need new saddle

Seraphina

i know nothing about bikes except whether its working or not. i'm only a commuter on mine, generally not more than 20mins at a time, but i find even with the short trip to college my ass is getting damn sore
my bike was robbed a while back so i've just been making do with a second hand black diamond which was probably robbed too. half of the parts are second hand cause the pedals and gears were ****ed when i got it.
i.e. i dont want to spend much money!
nothing flashy (its quick release so it'll get robbed if it is)
but i dont know where to go about getting something for a decent price. i dont really know what i should be paying for something like this, so i thought i'd ask the experts first
is there a particular kind of saddle i should be looking for or one made from a certain material? im just looking for comfort here. i'll be spending more time on it over the summer and with a possible move will be commuting alot further in september.

any decent shops in the south dublin area? i dont want to be going miles for it!

i will ashamedly admit i was looking at the one going in aldi this week.... well, its cheap!

Explosive_Cornflake

I'm not an expert either, but i prefer thin saddels. You get used to them after long enough. I don;t like those big gel things, like something of a high nelly. I think they just get in the way of you being able to do any real work on them. But thats only my opinion. I'm sure it depends a lot on how you ride. I do ride hard, i'd always be pushing myself to my best. If your only doing light work on it, then nothing to fancy is needed. I've no idea of prices though.
Could try some of the usual spots. There's a few web links in the other threads here. I'm just too lagged out at the minute to find 'em.

Trojan

Check out http://worldofendurance.com/article.asp?a_id=20270

Seraphina

right. so i need to try it out. which means i need to bring my bike. that makes it more complicated. gah.

i didn't even know saddles came in mens and womens kinds!
its getting more complicated as we speak. i think i'd better check out a few different shops for price quotes, but tbh i dont think the bike shops near me even sell saddles and various bike parts seperately. :dunno:

feck, i should just strap a cushion to it and leave it at that

blorg

If you are just looking for a cheap saddle, Argos sell Raleigh/Selle Royal Gel 'unisex' saddles for €13.99.

While it is true that there are optimum 'cutout' designs for women, thin saddles are better for performance, etc., I really don't think you need to go mad if you are just commuting 20 minutes on a second hand black diamond. I have a good bike with a good (and thin) saddle for longer cycles and a cheap bike with cheap saddle for commuting/getting stolen. The cheap saddle has never bothered me in my commute!

If you are commuting further in the future, look into getting a better saddle (and bike!) then.

I got my girlfriend a Brooks leather saddle in Cycleways for €39.99 which I thought a very good deal; I think it might have been a pricing error though (same saddle mens model was €79.99).

For general commuting cycling needs I'd visit Commuting Solutions in Rathmines - I'm very very impressed by their level of service. They have often fixed small things for free that other bike shops will charge for (gear adjustments, etc.) Their prices for everything else are very reasonable and they are open until 8 Mon-Sat and also open 12-6 (I think) Sunday. I'm sure they would be able to advise on the saddle.

Sefrian

i need a new saddle