Dave's Travel Pages

Bicycle Touring | Greek Island Hopping | Travel Itineraries | Inspiration

Travel Tips, Itineraries and Guides to Greece, Europe and beyond!

  • Greece Travel
  • Greek Islands
  • Europe
  • Asia Travel
  • Americas
  • Bike Touring

Last updated on April 7, 2020 By Dave Briggs 2 Comments

Best Saddles For Touring: Most Comfortable Bike Seats For Cycling

Bike touring involves long hours in the saddle, so you've got to be kind to your butt! This guide to the best saddles for touring will help you on your quest to find a comfortable bike seat for cycling long distances.

The touring bike I usedto cycle from Greece to England, complete with a B17 Brooks touring saddle.

Best Saddle For Bike Touring

There is no one size fits all solution to any aspect of bicycle touring, particularly when it comes to choosing a saddle. We're all built differently, have different riding styles, and want different things.

What's comfortable in a bike saddle for me could be a nightmare for you, and vice-versa. Throw into the mix considerations about weight, the ethical uses of leather, and a hundred other factors, and you can see why it's a tough job finding the best touring saddle!

Men's Cycling Saddles

A quick note – Men and women will have different needs when it comes to bicycle seats. At least, I am led to believe so.

I can't pretend to say what type of saddle would be best for women. As I'm a guy, this guide to touring saddles is written from my perspective and experience.

What I would say, is that each of these saddle manufacturers is likely to have women's ranges of saddles as well, so take a look at them if you wish.

What I would really love though, is feedback from any female cyclists about their opinions on the best saddles for women. Leave a comment at the end of the article!

Finding the best touring saddle

I've tried a few myself over the years when cycling from England to Cape Town, and Alaska to Argentina. And to be honest, every single one I tried during those trips was literally a pain in the butt!

Brooks B17 saddle for touring

It was only a few years later that I tried a Brooks saddle when cycling from Greece to England. At that point, I realised I had found the Holy Grail and could stop searching!

As such, my personal recommendation of a good saddle for touring on a bicycle is the Brooks B17 Saddle.

Brooks B17 Saddle For Touring

The classic Brooks saddle is by far the most popular saddle for bicycle touring. This doesn't mean that everyone rides one though, and one of the reasons for that can be price.

Brooks B17 Saddle

They aren't cheap. Especially when compared to other bike saddles that seem to offer just as many benefits at a fraction of the price. 

In fact, it was this price issue that put me off of buying a Brooks saddle for so many years. Whey would I spend 50 pounds more on a saddle? That might be an extra 5 days budget on a long distance cycling tour!

Take it from me, that was possibly the dumbest rationalization I've ever made for not buying one earlier. And I've made plenty of dumb rationalizations in my life.

Brooks saddle for bike touring

After having bought one and then used it for a few weeks, and then months, the comfort was worth every single penny. Probably ten times that every single penny!

My recommendation – If you are starting out on your journey to find the best bicycle touring saddle, try a Brooks B17 and see how you get on. I for one wished I had done this earlier.

Available on Amazon here: Brooks Saddle for Bicycle Touring

Check out my full review here: Brooks B17 Saddle

Brooks Cambium Saddle

One thing that puts some people off the Brooks saddle is that it is made of leather. If you fall into this category of person, you might prefer to try their Cambium saddle instead.

Brooks Cambium C17 Review

This has been designed as a long distance touring saddle, but made from vulcanised rubber with a cotton top.

I tried this saddle out for a few months, but didn't really get along with it. I thought it was far inferior to the B17 saddle, and so swapped back.

Still, it's worth a try if you don't want a leather saddle for bike touring.

Available on Amazon: Cambium C17 Saddle

Check out my full review here: Cambium C17 Saddle Review

Non-Brooks Saddles

Of course, Brooks aren't the only company who make bike touring saddles. Their are dozens of manufacturers out there to choose from. 

I can't honestly say I've tried them all, but I've been through quite a few, including two dollar saddles picked up at street markets in Africa!

As such, I decided to ask some cyclists in a Facebook group which non-Brooks touring saddles they were happy with. Their remarks brought back a mixed bag so to speak. Here's a few of their recommendations:

Charge Spoon Cycling Saddle

For anyone that doesn't like a wide saddle such as the Brooks B17, the Charge Spoon is a good choice. It's also pretty wallet friendly, and is made of synthetic leather.

This is a good saddle for anyone that doesn't want to maintain a leather saddle, and prefers not worrying about what happens when the saddle gets wet. One cyclist mentioned that they felt the synthetic leather top wore out too quickly though.

Available via Amazon: Charge Spoon Saddle

Selle Italia

An Italian company with a similarly long heritage as Brooks, Selle Italia make a range of saddle, some of which may be more suited to long distance bike touring than others.

Personally, I find their sheer range a little overwhelming when it comes to choosing which Selle Italia saddle is the best for long distance cycling. 

Check out their website: Selle Italia

Selle Anatomica

This US saddle brand was also mentioned by a couple of cyclists. Like many manufacturers, they have a variety of bicycle saddles made of different materials, some of which may be more suited to bike touring than others.

I've personally never gone for the cut-out type saddle these guys seem to specialize in, but they might be a good choice for men with prostate issues.

Check out their website: Selle Anatomica

More saddles for bike touring

In addition to the bike seats mentioned above, you might want to spend some time researching these other saddles which may be suitable for touring:

  • Fizik Saddles – The company ethos seems to be geared toward performance than bike touring, but you may find a bike seat for long distance cycle trips in their catalogue. The Aliante range seems most suited.
  • Prologo Zero II – Perhaps more suited to road cycling, but certainly an option worth considering.
  • SDG Belair – A bike saddle that is popular in MTB circles, it may also be comfortable seat for longer bicycle rides.
  • Selle SMP Pro – World record setting cyclist Mark Beaumont uses these (or did at least once). He's not your average cyclist though!
  • Tioga Spyder  – A series of crazy looking designs that resemble spider's webs. Does this make them comfortable bike saddles though?

The Best Saddles for Bike Touring reviewed

 

 

Filed Under: Bicycle Touring Gear

Comments

  1. Conrad Freeman says

    December 28, 2020 at 7:05 pm

    Do you have an opinion about the Brooks B17 versus the Flyer? I think they’re essentially the same except the addition of the springs on the Flyer. So, is there a reason to swap out the flyer?

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      December 30, 2020 at 10:48 am

      If you’re happy with the Flyer, stick with it! There might be a small weight advantage to having the B17, but comfort is the main thing in my eyes. Personally, I don’t get on with the Flyer, but it’s all a matter of individual choice.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Dave

Dave's Travel Pages is a travel blog focusing on Greece and Bike Touring, with additional travel guides to countless interesting destinations around the world.

Find out more about Dave and this blog by clicking here Dave Briggs from Dave's Travel Pages

Recent Travel Posts

  • Santorini to Crete Ferry Information: Timetables, Schedules, and Ferries
  • Goupa Village in Kimolos, Cyclades Islands, Greece
  • Sur BnB Guide: Where to stay in Big Sur Hotels, AirBnB, Camping
  • Where to stay in Kimolos: Best Areas, Hotels, and Accommodation

Dave’s Travel Pages has a number of affiliate links placed within the travel blog. If you decide to buy items through these links, you will be helping Dave to fund this site and perhaps the next adventure. More importantly, it doesn’t cost you anything extra. Win win – we like that!

Dave’s Travel Blog Privacy Policy

Read our privacy policy here

You might also be interested in:

  • Travel by Bicycle
  • Travel Quotes
  • Travel to Athens
  • Greek Island Hopping
  • Dave’s Santorini Travel Guide

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

"Copyright Dave's Travel Pages (c) 2005- - 2021 "