Good Bike Seat?

Question

Im looking for a decent bike seat.

I ride paved and non paved trails and my current seat doesnt quite cut it.

Looking for a seat thats good for long rides.

Answer 1

Seats are one of the most personal things in all of the Great Kingdom of Bikes.   Someone can give you a stellar recommendation and you may think the seat is total c**p.   It just depends on your body and your riding style, and on your physical "conditioning" down there.

Go to all the bike shops in your area and check out the seats they offer.   If you have the opportunity to, ride several of them for your usual distances and see what you think.  Some bike shops are really good about letting you do this.....they may even have "take off" parts in back that they'll let you try out for this purpose.  

One thing that may help you is to measure the width of your "sit bones" and choose a seat accordingly.  Most Specialized dealers have a little gel seat cushion that can help you do this fairly accurately.  Knowing how wide your butt is, you can shop for a seat that is a close match.   Other than that, paying attention to the padding, design of the nose, and height of the rails might help you choose one that you'll like.  

Two things I'd caution against unless you're a very casual rider doing low mileage rides:   avoid wide seats and avoid super-cushy padded seats (gel or otherwise).   These are only comfortable for very short rides and can cause chafing or muscle soreness on longer distances.   Once your butt becomes conditioned, firm padding is much more supportive and comfortable, and narrow shapes that fit your sit bones will be the best bet for you.

Sorry....it's a hard question to answer.  I've been lucky in that most saddles are pretty comfortable to me, but many people try out several before they find one that they love.  My favorites have been the Fizik Plateau and Nisene, the Terry Fly, the Selle Flite Trans Am, and the Selle San Marco Regal (but some people hate that one).    

Hope this helps some....good luck finding one you can live with.   :o)