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luliski

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I just got a new seat for my Marin Hawk Hill. The stock saddle was just vaguely uncomfortable on long seated climbs, so I didn't know what to look for in a new one. I have a Specialized Toupe on one of my road bikes, and a Specialized Oura on the other, so I stuck with Specialized and got a Power Comp. It's a different looking saddle, but seemed good on my short test ride. Is there anything specifically to look for in a mountain bike saddle, besides fit? Durability?
 

scott43

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I like narrower saddles on the MTB. Easier to move around on the bike. A shorter rounded nose is nice as well..nicer for steep climbs. I'm using my stock saddle as it's decent for me..but I'm looking and I'll probably go stubby and narrow..
 

Tom K.

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On the road, I like a little tail "kick" to push against.

Not on the mtb. Too hard to get behind it on the downs.

I've had great luck over the years with Specialized, Bontrager and WTB saddles.

My wife just got an SQ Labs seat, and is flat out blown away.
 
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luliski

luliski

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I like narrower saddles on the MTB.
So, narrower than your road saddle? This one is the same width as the road saddle I was measured for at a Specialized shop. It is short though.
 
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luliski

luliski

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On the road, I like a little tail "kick" to push against.

Not on the mtb. Too hard to get behind it on the down
I'm glad you mentioned this! The Oura (road saddle) that I like a lot has that tail, and I was looking for something like that, but couldn't find it in a mtn bike saddle. I can see why that wouldn't be good on the downhill.
 

scott43

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So, narrower than your road saddle? This one is the same width as the road saddle I was measured for at a Specialized shop. It is short though.
Yeah some have "wings" for lack of a better word. I try to find something that fits my sit bones but doesn't have any additional width otherwise. I like to move around the bike a fair bit and having extra corners etc makes that more tricky to me. There is a bit of a trend toward scooped back and stubby nose..so you can probably find the stubby nose part easy enough.
 

LouD-Truckee

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I have become a huge fan of ISM saddles..... their mtb model is called PM 2.0 (used to be called Peak)..... I have it on the bike I'm riding tomorrow..... have put ISM's on all my bikes.... road/track/tt/mtb.... etc.... and I ride them too..... ;)
 
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luliski

luliski

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I have become a huge fan of ISM saddles..... their mtb model is called PM 2.0 (used to be called Peak)..... I have it on the bike I'm riding tomorrow..... have put ISM's on all my bikes.... road/track/tt/mtb.... etc.... and I ride them too..... ;)
They are almost "noseless," right? Maybe I could try it tomorrow? I know you ride them.. 150+ laps ugh. But what makes the PM 2.0 good for mountain biking?
 

EricG

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Take a look at the SQLabs & Ergon websites. These are the 2 I usually recommend and try to find a local dealer. Many dealers have demo Saddles. I use Ergon on my bikes & the demo bikes.
 

Tony S

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My wife just got an SQ Labs seat, and is flat out blown away.

I, too, have a new SQ Lab 611. Only a few rides on it, but so far good. I'd actually been planning a writeup here. Photo below.

@luliski, have you measured.your sitbone width? Good piece of data to have. - heels narrow down candidates, regardless of brand.

https://sqlab-usa.com/pages/free-sqlab-ft-kit

This is so personal that recommendations are almost worthless. I will say that WTB seems to be the biggest crowd pleaser. I certainly tend to like them. Have you tried their Volt model?

20190608_161613.jpg
 

Wilhelmson

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After breaking mine I didn't know what to get so I just threw a dart and bought the Atlas. It's narrower than the last one but fine for me. Replacing the aluminum seatpost with carbon more than makes up for less padding on the saddle.
 
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luliski

luliski

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have you measured.your sitbone width?
I do have this measurement. I don't remember the exact number, but I know what size road saddle I use. This was one of the helpful bits of information I had when going to the shop.

recommendations are almost worthless.
I know. I was more looking for what characteristics riders look for in a mountain bike saddle. I know what I like in a road saddle, but not so much for mountain bike. I'm sure everyone prioritizes different features, but I don't have enough experience to know what to look for. The LBS I went to was not very helpful this time. I've bought the Specialized Power Comp, which is not specifically for mountain. I rode it yesterday and it was much better than the stock saddle was, but it is lacking some characteristics that people have mentioned as being helpful for mountain biking (e.g. sloping down in back to make it easier to scoot back off the seat).

As far as comfort and fit, I felt the fit was great. I don't think I'll have any issues with that.

Re comfort: the ride we did was not at all technical, so I was seated most of the time. The Power Comp has level 2 padding, so not the hardest seat, but not cushy either. For the road, I like a firm saddle. But I'm thinking that for mountain biking I might like a little more cushion. I'll have to see. My plan for now is to just keep using this saddle until I figure out something better.

Thanks for the recommendations and advice, everyone.
 

coskigirl

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I think I'm going to end up replacing my Peloton bike saddle. The current one hurts to the point that when I stand up after a ride my tailbone is sore, I think because it's huge and super soft compared to the saddles on both my road and mountain bikes. My road and mountain bikes came with the same saddle (Liv Contact Forward) and I've been happy with them and definitely no tailbone pain.


https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/liv-contact-forward-liv-2018
 
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luliski

luliski

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I think I'm going to end up replacing my Peloton bike saddle. The current one hurts to the point that when I stand up after a ride my tailbone is sore, I think because it's huge and super soft compared to the saddles on both my road and mountain bikes. My road and mountain bikes came with the same saddle (Liv Contact Forward) and I've been happy with them and definitely no tailbone pain.


https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/liv-contact-forward-liv-2018
Super-soft is not my favorite either. I've never had tailbone pain after a ride though!
 

coskigirl

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Super-soft is not my favorite either. I've never had tailbone pain after a ride though!

Yeah, I think it's soft enough and wide enough that under my weight I sink down and hit my tailbone. I've never had tailbone pain until the Peloton so it is really weird.
 

AmyPJ

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They have a sits bone measurement tool at my shop, so I sats my bones on it last year, and bought a narrower, women's specific saddle that matched my measurements. It's a much harder saddle, but my feet no longer go numb on rides and my butt gets used to it really quickly (as in, within about 5 rides.) It's a Bontrager Yatra pro, I believe. (Yes, my saddle was causing my feet to go numb. I rode like that for 3 seasons!)
 

scott43

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The amount of padding is not always (rarely?) indicative of the comfort. That thin padding gets crushed out pretty quickly when all your weight is pushed down on two little sit pads. The PSI is pretty high. Instead, the shell and rails provide more of the comfort. So don't prejudge based on padding amount..it's more than that. In addition to the width equation.
 

coskigirl

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The amount of padding is not always (rarely?) indicative of the comfort. That thin padding gets crushed out pretty quickly when all your weight is pushed down on two little sit pads. The PSI is pretty high. Instead, the shell and rails provide more of the comfort. So don't prejudge based on padding amount..it's more than that. In addition to the width equation.

Oh, my preferred seats have very little padding. The way I look at it is that when it's firmer you stay where you're supposed to on the seat and the contact points are fewer and/or smaller which equals less pain.
 
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luliski

luliski

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Oh, my preferred seats have very little padding. The way I look at it is that when it's firmer you stay where you're supposed to on the seat and the contact points are fewer and/or smaller which equals less pain.
Same here. I just wondered if for mountain biking a little more padding would help since one does not stay in the same position constantly and the riding surface is rougher.
 

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