Bike Fitter RANKS Saddles Worst to Best

Choosing a bicycle saddle, easy right? Nope, there's so many options. Bike Fitter James Thomas Ranks them from worst to best in his opinion.

Check out James' new YouTube channel here: @Bikefitjames

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[ShawnIsBatman]

As a dedicated roadie, the two pieces of equipment that I have gone through the most variations of are saddles and shoes. I have settled on the Selle Italia SLR Boost (3D) and Lake shoes and am finally completely satisfied. My general criteria for knowing that a component like saddles or shoes are the right ones is that when I am riding I never find myself thinking about them.

[ncsteinb]

The ISM saddle has changed my riding experience. I've been to pro bike fitters many times and struggled with saddle pain after 1 hr of riding. The ISM has allowed me to have many hours of comfort on the bike, and allows me to enjoy the sport again. Thanks ISM!!

[mr_m_to_the_t]

Had a fit with James in May. Tried some different ones, came with an Ergon SMC40 and left with with it. Had saddle issues before, now don't have them anymore. Changing the position and insoles did the job!

[barryliu]

143mm power has been a blessing personally

[eyeq]

SQLab 612 Ergowave Active on both bikes. I have an SQLab "Premium" bike shop nearby, and when I bought the first one they said I could swap it within four weeks to a different one if I get uncomfortable. The longest ride on one of them was 312 km in a day, but I have done multiple 200+ km days as well so I'd say they fit very well. 😊

[pauliui]

I'm using specialized power 143mm /110 sitbone width. The best saddle I've ever used.

[hectorkidds]

Pro stealth has been awesome for me, no saddle issues at LEL using drops, hoods and aero bars. Best saddle I've ever tried (for me).

[johnleonard]

I tried the Selle Italia SLR BOOST and it took months to recover. I then tried the Selle SMP Well and absolutely love it. Everyone is different.

[andymarshall]

Tried the Power expert 155mm on my gravel bike, super comfy, no issues at all. Moved it over to my hardtail mtb and its been a revelation. Upgraded to a Power Expert with mirror 155mm on the gravel bike and changed seatpost. That's needed some tweaking but itll get there.

[supertramp]

My heart broke when the SMP came on and James slated the look. But only because I ride one! Me and my mates have all been riding SLR Boosts for a couple of years but found that on the big rides they would get uncomfortable. Our bike fitter recommended the SMP Nymber which we all recoiled at initially but eventually succumbed. We're now all riding them on road and gravel bikes and have no issues even on 100 miles + rides. Genuinely the most comfortable saddle I've ridden. Every time I see it, a part of me does die inside slightly..

[jespernohr]

After my fit with James, I ended up on the amazing Selle Italia Boost SLR S3. Super happy with it on my road bike. In another video with James he mentioned he had been trying out the Endurance version and was happy with it. So I bought one for my indoor bike. I am soooo happy with it, that I will go on my next bike, an adventure bike.

PS. BikefitJames a man so nice they named him twice.

[kenannable]

Using the SQLab 611 Ergowave on my three bikes, and this model has worked well for me.

[ashleyhouse]

I had a bike fit with James and bought an SLR Boost on his recommendation. OK for 20-30 miles but any longer and it felt like I was sitting on a plank of wood. Eventually tried a Bontrager Verse Comp and am much more comfortable on rides up to 100 miles.

[daredemontriple]

Had a bike fit a while back and tried all sorts. I had started with a Prologo Nago without pressure-relief channel. My bike fitter at the time commented that he was amazed I could ride what I was riding while being 6'5 and 120kg almost, he said it must feel "Like riding a knife edge". Tried at least half a dozen other saddles none of which really clicked, even including a SLR boost I think. All far too hard and painful. Then we tried something a bit unorthodox, a Brooks C17 with pressure relief cut-out. It was like sitting in an armchair to be honest, so much more comfortable than anything else I'd ever ridden. It may not look very fast, but we all know a comfy rider rides faster for longer than one who's experimenting with testicular pancakes!

Moral of the story, find the problem and then solve it, don't just buy something because it looks cool or has cool tech or the pros use it. It's no good having a 'cool' bike if you never ride it for being in agony

[franzgustavgauner]

I rarely whatch Cade stuff anymore but out of curiosity clicked on this one. Coaccidently I changed Bars and Saddle on my Maser Olimpic yesterday and will now try to make more us of the back part of my SLR Boost since I still have to perform my proud and trusty "home saddle bikefit" Thanks for the tip!

[paulhadlington]

I've tried a number of saddles and the ones that worked best for me were the cheap and cheerful "Charge" submissions. Ive ridden 80-100 miles regularly using either the "spoon" version on my endurance bike, and the "knife" on my faster road bike.

[flippergv]

Wider saddles on smaller bikes is because they expect most of those who will use those bikes to be women.

[SlickWillyTFCF]

My bike came with a Fizik Aliante and it caused nothing but issues, mainly genital numbness within the first 20-30 minutes of a ride. I took a shot in the dark and bought a Selle Italia Model X and it wasn't much better. Finally decided to get a proper bike fit instead of wasting money blindly buying and trying random parts. My fitter got me on a Pro Stealth Offroad and it's been incredible. No more sore gooch or numb todger, even after multiple hours on the bike.

[mrvwbug]

I took one ride on a Specialized Power saddle and that was enough for me. Rode WTB Volt for several years it was decent but could start getting uncomfortable on longer rides. Now using a Ergon SM Enduro Comp, which is the most comfortable saddle I've ridden, and has the odd thing where it actually gets more comfortable when going uphill. And this is even with a steep STA and slight forward tilt on the saddle as it's on an enduro bike. It's also the smallest saddle I've used, which is nice because it gets out of the way very nicely when the dropper is down.

[stuartlundstrom]

Tried the Pro Turnix a couple of years ago based on another video that James did. A couple of years later and having replaced all my saddles with the Turnix - I’ve not had a single issue with sores or any discomfort at all 👌🏻