MTB seats that don’t suck...

I have half a dozen of these in my shed if you are in the market!
 

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rockcity said:
Has anyone found one?

even after riding for years, these seats still hurt and are far from comfortable.
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Awkward to answer this with a bunch of alphas around that will rag on you...butt...

Are you wearing a decent pair of gooch saver shorts when you ride? That is step 1 to alleviating being saddle sore.

Step 2:
Everyone's hip and glute structure is different. This is why most bike mfg's throw on a one of the cheapest saddles they can order in bulk for the showroom floor and most bike shops keep a decent stock of saddle options or at least can order them in quickly from wholesalers like J&B, Hawley etc or whoever the parts houses are now. When I would fit people for a bike, the #1 complaint I got after the rest of the stuff was sorted out was saddles being uncomfortable. Reach and riding position along with the other ergos would be fine, but the butt was always the issue. We eventually would keep a few saddles under the shop counter that we carried on the shelf and I would switch them out and let people try them during the fitting process then give them the option to buy the same saddle or have me order it in if I was out of stock.

I just went through this with the wife on her new bike. She ended up on a mens bike with a mens saddle...after a few short rides she was not happy with the support the saddle gave her. I went back to the shop and grabbed a wider, slightly more padded saddle made for a woman and surprise, she didn't need the springer beach cruiser seat she thought she needed and was ready to fight me tooth and nail on. :lol: The premise is the same, you might not have the structure that fits the saddle you're on.
 
Sometimes I have padded shorts, sometimes I don’t. Padding helps some. This was someone else’s as it was used when I bought it. I can’t believe that person likes their ass being pounded like that. :lol:


Me, I don’t enjoy it, so I’m hoping to find a decent seat that isn’t a huge beach cruiser saddle that looks silly.
 
braxton357 said:
Jody told me he's gone "ultra light" and just has a dropper post with no seat. Said gives him way better control over the bike and way more comfortable than the factory saddle. Mfer basically a pro rider at this point so I'd say give it a try.
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The up and down motion of the dropper post really improves the ride...or so I’m told.
 
StretchASU said:
The up and down motion of the dropper post really improves the ride...or so I’m told.
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Helps reach the climax. Or find the apex. Or something like that.
 
I’m about as used to it as I can get. It’s not as bad as if once was. After a few ass poundings, ya kind of get used to it I guess. :lol:

Now a days, most of my riding involves the family, so the seat gets used more than it probably should. But, I’ll put up with it as long as the girls are having a good time.
 
rockcity said:
I’m about as used to it as I can get. It’s not as bad as if once was. After a few ass poundings, ya kind of get used to it I guess. :lol:

Now a days, most of my riding involves the family, so the seat gets used more than it probably should. But, I’ll put up with it as long as the girls are having a good time.
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A shop in Brevard right outside Pisgah actually has a measuring thing you sit on to match up your "sit bones". Also offer a saddle try out deal to find the best fit. Raising, lowering, tilt and height all play in. I can attest I rode a horrible seat for years just thinking I needed to man up.
 
GONOVRIT said:
Part of me thinks if you ride enough your buttocks become conditioned to the seat. Part of me thinks only greenway riders sit long enough for their buttocks to hurt.
I know most seats still suck.
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It hurts my knees too much to stand anymore. So my ass is always sore. I did ride the Spencer Mountain Greenway at Poston this afternoon.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
A shop in Brevard right outside Pisgah actually has a measuring thing you sit on to match up your "sit bones". Also offer a saddle try out deal to find the best fit. Raising, lowering, tilt and height all play in. I can attest I rode a horrible seat for years just thinking I needed to man up.
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This.
Sycamore Cycles has an assometer that measures your sitbones and then tells the assistant which $170 seat still hurts your ass. True story.

I went through 4 seats until Dave Whitley have me his spare Chromag Trailmaster saddle.
Couldn't be happier. I've put 1600 miles on it including many 4-6 hour rides.
 
jeepinmatt said:
It hurts my knees too much to stand anymore. So my ass is always sore. I did ride the Spencer Mountain Greenway at Poston this afternoon.
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I just laughed out loud picturing you riding the trails we ride in Wilson creek sitting down. I’d honestly pay money to see that:lol:
 
1stgenxxx said:
You've just gotta build up a thick taint callus.
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This is kinda true, you do get in "Butt" shape after riding a bit every season. It's best to find a saddle that supports you at your sit bones instead of muscle so finding the right width is important. The aforementioned ass-o-meter is a good way to go if you are picking a performance saddle.

I worked at a shop for 9 years and my go to suggestion for average mountain bike people was a WTB Speed V. It has a wide profile with thick cushion without looking like a grandpa saddle and the plastic shell is cut out slot so itll flex and form to your bottom. I have them on all my bikes the saddle actually gets used. DH rig is just whatever was light.

But unfortunately seats are very personal so trial and error is about the best way to find what's right. Our shop had a 30 day guarantee so people could exchange them at full retail. We also had a large box full of barely used ones because of this.

But what do I know I was a downhill racer.
 
I’ve always been happy with the WTB seats, I run a Silverado on one bike and the race version or whatever it is on another
 
BigBody79 said:
How long until you give up on a saddle? I built my bike 2 years ago. Seat still isn’t all that great.
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I gave up looking for something before we went on our trip out west. Once bike shops get a little less busy, I’ll stop in one and spend some time finding one that is comfortable.
 
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