Total noob, race registered, but a saddle question.

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Permalink Reply by Rick Bensyl on October 9, 2011 at 6:39pm

Most entry level races around here are 30 minutes long, and you're on and off the saddle so much it doesn't count. I would use this one till it gets destroyed unless you are doing really long rides.

Better yet, get a second seatpost and switch the Brooks out on race day for the other one. That way the angle is already perfect and you can have each seatpost marked and just do a quick swap without tedious adjustments to height and angle. I raced on the road for many years and would do that. Only caveat to switching out Brooks day before race is to make sure you measure from center of bottom bracket to top of saddle on both seats/seatpost combinations. If you leave stock seatpost on and just switch the saddle you will have it off on the height quite a bit (my Brooks saddles are about one inch higher overall than a typical Selle Italia type saddle).

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Permalink Reply by Peter Herman on October 9, 2011 at 6:58pm

Thanks! Good idea on the seat post.

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Permalink Reply by James Varner on October 12, 2011 at 8:53pm

Check your race flyer, like the other guy said your race is probably 30 minutes long. Should be multiple laps with a couple of dismounts each lap. You will be feeling lots of pain but the least of that will be from your saddle. Definitely recommend loosing the reflectors and seat pack before the race. Good luck and have fun.

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Permalink Reply by ZenNMotion on October 13, 2011 at 5:03am

The saddle in the pic looks perfect.  A cross race is short and hard, you won't be thinking about your saddle.  You certainly don't want an expensive Brooks boat anchor getting ruined on your cross bike.  That said, the things I would avoid in a saddle for cross racing is something that is too light and delicate for the occasional botched hard remount, a cover that allows your shorts to slide across without pulling, and I prefer a smooth curved shape to the back to swing your leg over .(so you don't catch on your shorts) So it's mostly about what to avoid- no carbon rails or delicate shells, no embroidered or sticky covers, no pointy shapes on the rear.  Other than that it's all good.  Keep in mind that you want your saddle height a little lower and a little further forward than what you ride on the road for better cross handling and easier remounts, and tilting the saddle just a little one way or the other can make a big difference in comfort.

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