Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
Originally Posted By: Kaboomba
If you can handle just a little Euro-snobbery and afford some miles to break it in, Brooks saddles from England are legendary for long-distance comfort. Pricey, but also retaining a lot of value since they take 50 years to wear out.
I just removed the Brooks saddle from my road bike after 3 seasons. It never did work as well for me as I'd hoped. Brooks saddles are supposed to conform to the unique shape of the owner's sit-bones, but mine never did seem to take the "set" properly. That may be due to the fact that I sweat way more than most folks when I'm riding. Those Brooks saddles are leather, and shouldn't get wet on a regular basis, but mine did on almost every ride. I replaced it with a cheap old Velo saddle I had in storage.
FWIW, most of my riding friends use saddles by Selle Italia, Fi'zi:k, and Terry.
For kicks, take a look at this 100% carbon fiber saddle:
Carbon Fiber Saddle
yup, brooks aren't for everyone. I'm running 2 different brooks on 2 different bikes; one has a regular B-17, the other has a B-66. the 66 took a lot more adjustment to get the spot 'just' right. the 17 felt pretty good right out of the box and is getting better all the time. in fact, the only points of contact that I'm always aware of now are my hands, I don't even think about the seat anymore.