Help me find a comfy (and light) saddle

[ry5n]

I had my heart set on a Gelu saddle, but eventually picked a Schmolke TLO 65 because of the forward rail position.

After 2 weeks of 2 hour rides (mostly indoors), I don’t think it’s going to work out. No matter where I sit, I end up with perineum pressure.

Previous saddles:

• Romin Evo 143 mm (sitbone and inside/rear thigh pain)
• SMP Stratos (relatively comfy but heavy)

I have fairly narrow (100 mm) sitbones, so I assumed the issue with the Romin was the width.

I’m looking for advice on what to do next. Should I:

• Try another unpadded saddle, maybe a little wider/curvier? Gelu E-series maybe?
• Try a lightweight padded saddle? Berk Lupina?
• Skip the trial and error and go custom with Meld? Not exactly heavy but heavier than I'd like, and aesthetically less than ideal. But could be worth it to find the right shape?

Thanks all 🙏

[sevencyclist]

I have wider requirements and currently doing well with Berk Lupina Padded at 150mm.
2022-12-30 11.43.42 by sevencyclist, on Flickr
They do have a slightly narrower 132mm saddle.

[RNAV]

I also have 100mm sit bones and have found it challenging to find saddles that are narrow enough to be comfortable. After much trial and error, I settled on the Selle Italia SLR Superflow (non-boost versions) series (various models with different rails, but same shape). Unfortunately, Selle Italia has decided to discontinue the SLR Superflow shape and only produce SLR Boost shape saddles, which don't work as well for me. Good news = you might be able to find some SLR Superflow saddles on sale. Bad news = you might not be able to get any more in the future.

I also got on well with the Berk Lupina, but all three saddles I tried broke where the rails are epoxied to the saddle shell. I would not recommend Berk until they make their saddles more robust.

Another option that I have not tried yet, but looks promising is the Repente Prime 3.0. It's relatively light, not crazy expensive, and appears to be robust with the rail-to-saddle-shell connection.

Hopefully some other folks will chime in with narrow saddle suggestions as I'm back in the market in light of Selle Italia's decision to stop producing SLR Superflows.

[ry5n]

Thanks for the input folks! Keep it coming :)

The SLR Superflow is on my list (the C59 is the ultralight option) but I should try to nab a deal on a less expensive one to try.

I've heard of other folks having trouble with Lupinas breaking, which is too bad. Any rhyme or reason to the failures in your case?

[Nohands83]

I suffered perineum pressure and was advised by a very experienced fitter that saddle angle can significantly contribute to this (even with a cut-out).
No idea what you're fit is like but it might be something worth looking at if you are having issues specific to that.
Again, I don't know what your indoor setup is like but I know when using the riser block for my front wheel it actually makes it too high and changes the angle of your saddle - might be worth checking if you're testing saddles indoors.

[Yoln]

Try a Lupina. If you're in the US there is some trials available. It's been a game changer for so many people on this forum, I would start by that.

[wheelsONfire]

I have asked Meld and these saddles all have flex and are made for one position.
Perhaps that's what you like, personally i dislike both these features.

You also have this
https://posedla.com/

[RNAV]

I've heard of other folks having trouble with Lupinas breaking, which is too bad. Any rhyme or reason to the failures in your case?

Yep. The saddle rails are glued to the saddle shell with expoxy, which makes for a weak connection.

In my cases, hitting a bump caused the saddle shell to separate from the epoxy. It's not fun when you're 30 miles away from home and your saddle shell separates. Some folks have not had any issues with their Berks. I am apparently unlucky in that regard.

Berk does offer warranty coverage, but that does not include shipping costs. So, owning a Berk can become quite the expensive endeavor beyond the initial cost. What did it for me was the third time one of my Berk saddles broke, I spent over $100USD and over 3 months attempting to ship it to Berk for repair. Berk refused to accept delivery of the saddle twice, and it got returned to me both times. I said the hell with it, repaired it myself, and then sold all my Berks.

Now, if Berk were ever to create a structural carbon fiber connection between the saddle rails and shell that didn't rely solely on the strength of expoxy adhesion, I'd probably reconsider despite the clownshow of warranty support because the saddles are extremely comfortable.

[kode54]

As stated by Jure previously, he had issues with faulty epoxy and has since remedied his supply chain. To his defense, it took several saddle out in the wild until the issue was pinpointed. Not sure why you had issues with the return.

[naavt]

[*] SMP Stratos (relatively comfy but heavy)

I’m looking for advice on what to do next. Should I:

Thanks all

I've learn at my own expense (literally), that the best saddle is the most confortable one. Not the most expensive or the lightest!

After years of trial and error and spending my hard earned money on almost everything light and top of the line, I've ended with a 3d printed ZTTO saddle bought for cheap on AliExpress, and I can tell you 2 things:

1. It's probably the heaviest saddle I haver had
2. It's the most confortable one and the only where I'm capable of some amount of suffering on a indoor trainer.

So my advise is... Forget the weight and keep the SMP if that's the one that makes your bum happy!

[bikeboy1tr]

Or you could get the SMP Stratos with carbon rails which isnt terribly heavy.
https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/sel ... lsrc=aw.ds

[ry5n]

So my advise is... Forget the weight and keep the SMP if that's the one that makes your bum happy!

Preach! One day I’ll hang up my WW boots and be happy with the most comfortable saddle, full stop. But right now this build could be sub-6 if I can find a (genuinely) comfy saddle around 100 g or less 😜 (I’ve shaved every other gram already.)

I suffered perineum pressure and was advised by a very experienced fitter that saddle angle can significantly contribute to this (even with a cut-out).

Good tip! I fitted the Schmolke with the front half of the saddle level, but I could experiment with it a little nose down and see.

I have asked Meld and these saddles all have flex and are made for one position.

I don't mind some flex, but “made for one position” doesn't sound amazing. Surely they don't prevent you from riding a little more upright (on the tops) and more forward (in the drops)?

Yep. The saddle rails are glued to the saddle shell with expoxy, which makes for a weak connection.

[Berk] had issues with faulty epoxy and has since remedied his supply chain.

Thanks for the history there. Sorry you had to give up a comfortable saddle, RNAV. If the issue is now resolved I think this is my next step.

Try a Lupina. If you're in the US there is some trials available.

I’m in Canada but close enough :) Sign me up! Where do I find these Lupina trials?

[wheelsONfire]

So my advise is... Forget the weight and keep the SMP if that's the one that makes your bum happy!

Preach! One day I’ll hang up my WW boots and be happy with the most comfortable saddle, full stop. But right now this build could be sub-6 if I can find a (genuinely) comfy saddle around 100 g or less (I’ve shaved every other gram already.)

I suffered perineum pressure and was advised by a very experienced fitter that saddle angle can significantly contribute to this (even with a cut-out).

Good tip! I fitted the Schmolke with the front half of the saddle level, but I could experiment with it a little nose down and see.

I have asked Meld and these saddles all have flex and are made for one position.

I don't mind some flex, but “made for one position” doesn't sound amazing. Surely they don't prevent you from riding a little more upright (on the tops) and more forward (in the drops)?

Yep. The saddle rails are glued to the saddle shell with expoxy, which makes for a weak connection.

[Berk] had issues with faulty epoxy and has since remedied his supply chain.

Thanks for the history there. Sorry you had to give up a comfortable saddle, RNAV. If the issue is now resolved I think this is my next step.

Try a Lupina. If you're in the US there is some trials available.

I’m in Canada but close enough Sign me up! Where do I find these Lupina trials?

Saddles are not built or designed for sliders (moving back and forth on the saddle)

[Berk]

Berk refused to accept delivery of the saddle twice, and it got returned to me both times. I said the hell with it, repaired it myself, and then sold all my Berks.

Now, if Berk were ever to create a structural carbon fiber connection between the saddle rails and shell that didn't rely solely on the strength of expoxy adhesion, I'd probably reconsider despite the clownshow of warranty support because the saddles are extremely comfortable.

Hi,
sorry if there were problems, we have problems with Slovenian customs and also if it is shipped to us we can't import it. It is really hard to work with EU/Slovenian customs since they reject packages which don't contain an invoice or any kind of official document. We can't import even if it is a repair/warranty request in most cases. Unfortunately it can get as complicated as I described.

If you had a warranty case please contact info(a)berk-composites.com and we'll take care, we are happy to provide a replacement if you liked the saddle shape. We give our best and the saddles are ISO tested, shouldn't fail like that (material failure) and we give our best to prevent any kind of such failure. Also working hard to provide test saddles to our dealers and it slowly got more and more popular, if possible we direct our customers to the closest dealer and hopefully you can get there a TEST saddle to try it out for a week or two. Since it is an expensive product and it depends from each cyclists we give our best to provide that service worldwide.

[ry5n]

Thanks for offering your input Berk! Who is the closest dealer to Vancouver, in Canada? I’d be happy to speak to them about a test saddle.