I am in the market for a new saddle. Any recommendations?
Road bike, Slightly overweight, don’t spend a long time in the drops, long rides on hot sweaty days. Would like some shock absorption. I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg either!
I was thinking of trying out a Specialized Toupe or Romin. At the neihu shop, they have test saddles.
I used Allay saddles for a while. They were quite comfortable, even on some mid-summer 150 km rides. Eventually I found them a bit soft, so I went to a Specialized Phenom.
I run a romin on my road bike and it’s the best saddle for me so far, no worries for big endurance miles. I also have a WTB on my mountain bike which is pretty good.
I wouldn’t recommend looking for shock absorption in a saddle. Rather I would suggest you look for a solid saddle that fits well, and look for shock absorption by using wider tires or something. Soggy saddles do you no favours in the long run.
Just my 
Legs
Selle Italia Flite is a long lived pattern, I have had a few versions but the shape stays the same. Mine is currently a Flite Alpes from about 15 years ago, kevlar cover and titanium rails which have started to squeak. but the shape is great.
Saddle comfort is all about finding one that fits your butt, and then getting your butt used to the saddle (small rides first, then increase the distance until you turn your butt into leather). Stiffer saddles are better in the long run as you waste less energy while riding. Bouncy saddles give you chafing, saddle sores, inefficient pedalling, and sweaty bum crack. Not what you want in summer.
other good long distance saddles are the Regal and the Rolls, in leather from 50 years ago or whenever. I have also had a more plush Concor Supercorsa and a Concor Superconfort, but they’re not as comfy despite the name and I recently passed one on to the next customer when I sold my Zunow (recovered in funky blue suede to match the frame).
I have no experience with the Romin. Beware that cut-out saddles can be quite flexy.
These are good suggestions. Thanks for the input. I was thinking of trying out the Specialized Romin as well. Seems you have a good experience with it.
My only problem is that I do have a Specialized Avatar Gel on my mountain bike. I dont like it so much because the material cover grabs onto my cycling shorts. So its hard to slide around in the saddle. I hope the romin is not the same material.
I second everything Urodacus wrote. Flite saddles offer light weight, great looks and all day comfort. Don’t be fooled into thinking 20 seconds on a saddle in the shop is anything like a five hour ride (not that I ever do those any more). Harder saddles that are the right width for your sit bones are the best option by far.
Saddles are way too personal, you just have to try. There are some that could be considered fairly ‘neutral’ in shape, but they don’t suit everyone. Flite, I hated (but like urodacus, I have friends who love them). I ride Fizik aliante, which is ok. One worth looking is the Charge Spoon (cheap too).
I was thinking of the Specialized Romin Evo Gel. Have any experience with Specialized saddles?
[quote=“circleback”]I am in the market for a new saddle. Any recommendations?
Road bike, Slightly overweight, don’t spend a long time in the drops, long rides on hot sweaty days. Would like some shock absorption. I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg either!
I was thinking of trying out a Specialized Toupe or Romin. At the Neihu shop, they have test saddles.[/quote]
Just make sure it’s not flesh coloured.
My saddle is a Specialized Avatar, and while I like it pretty well, sometimes I wish I’d gone for something a bit firmer. The great thing about shopping for saddles at Specialized is that they actually have a device to measure the width of your sit bones (you sit on a pad and they measure the distance between the impressions you leave), so you can be sure to get the right width. Also, their saddles are a lot cheaper than Selle San Marco, Fizik, and the other European brands.
My current thinking is that I’d be more comfortable on my saddle if I moved it forward a bit, but that’s another thread. 
[quote=“haokaiyang”]
My current thinking is that I’d be more comfortable on my saddle if I moved it forward a bit, but that’s another thread. [/quote]
Dude, I’m tellin ya (and a longer stem)!
Or maybe you should try a new bike maybe a CX with discs for the mountain roads in the, like, mountains, man
Yea. I think I will hold onto my new road bike. I just wanted to see what other’s saddles preferences were in an open discussion. Good recommendations so far! Two I am looking at is now the Selle Italia and the Specialized Romin.
I bought a Specialized Romin Evo Gel. Very comfortable and no numbness at all, not even on long climbs. I went to the Neihu Specialized shop and borrowed a test saddle for a day. Great service. Highly recommended. NTD 2800.
[quote=“circleback”]I am in the market for a new saddle. Any recommendations?
Road bike, Slightly overweight, don’t spend a long time in the drops, long rides on hot sweaty days. Would like some shock absorption. I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg either!
I was thinking of trying out a Specialized Toupe or Romin. At the Neihu shop, they have test saddles.[/quote]
I bought a really cheap saddle (only 350nt) and it’s really comfortable. It’s not perfect like a scooter saddle or anything but it’s a heck lot more comfortable than stock saddles that cheap bikes usually have. Keep in mind that the slender saddles that costs more commonly found on racing bikes are built for speed, not necessarily comfort so if you’re just into slow to moderately fast biking along a trail those cheap saddles will be plenty. Of course you can always go for a leather saddle but at 2000nt a pop it’s a serious investment (and for a road/cheap bike that you leave outside all the time, you don’t want too much money in your bike because it makes it more enticing for people to steal)
Cheapest best saddle I ever used is the Selle Italia XO. End of.
I’ve used a Charge Spoon for the past two years without problems. Just replaced it with a Ragley one because the charge was is brown leather sofa colour and it doesn’t match the new graphics on my bike. It’s a good seat though and cheap.
I like the Fizik Aliente, especially since i’m not very flexible
OK, I have a problem, I get one hell of a saddle sore whenever I bike more than 3-4 hours. My bike is a standard giant TCR I think, so the saddle is whatever giant fits on their NT$30k-40k bikes.
I wear a regular pair of bike shorts, they are Nalini, and seems OK. I would not wear any garmets under, as I am concerned about chafind.
Basically, the sore will be behind the scrotum in front of the anus area, and it’s not great fun, I ned up stand more than I sit for the last 2 hours of any ride.
Any cures? New saddle? new trousers? Bike more, I do full day excursions 1-2 times a month, and will log between 140 and 100 km, depending on the GF wanting to go or not.