" and "mountain" saddle designations are suggestions based on what tends to be comfortable for each type of riding (generally having to do with firmness), but they're not binding.

[Becky]

I find that I can ride saddles on my mtb that don't work for me on the road bike. The mtb saddle is a good starting point, but don't be surprised if it's not perfect.

[Penny4]

Congrats on your new bike!

I hated the bontrager saddle on my new Lexa also. I asked my LBS guy about moving my old hybrid saddle over to the Lexa. He said give it a shot, but don't be surprised if it didn't work, because my position would be much different on the road bike.

I tried it. He was right.

Can't hurt to give it a shot though!

[lph]

I like a shorter and more slippery saddle on my mtb, so that I can get behind it more easily going down steep descents. The saddle on my road bike is too long and flat for that, but I can shift around a little on longer rides. But there's not a huge difference. If I could only find one comfortable saddle I'd use it for everything.

[OakLeaf]

If the saddle you pulled off your MTB is working, then it's working! What's the longest ride you've done with it on the road bike so far?

My experience is limited to my hybrid, but I'd agree with the others that a different riding position might mean different saddle needs. If you can go two to three hours with the same saddle on your road bike and no problems, I'd say you're good for the long haul. If you start to get any chafing or pressure at all at that distance, I'd keep looking.