How much does a good bike seat cost?

[Syringer]

I went riding for not that long today, but my butt is hurting like crazy...

Anyone want to volunteer to massge me there?

 

The seat on my Fisher is pretty darn hard. I got a gel seat cover, and that took care of the problem, for the most part. And the good thing about a cover is that when it gets all sweaty and gross with my butt sweat, I can just toss it and buy another for $10-$15.

 

[axelfox]

Buy some shorts with the padding.

get a seat with gel, but don't get the slip on covers b/c they suck.

 

[Ryan]

I usually don't charge

 

[Kelemvor]

I've yet to find a bike seat that doesn't hurt my ass. I even got a big gel thing that goes over my entire seat and it didn't do any good. Might have just postponed the pain a few minutes, but in the end, it still hurts my end.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Go with a Selle Italia Flite Genuine Gel. Usually retails around $80 but can be had for $60 on sale.
Worth every cent.

 

[Eli]

~50-75$.

 

[vegetation]

Price doesn't mean a whole lot for saddle comfort. Higher prices usually mean lighter weight but that doesn't necessarily equate to greater comfort. You just have to try a bunch then settle for what comes the closest to comfort. If you aren't using padded shorts, you should buy some of those first.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Softness has nothing to do with comfort when you're doing a 3 hour ride.
I recommend the Flite because it is comfortable, some people think it's a bit firm but the shape is great and with some padded shorts I don't ven know it's there. No numbness after hours in the saddle.

My $0.02

 

[tkdkid]

I recommend the specialized body geometry. Also, no matter what kind of seat you have, after you go on a long ride after not riding for a while, your butt will hurt. It takes a few rides before that stops happening.

 

[silent tone]

I say you can't go wrong with a banana seat. A banana hammock might also help.

 

[Thegonagle]

$50-75 is about right. IIRC, I paid about $60 for my Terry Liberator Y. It was well worth it. Make sure the store you buy from allows you to do an exchange in case the new one isn't any better. The store I bought from (Freewheel in Minneapolis, you guys rock!) has a one week exchange policy on all seats.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Softness has nothing to do with comfort when you're doing a 3 hour ride.
I recommend the Flite because it is comfortable, some people think it's a bit firm but the shape is great and with some padded shorts I don't ven know it's there. No numbness after hours in the saddle.

My $0.02

Bike seats are like car seats; the squishy Buick seats feel great at first, but suck after 30 min or so. You need firm BMW support for longer rides. The Flite is a great saddle unless you have wide-ish hips (like me). If that's the case, look into the Selle Italia Turbomatic 4 (comes with gel if you want extra squish). I've been riding them for years and love 'em. Comfortable even on 3-4 hour rides.

Bike shorts are a must, by the way. A good saddle won't help if you're riding in Umbros.

 

[Stark]

I like terry seats, they go for around $40-100 depending on the model.

You should also get some shorts with padding (they make baggies if you don't want the spandex look).

Until you get some miles in the saddle, it's going to hurt no matter what you do.

 

[Fausto]

Until you get some miles in the saddle, it's going to hurt no matter what you do.

Yup. Takes a few weeks of riding to toughen up your butt. My first few long rides in the spring are always a pain in the ass....literally.

 

[captains]

a real man would just use the seat post......hahahahaa j/k

 

[ISAslot]

i got a cloud 9 seat for around $25 and it's awsome. I can ride forever now.

 

[Trygve]

I just happened to drop by a Performance Bicycle shop and they had a Terry saddle on their clearance rack for $7.50. I'm giving it a try at the moment, but I can't say that it feels significantly better than the Brooks leather saddle I've been using for the last umpty-ump years. However, I haven't done any long rides on it yet (nothing much more than 50 miles).

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Trygve
I just happened to drop by a Performance Bicycle shop and they had a Terry saddle on their clearance rack for $7.50. I'm giving it a try at the moment, but I can't say that it feels significantly better than the Brooks leather saddle I've been using for the last umpty-ump years. However, I haven't done any long rides on it yet (nothing much more than 50 miles).

Saddle fit is a very individual thing; what works for one may not work at all for another.