This is the Selle Italia Flite, recommended to me by a well seasoned cyclist. It was my third attempt at finding the perfect fit and I think this one is it. I have logged more than 1500 miles on it. I can’t say that I’m pain free after a 100+ mile ride, but it is pretty close. I know it looks awfully thin and not particularly cushy, but that is what makes it work so well. To the uninitiated (which I definitely was a year ago), a nice cushy wide seat seemed like a logical choice for comfort. NO WAY. All that cushioning and width will rub you raw! You want as little of you to come in contact with the saddle as possible – just your “sit bones” and that’s it. Also, I learned to move around a lot while riding and to stay off the saddle as much as possible. Standing on the pedals when taking off from dead stops and climbing elevations saves your booty a lot of wear and tear. Okay, you’ve probably learned more than you wanted to know. Just thought I would share some of the things I’ve learned while getting ready for the trek.
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4 comments:
You are soooo right about the Selle Italia. My first experience with the saddle was when I bought my new Norco touring bike last summer, it came as an add-on and was worth the extra money. I swear it almost doubled my endurance.
What bike are you using? I didn't see it mentioned on the blog but I might have overlooked it.
Ken,
I am riding a Trek 520. The saddle is the only change I have made to the bike - all of the other components seem to function well. I did add some fenders for those rainy days and a front rack for my panniers. I just ordered some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires to replace the original Bontrager set, which have held up reasonably well but don't seem to be as tough as the Marathons.
The Trek 520 is a darned nice bike. A friend of mine has had one for two years and he rides it to work, to the store and on long trips, he says its extremely versatile and stable, not like some of the more fancy Euro-style touring bikes. Marathon Plus tires wear like iron, good choice.
Pat, thought you might enjoy this blog by Rich Dillen. It's pretty funny!
Bad Idea Racing
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