Saddle Question

[fmbp]

A question for all you wise sagely types on this forum:

I need to purchase a new saddle for my commuter bike, which currently has an old Bontrager Race saddle (possibly made by Sella San Marco?). The cover is cracking and falling apart, and now, the foam is starting to wear away. I find this saddle to be reasonably comfortable.

I, like many others who ride bicycles, have tried many saddles before finding what I like. That said, I love the Fizik Arione, and Gobi (road and cross bike respectively). I have a Serfas Arc saddle on my mountain bike, which I find tollerable.

Saddles that I have used, which no longer come near my butt:
Sella Italia Flite, gel and non gel: both produce saddle sores
Brooks B5N: bought used, again saddle sores
Sella Italia TriMatic: Painful

So I guess what I'm wondering is if there is anyone here who has ridden, and loved the Arione, but has found something that is significantly cheaper (and more durable) than the Arione. I am a grad student, so money is a factor in this equation. I would just purchase another Arione for the commuter bike, but that would literally increase the value of the bike by about 40 or 50%. Also, the bike spends a great deal of time locked outside in Houston's heat and humidity, so durability is a plus.

Disclaimer: I do realize that one's saddle choice is very personal, but I hope that someone with similar preferences may have found something that works reasonably well.

Thanks.

[flydhest]

I'll try to be helpful, but in a different way. I have an Arione (I think it is, it's a Fizik, anyway) and have been riding it, trying to like it, and don't. I can ride the Flite saddle just fine and my all time favorite saddle is the Rolls Selle San Marco. What I dislike about the Arione relative to these other two is the way the rear flares out. I find the other two to be much more linear in some way. I find on the Arione that I'm sitting and where the back part of the saddle flares out, it inhibits as free motion of my legs.

I would guess, since you like that saddle, you have slightly wider sit bones than I. Many saddles are now giving measurements at different places, see if you can match that up with the Arione that you like.

[hypnos]

I purchased my Arione on Ebay. I've been searching for the right saddle for four years, and the Arione is it. You can buy one on Ebay for way below retail. Look for the odd colors. There are also the hardly used Ariones that were only ridden for a few rides before the owner decided to try something else. Also consider the Arione Sport..... different materials, same shape.

[Argos]

There are a lot of new designs out there that have a lot to offer, like the Arione, but to give an oldie a try, I would go with, or at least consider a Selle San Marco Era. They come, like most saddles in a few variants, but I gotta say it's a really comfortable saddle, and one that hs been labeled as a Bontreager on there mid-upper level bikes for a number of years.

There is a Pro and a LuX that are both pretty traditional, but I like the Lux, myself.

http://www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk/ssm/images/eraon.jpg

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/SM-ERAP.gif

[kgrooney]

There are a lot of new designs out there that have a lot to offer, like the Arione, but to give an oldie a try, I would go with, or at least consider a Selle San Marco Era. They come, like most saddles in a few variants, but I gotta say it's a really comfortable saddle, and one that hs been labeled as a Bontreager on there mid-upper level bikes for a number of years.

There is a Pro and a LuX that are both pretty traditional, but I like the Lux, myself.

http://www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk/ssm/images/eraon.jpg

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/SM-ERAP.gif


Argos, I'm surprised your saddle has sticthing. I've found stitching ruins my Assos shorts.

[Argos]

Hmmmm. Interesting. I do have one pair that has sort of a 'wear' spot on the inner thigh. I guess this is what it is from. That said, I no longer have any of these saddles. I have Aspides on 2 bikes, a Gobi on my Mtn Bike, the Bonty version of this on my POS trailer-puller SS Mtn Bike and an Arione I'm messing with on my Cross bike/SS/Fixie/commuter.

I do like the Era, and am thiking about getting those again to replace the Arione on the Cross and the Aspide on my Ottrott.

It's always a process of change.

Thanks for the tip!

[pdonk]

I too am a fan of the Selle San Marco Bontrager saddles. I wish I had bought a few when they where on close out from the distributor a few years ago. If you find a stash, please post a contact number.

If the foam is not too degraded, try taking it your local shoe maker for a recover, I've done it before.

[alancw3]

i have tried many different saddles over the years. a fizik arione came on my new c'dale six13. i looked very uncomfortable but i have to say that after several weeks of riding it is by far and away the most comfortable saddle i have ever ridden. seems to get more comfortable the more time you ride it. i have ridden on it for up to three hours so far w/o any problems. look on ebay. there are usually several ariones for sale. also you might try keeping a lycra cover on it while out in the hot texas sun all day.

[Climb01742]

fmbp--i have an arione i'd be happy to send you, gratis, if you'd like. it just doesn't work for me, for the reasons fly pointed out. i just went through saddle hell. while both painful and frustrating, it was also illuminating. i really discovered the impact that saddle width has. i must have narrow sitbones or something because wider saddles really were uncomfy and impeded leg movement. i found saddles in the 130-140 width range worked for me. i also found that flat (seen in profile) saddles didn't work so well for me. the arione, for example. i found that i like for the back of the saddle to kick up some. it helps me rotate my hips, and there's something to push against. and finally, i found that i need/like "some" padding, but not a lot (the aliante is a bit soft for me) or not too little (like the san marco rever.) all of which lead me to an old school saddle that so far has been rocking: san marco concor light (with decals, not stitched labels). this has been a long-winded way of saying...what saddle works for you is complicated. to figure out a solution, see if you can isolate what is bugging you about your current saddle: width? shape? padding? i didn't solve my pain-in-the-butt until i started breaking a saddle down, as it were, into its design elements and figured out what worked and didn't.

[Kevin]

I like the Fizik Alliante. Personally, I have found the selection of a saddle to be a trial and error type thing. In addition, one person's dream saddle is another person's nightmare saddle. Good luck.

Kevin

[stevep]

fmbp-- and finally, i found that i need/like "some" padding, but not a lot (the aliante is a bit soft for me) or not too little (like the san marco rever.) all of which lead me to an old school saddle that so far has been rocking: san marco concor light (with decals, not stitched labels). .

best saddle by far if you have narrow bones.
better get a few into stock. some day soon ( those idiots ) will replace it with some damn fool thing with a bunch of moving parts* or something and up the price to $2c. the original old concor works great also...

*ad for the new model..." the new concor lite has the added benefit of electronic ground assessment control...it softens the ride when the road is bumpy and stiffens the ride when the road is smooth... the best of both worlds... runs on 2 D cell batteries that attach to your frame near the seat tube... the finest of modern design...it can be set to vibrate if you get bored on along ride...a real breakthrough in design!! all this for only $450"

[Michael Katz]

Specialized has come out with some interesting saddles recently. Among the road saddles offered are the Toupe, Alias and Avatar, from most expensive to least and from most hardcore lightweight to gel comfort. What makes these 3 saddles interesting is that they come in widths and Specialized provides dealers with a "sizing system". You pick the saddle that meets your usuage needs, sit on a gel pad to get impressions of your sits bones , measure the distance between them and then pick the corresponding width. The system seems to work well. I am currently riding an Alias. In terms of comfort and lack of numbness, it is much superior to my experiences with the Alliante and Arione and even surpasses the Terry Fly which had been my preferred saddle for years. The Alias was a good choice for me from among the 3 saddles - the Toupe is too minimalist and provided little or no padding for my sits bone while the Avatar was too padded and soft. The width sizing really seems to work.

[fmbp]

Wow guys, thanks for all the great replies. I do really appreciate your input.

I've always wondered if there was another saddle that closely enough mimicked the Arione, but it just doesn't seem to be the case. I suppose that is why such a large number of people have them on their bikes.

Climb01742, wow, what a great offer. I'm humbled by your generosity (especially for me, a complete lurker). I would love to take you up on your offer.

Again, thank you to all.

[Climb01742]

Climb01742, wow, what a great offer. I'm humbled by your generosity (especially for me, a complete lurker). I would love to take you up on your offer.

cool. just PM me with your address and i'll send you the saddle. enjoy!