Bill Reynolds wrote:The above messages are counter productive. After decades of trying to get/find a cycle saddle to allow me to cycle in comfort despite my post accident problems, I found bliss in buying the mentioned Hobson saddle. Despite a worsening situation regarding my hips the Hobson saddles I have fitted to my cycles continue to do what they claim to do....allow me to use normal shorts and trousers in great comfort. If people have a desire to use 'normal' saddles, then please carry on, I only know what I find from using the mentioned saddle!

Your thread title didn't say 'Hobson saddles' it just said 'a decent saddle' so some of us were suggesting saddles we found decent. I for one was only trying to be helpful and was very grateful for colin's post. For anyone interested, the selle italia is working out well so far. And colin's guide was invaluable in checking it's position. It showed me that my my own riding position had been wrong, and I'm doing much better now I have changed it. It got me at least an extra mph or two on my rides this week.

Apologies if i'm repeating something hidden lower down, but a lady who came out on a Breeze ride a while back rides with a fractured coxix using one of those saddles with two shifting plates for the sitbones. She loves it, and it certainly enables her to ride in comfort. Bigger picture though, there are a few specific other aspects of your bike set-up that it's always worth checking before you go and spend ££s on another saddle. 1) the distance from the handlebars, as you can slide your saddle backwards or forwards to adjust your sitting position minutely; 2) check the tilt of the saddle, as you can also adjust this (in my experience, even a small change to the tilt can make a difference); 3) also check the length/angle of the stem that fits your handlebars to the headset, as you can change that to make it slightly longer or shorter (you'll need to buy a new stem on some bikes) and you may be able to adjust the height of the bars too. 4) Saddle height too. All these things affect the pressure and angle of your sitting apparatus where simply buying a new saddle may not make as much of a change as you think. Some bikes shops may be able to point you towards bike fitting sessions if you're having real trouble and want to look further before you buy.

Flinders wrote:Colin, that guide is wonderful, so thorough and sensible, thank you so much. It's basically all the good advice I wasted days digging out from all over the place in one document, plus a lot of other really useful stuff I didn't know about and which wasn't mentioned anywhere I looked. I was especially interested in what you say about the bumbones being closer together if you lean more forward- I was wondering why on my new saddle I was comfortable with its width once I got into my usual forward position but had felt it might be a bit narrow when sitting up still on the turbo.

Your guide is worth a read for anyone, and especially so for anyone setting up a bike or a saddle.

In my case, my saddle height is limited at the low end because it's already as low as the frame will allow on an XXS frame- I'm a 5' tall female with proportionately short legs, who needs a longish stem for a back that's easily as long as the back of someone anything up to about 8" taller. Your point about problems with small frames is well made, and appreciated; few other people seem to be aware of it.

The advice about riding bumps is interesting, as a horse rider I realise I do that 'weight mostly but not all out of the saddle' and 'fore and aft' balancing automatically on the bike, just as I would riding on rough ground to keep my weight off the horse's back and free its legs to balance.

It's now 2018 and I recently took delivery of a new late 2017 model Brompton cycle. As the order was late in the year I found out that the cycle has the 2018 speciation which is not bad at all. The new Brompton saddle was utterly awful. Most fortunately I had a spare Hobson saddle available so now rear comfort is assured. The great thing about the Brompton, (and also my Dahon Vitesse) is that not having a high crossbar allows you to slide/dismount off the Hobson saddle as you roll to a halt and land with both feet on the floor! Great for canal towpath riding.

Bill Reynolds wrote:It's now 2018 and I recently took delivery of a new late 2017 model Brompton cycle. As the order was late in the year I found out that the cycle has the 2018 speciation which is not bad at all. The new Brompton saddle was utterly awful. Most fortunately I had a spare Hobson saddle available so now rear comfort is assured. The great thing about the Brompton, (and also my Dahon Vitesse) is that not having a high crossbar allows you to slide/dismount off the Hobson saddle as you roll to a halt and land with both feet on the floor! Great for canal towpath riding.

As usually the case with saddles, it isn't typically a binary good/bad. My Brom was 2000 and the more recent saddles certainly work significantly better for me to the point I wouldn't be averse to using one for more than 20 minutes at a time, though still not as good as the personally moulded Brooks I have on mine. I've never found a slide dismount in any way troublesome from the Brooks on my Brom or my Moulton.

Thanks Pete for your comment. On my one day tours I am typically riding for five plus hours on both of my folding cycles. Due to two motorcycle accidents in the 1970's my legs and hips have been messed up! My particular choice of saddle without a 'nose' is just right for people in my condition.

Just wondering if anyone has tried the Manta saddle, as mentioned in another post.It's not marketed as "women specific" but would be interested to hear of anyone with first hand (or should that be cheek ) knowledge.

I often come back to this topic to see if all is well. I see mention of a MANTA saddle! I had a REALY good look at this saddle on the internet. I had great trouble working out what I was looking at....Some of the pictures shown on the web page of the MANTA company are rather hard to fathom out exactly what your looking at! The saddle appears to have a central spine that the side bits hinge?? onto... If this surmise is correct than it appears that the user is sitting on a spine of metal/plastic...whatever.. I cannot really state a opinion about the saddle but pictures do not lie and the central spine appears to be what you sit on... Without beating the Hobson drum, there is no central bit to sit on the Hobson saddle so my opinion remains the same about my saddles....cool central part, and handy 'sliding off' saddle, (to dismount)... as (in my case) its painful to lift my leg over the saddle.

I've got a Manta saddle, it's terrible! Hard to get on and off, not comfortable and makes it hard for me to steer the bike as the hinge means you can't shift your weight as well.Once a cycle courier chum was visiting/skiving at my work, I asked him to nip across the road to get some bacon rolls. While he was away, I fitted the manta saddle and a ridiculous set of BMX handlebars to his fixed. I also called his boss and asked him to create an imaginary emergency rush job for my pal to do. He came running back and had an absolute fit when he saw what we'd done

AndyA wrote:I've got a Manta saddle, it's terrible! Hard to get on and off, not comfortable and makes it hard for me to steer the bike as the hinge means you can't shift your weight as well.Once a cycle courier chum was visiting/skiving at my work, I asked him to nip across the road to get some bacon rolls. While he was away, I fitted the manta saddle and a ridiculous set of BMX handlebars to his fixed. I also called his boss and asked him to create an imaginary emergency rush job for my pal to do. He came running back and had an absolute fit when he saw what we'd done

Thanks Andy A,... for the valuable information on the Manta saddle. It seems to be another non-starter! I got on my Brompton today for the first time for around ten months or so as I have had three operations this year, all of them for a serious condition. My Hobson saddle was slightly uncomfortable as my rear is out of touch with sitting on it! I must restate the lack of a nose on the saddle is great for side ways dismounting.