Show us your inexpensive (but comfortable) bike seats.

[horsefarmer]

Probably a controversial topic.
I understand everyone has their preferences, and physical differences.
I searched Amazon for seats yesterday, looking to make a minimum order. Also while there are many seats in my stash they don't have what I'm looking for currently (comfortable seat for my current facination with road bikes / mountain bikes converted to hybrid and more upright riding style. My wife is unhappy with a couple of the seats on her bikes as well, so I took the plunge on 4 sub $20 models. Will review when they show up. I figure I can send em back or put them on flip bikes if they don't work out for us. My personal fave for comfort has been a older Velo model has the rubber doughnut springs and which came with Schwinn and Bell branding like this.

Used to look for them at swaps, the covers get wore out and I have used JB weld on the plastic frame.

 

[Captain Awesome]

I got my wife one of these for her Schwinn Frontier and she loves it. It replaced a Bontrager seat of similar style

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...d-unisex-bike-saddle/p/27268/?colorCode=black

 

[MattiThundrrr]

This ugly thing has been on the RockRat for about twenty years. It fits me perfectly. Thinking about putting it on Duck Norris while the Rat is out of order

 

[Johnny Wolf]

I got this Aikate on Amazon a couple weeks ago for 25 bananas. Looks very similar to the one in your pic Horsefarmer, it even has the rubber springs. I think they are on sale for 23 right now? Only available currently black w/blue or red stitching. REALLY like it. Litte BMX seats are cool....if you're 12. Pix for reference:

 

[Verrt]

I don't prefer big squooshy gel filled seats comfort seats, I actually find them less comfortable for anything longer than a few minutes.

Obviously far from inexpensive, but I've never sat on a Brooks that I didn't immediately find comfortable, especially the cambium ones. And the leather ones just keep getting more comfortable the more you ride them.

 

[Captain Awesome]

I don't prefer big squooshy gel filled seats comfort seats, I actually find them less comfortable for anything longer than a few minutes.

Obviously far from inexpensive, but I've never sat on a Brooks that I didn't immediately find comfortable, especially the cambium ones. And the leather ones just keep getting more comfortable the more you ride them.

Are ANY of the imitation Brooks worth a try? I've never heard any feedback on some of those

 

[Verrt]

Are ANY of the imitation Brooks worth a try? I've never heard any feedback on some of those

I have an ebay imitation brooks that's pretty comfy that I think cost under 50.
Quality difference is immediately obvious when you compare.

However, I think the only way to tell if each one is any good is by buying it and sitting on it.

 

[Captain Awesome]

I have an ebay imitation brooks that's pretty comfy that I think cost under 50.
Quality difference is immediately obvious when you compare.
View attachment 139544
However, I think the only way to tell if each one is any good is by buying it and sitting on it.

I'll admit I've never owned a Brooks, but I'm seriously contemplating one of their C17 for a build. I know, not leather. But I like the look and the all weather durability

 

[sandman]

one of these

The Selle Royal Drifter gets my vote .
https://www.modernbike.com/selle-royal-drifter-gel-saddle-xsenium

 

[Captain Awesome]

The Selle Royal Drifter gets my vote .
https://www.modernbike.com/selle-royal-drifter-gel-saddle-xsenium

That looks seriously springy

 

[Verrt]

I'll admit I've never owned a Brooks, but I'm seriously contemplating one of their C17 for a build. I know, not leather. But I like the look and the all weather durability

I would say they're worth it. My wife has a cambium saddle on one of her mixtes and I actually think it's more comfortable that some of the leather ones

 

[Captain Awesome]

I would say they're worth it. My wife has a cambium saddle on one of her mixtes and I actually think it's more comfortable that some of the leather ones

That's good to know. I think ideally this bike would become my regular bike path and rail trail conveyance so comfort is high on the priority list

 

[sandman]

That looks seriously springy

I have on my Old Hampton Four that I use as a strandie .

 

[Duchess]

Are ANY of the imitation Brooks worth a try? I've never heard any feedback on some of those

I had a Cardiff B17 imitation (I believe the Velo Orange and several other brands are the same mfg., but I could be wrong) on Retro Rocket because it was on sale for about $50 and I wanted a turquoise seat to match and didn't want to experiment with leather painting a real Brooks. The frame is well made and the leather is thick, but I believe it's cut from the hide to maximize the number of seats with little consideration to grain direction, so they glue some kind of stiff cloth to the underside of the leather to extend the lifespan. I found it to be as hard as granite and my friend of aesthetically incredible bottom padding who test rode it agreed. In probably a couple hundred miles and several failed attempts at softening with glove oil that didn't appear to penetrate the cloth underside or the painted top, it never improved. When I happened to find a limited edition turquoise B17 last year, I snatched it up and even out of the box was easily 10 times better. Does anyone want a turquoise Cardiff? It could be repainted, I imagine. I used Angelis acrylic leather paint and it proved to be factory durable.

I haven't found any cheap saddles to be good for more than a few miles, but I may be a "Princess and the Pea" kind of person. The Brooks work well for me, with the regular B17 being the sweet spot (I find the B67/8 a little too wide so that it chafes and the B17 Narrow a little too . . . well, you can guess). The Flyer is also nice (a B17 with a spring frame), but the leather seems a little stiffer and with it being heavier and making spring sounds, I prefer the regular B17. Haven't tried a Cambria yet, but I'm considering it for the next bike.

IMO, the worst thing about bikes is the saddles as what one person loves is another person's granite hatchet and a lot of them feel great for a few miles, so it takes some time to really know if you even like it—far more than a test ride outside a bike shop. From women I talk to, it seems like it's even worse for them. FWIW, I bought the above mentioned friend a B67S aged and she says she really likes it on her largely upright mixte.

 

[horsefarmer]

I got this Aikate on Amazon a couple weeks ago for 25 bananas. Looks very similar to the one in your pic Horsefarmer, it even has the rubber springs. I think they are on sale for 23 right now? Only available currently black w/blue or red stitching. REALLY like it. Litte BMX seats are cool....if you're 12. Pix for reference:
View attachment 139477
View attachment 139476

I had to order some adhesive today so I threw one of these saddles in.
BTW they have a $3 off coupon currently so $20 & free shipping.

 

[pebblewurm]

A WTB Speed V came on a bike I bought more than 10 years ago. At first glance I thought it would have to be replaced, but it was surprisingly comfy and still in use.
https://www.ebay.com/i/223839990616...y-9qCikvCWZuNEhn5yeeZSi7vRN4hVLMaApdtEALw_wcB

 

[stik70]

I have an ebay imitation brooks that's pretty comfy that I think cost under 50.
Quality difference is immediately obvious when you compare.
View attachment 139544
However, I think the only way to tell if each one is any good is by buying it and sitting on it.

I bought this same seat for my Monark and love it. It still has a vintage look and really fits me well. I will buy another one for future projects. It was less than $30 on the big E.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

When I'm somewhere and I find a saddle, I'll try it out if there's a flat surface I can place it on and take a little sit. I also compare the seat pads (where they would hit my buns) width to the one I posted above on that is a known fit.
Has anyone ever gotten a "sit bones" measurement, and if so, did it help you with future saddle purchases?

 

[Johnny Wolf]

I had to order some adhesive today so I threw one of these saddles in.
BTW they have a $3 off coupon currently so $20 & free shipping.

Sweet. I rode on mine yesterday for about 30 min, great seat. The foam (not gel) is real compliant not too soft and spongy, nor is it too hard if that makes sense? Let us know your thoughts when you receive it.

 

[nosferatu1381]

torched Brooks frame: $??
Cheap bloonks knockoff I bought from India: $35
Rivet the leather to my torched Brooks: priceless

that was such a silly pipe. Sounded good though