Saddle

[Gilbo]

I’m being told that the WTB Silverado saddle is the one to go for. Tried several saddles and yet to find 1 I gel with.
Looking for anyone’s opinions on this saddle.

 

[vertrkr]

If you're looking for comfort these are nice.

Touring Saddles for Bikes: The Best Trekking Bike Saddles

Discover the most comfortable touring bike saddles on Selle Royal that provide supreme levels of comfort on every ride. Order your new trekking saddle now.

www.selleroyal.com

 

[Polar]

It's quite a bit to choose between so I'm being told Ergon is the one to go for.

 

[#lazy]

Everyone’s butt is different so there’s no perfect for all saddle however Fabric make some very comfy ones ;

https://fabric.cc/products/saddles/

 

[Mikerb]

I think there is a general misconception that the amount of gel or padding in a saddle is what makes it comfortable. what is more important in my opinion is fit. Any gel or padding is of no benefit if it is not in the right place for a riders sit bones and padding elsewhere on the saddle can actually prevent a proper fit.
So measuring the distance between your sit bones is important in order to buy the right width saddle.
Other than that I think it is a benefit on an EMTB to have a saddle with a scooped back end rather than a flat saddle.
I know there are some favourite saddles out there but the ones I found most suited for me are the specific EMTB Ergon saddles in their med/large size.
Another bit of riding gear often ignored when trying to achieve saddle comfort is the quality and design of the pad in your shorts or undershorts. Most baggy shorts that come with a padded liner are ( in my opinion) at the low end of the quality scale! Higher quality pads are considerably more expensive and as usual you get what you pay for!

 

[steve_sordy]

Finding your sit bone width.

Get some corrugated cardboard, place it on a flat surface and sit on it. Don't sit on it whilst wearing a thick pair of jeans or your winter padded trousers! Having sat for 10 seconds or so, lift off and inspect the cardboard. You will see two ill-defined depressions. Draw around each one, following the outside edge of each depression. Estimate the centre of each shape and put a dot there. Measure the distance between the dots. That distance is your sit bone width.

Buy a saddle that has a width across the shoulders of your sit bone width plus 20-30mm. (That is the saddle width quoted).

My sit bone width is 130mm, the saddle that gave me pressure sores was 130mm across the shoulders. The saddle I ride that is perfect for me is 150mm across the shoulders. The other factor is the amount of padding in the saddle. Some saddle makers have a wide range of saddles that have a variety of sit bone widths and padding thicknesses.

Like WTB for example; see this "Fit Right" system introduced by Rachel Atherton. Her counter intuitive wrist method worked for me, but I prefer the direct measurement method. (If you'd had the pressure sores that I had, so would you!)

Fit Right System

www.wtb.com

 

[#lazy]

I use natures golden ratio of 1.618 , divided by the length of my thigh !
You never know
What I’ve learnt is a saddle might be comfy for a hour but not 2 or 3 so I stand more !

 

[Stihldog]

I use natures golden ratio of 1.618 , divided by the length of my thigh !
You never know
What I’ve learnt is a saddle might be comfy for a hour but not 2 or 3 so I stand more !

I stopped using “Pie-R-Squared” as a formula…it doesn’t work. Trust me on this.

I find the med/lrg Ergon Core with the whale tail works the best for me. Was a bit expensive but I use it every time (on both bikes). You can still slide off the back when you need to.

 

[Ark]

Ergon saddles are amazing, I've sat on my bike f or 3 hours at a time before with 0 issues. (43 years old and not exactly the fittest person in the world btw , I spend about 7 hours most days sitting slouched at a desk)

I cant remember which I got but it was one of the emtb ones for about £140 and was well worth it
I've got ergon grips too.

 

[The Hodge]

I stopped using “Pie-R-Squared” as a formula…it doesn’t work. Trust me on this.

I find the med/lrg Ergon Core with the whale tail works the best for me. Was a bit expensive but I use it every time (on both bikes). You can still slide off the back when you need to.

I still use the formula that "pies =a squared arse" ..but can't help myself ..I love them all savoury & fruit ...
I nearly pulled the trigger on an Ergon saddle prior to renewing my last one but stuck with a new SDG Bel Air ..my saddle of choice since 2006 and it suits my square arse just fine

 

[veryoldfart]

I have used a couple of iterations of this WTB saddle for about 25 years. Before that I used to use a flite Ti saddle until I read a review of the WTB saddle. Tried a few others, but for me the WTB is the benchmark for comfort.

 

[EMTBSEAN]

As a self assessed lard arse, I have found the WTB Koda has been the most comfortable saddle I've used, I'm on my third one now and don't see any reason to change, and surprisingly the steel rail version does seem to have more give

 

[YZDude]

Been through tons of WTB, none as good as Ergon.

 

[EMTBSEAN]

I beg to differ mate, I've had the Ergon emtb specific saddle and used on a maximum of three rides and ended up selling it as it was like sitting on a brick, WTB Koda has been the dogs dangles as far I'm concerned, but then again no two arses are the same if you get my drift

 

[Binhill1]

Just got this do me £37 merlin cycles

 

[YZDude]

I beg to differ mate, I've had the Ergon emtb specific saddle and used on a maximum of three rides and ended up selling it as it was like sitting on a brick, WTB Koda has been the dogs dangles as far I'm concerned, but then again no two arses are the same if you get my drift

I believe both could be quite good for most people, just gave up after about 3 different WTBs…both brands seem to be top scorers..

 

[E-MAD MALC]

I've a couple of the Ergon SMC Core for my full sus and hardtail bloody lovely saddles

 

[Stoffel]

I got the Ergon SMC Core Saddle almost 2 years ago, it wasn’t cheap but worth every penny.

 

[JP-NZ]

SQlabs.. Ive got an Ergon SM pro on my hardtail and whilst its very good, the SQlabs Ergo 60x on my Rail is MUCH better.

 

[doochenozzle]

I'm fairly new to the ebike game, but have an enduro rise I've beefed up and I love it. I find myself pedaling while seated through much choppier terrain and thus, having symptoms of sore ass more so than I might from my regular riding days.
I've run a WTB Volt, Fizik Terra Alpaca and they're good but wondering if anyone has had success with anything different for an ebike given the pace you pedal uphill through bumpy terrain. Is it best to just have a good chamois?

 

[Polar]

I'm fairly new to the ebike game, but have an enduro rise I've beefed up and I love it. I find myself pedaling while seated through much choppier terrain and thus, having symptoms of sore ass more so than I might from my regular riding days.
I've run a WTB Volt, Fizik Terra Alpaca and they're good but wondering if anyone has had success with anything different for an ebike given the pace you pedal uphill through bumpy terrain. Is it best to just have a good chamois?

I can only recommend the seat I use myself and are very satisfied with.

Ergon SM E-Mountain Core Prime.​

 

[Binhill1]

I wash my bottom with whisky twice a week. It has to be Bells as it says on the cap ( afore ye go ) .

 

[arTNC]

I have used a couple of iterations of this WTB saddle for about 25 years. Before that I used to use a flite Ti saddle until I read a review of the WTB saddle. Tried a few others, but for me the WTB is the benchmark for comfort.

Recommending saddles for others is "almost" a waste of time. As riders we are so different in feel, ergonomics, physiology, etc. as to have too many variables. One thing I've noticed on many maybe most of the saddles that come through the shop is there appears to be a more consistent shape to these MTB saddles. That SDG saddle pictured just above seems to the more consistent shape of many/most of the popular models.

Sure...the covering material, the padding, and some other components vary a bit, but the small depression in the middle, the nose-to-tail angle/shape, etc., are one of the most common shapes. So...it seems to come down more to padding and cover material. Yes, this can be critical for a sensitive tush, but that shape seems to be king in the saddle design.

I'm with you, @veryoldfart, on the WTB saddles that have the more common shape I'm talking about. However, I've landed on the WTB Volt with steel rails as "my" favorite. OMG!...I can hear some of the reactions now amongst the high falutin folks in the MTB/EMTB world..."He's using a steel railed saddle!...Oh the humanity!"

Well, I've always ridden long travel, big hit, bikes in rough terrain, and I broke the rails or the rail interface into the saddle bottom on every saddle I've tried over the years except a decent steel railed saddle...Ti rails, chromoly rails, hollow rails, solid rails, etc. "Stand up more", you say?...I stand a lot obviously, but I'm not a world class MTB'er who can stay off the saddle on a multi-hour ride. Some of that is the habit that as an enduro, dirt, motorcycle racer who had to endure hours in the saddle came to realize that a fair amount of saddle time over hours preserves your energy when the really hard stuff pops up.

Anyway, a good WTB Volt in the wide option with steel rails has treated me well. Again, everybody's different to some degree, so don't take my choice as gospel. The one constant I think that can be taken with saddle choices today is the weight factor that we used to put so much stake in just isn't as critical with the EMTB, so I don't even consider saddle weight anymore.

 

[Stihldog]

I can only recommend the seat I use myself and are very satisfied with.

Ergon SM E-Mountain Core Prime.​

Same. I’ve tried a few other types but now this is my go-to saddle. It took a few rides to get use to the slight whale-tail design but everything seemed to be happy now. . But some of us might need to experiment with different sizes or shapes.

 

[gmoss]

Buying the right saddle almost seems like an impossible endeavor. I settled on a nice Bontrager a few yrs ago because they had a try and exchange policy. Montrose, I believe. Been good, but its one of those things you don't know how much better it can be till you try something else. Fast forward to recent and my cheap standard saddle on my new ebike is mpre comfortable!, also a Bonty, but narrower and a different model. I have figured out that, though I measure my sit bones prior to the previous purchases, I don't have near the discomfort with a narrower saddle. I also wonder if pad thickness should be considered for saddle width since it is taking up space. Anywho, not spouting any particular brand, but IDK how to go out and continue to spend on saddles to find the perfect one.

 

[Binhill1]

Swore by WTB for years . Sdg Belair now its OK. Saddles seem to be a lot harder and narrower now I think. I use Mt 500 shorts they certainly help a lot as well. Depends a lot on how far you are riding as well 25 miles ok 45 is a bit too much for me I start shifting about on the seat.

 

[Binhill1]

Don't recommend this one.

 

[Mikerb]

1. right size width for your sit bones
2. rear suspension set up plush
3. Relatively low rear tyre pressure
4. saddle height correct if pedalling seated
5. A good chamois ( most are useless/cheap especially if supplied as undershorts with baggy shorts)
6. Bike cockpit set up so that not virtually 100% of body weight is on your bum when seated.

 

[Sander23]

For me the endura egm liner shorts made the biggest change in saddle pain.
I've got some sqlabs and assos liners and endura egm.
The lightweight fit of the assos is amazing but the chamois of the endura egm liner works best for me for long days in the saddle. This 1 downside is its long pipes
It's combined with an ergon smc core saddle

 

[Stihldog]

Personally I’m not a fan of padded shorts or butt-butter. The saddle I use on my MTB bike(s) works good for the trails and distance I normally ride.

When I rode road bike I used a Fizik saddle and kept that model for other road bikes. If I was riding a greater distance as a commuter I would consider a custom 3D printed saddle. But not on a MTB. I’m not on the saddle enough and I move around a lot. Would be nice but $$$.