Just what is the best saddle for touring? Drum Roll, please. The best saddle for touring is the saddle that fits your behind and allows you to ride in comfort!
Chief out touring
Okay maybe that wasn’t the answer you were looking for, but it is the best we have to offer. No two people are shaped the same therefore no one saddle is going to be the end all saddle for every person.
The Bike Hermit used to tour on a Brooks B17, as to be expected, over time the saddle relaxed and had a bit of “splay” He punched holes in the sides (like the Brooks Imperial) and threaded the saddle with leather (from the Tandy leather store) and that solved the problem. About two years ago he switched to a Gilles Berthoud Aspin. This saddle was stiffer in the beginning and now has molded to his shape just perfectly. He easily has 3,000 miles on that saddle with no issues. Aha, you say, I will go research and purchase a Gilles Berthoud. Well, Sky King did her best to love the Gilles Berthoud Aspin spending hours adjusting height, position, angle etc but was never comfortable. Finally she measured her sit bones and realized between the shape and width of the Gilles Berthoud Aspin, it was never going to work for her. She went back to her older Fizik’s vitesse tri and problem solved. She is back to all day, day after day saddle comfort. She does plan to try the Brooks B17 Narrow as she misses not being able to carry her Zimbale 7 liter saddlebag but for now the Fizik’s Vitesse Tri is just fine.
Here are some very important things to consider when selecting a Saddle.
Shape:
Your shape and the saddle shape need to be happy. Most Saddles tend to be either a pear shape or a t-shape. The Gilles Berthoud Aspin and the Brooks B17 and Flyer fall into the pear shape category, the Brooks Swallow, the Zimbale leather saddle, the Brooks B17 Narrow and the Fizik’s Vitesse are considered a T shape.
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s719/sh/889ea056-28b9-33e7-b0a2-29968ad73ab2/e4842a4259f77b5a0182cc2813c7ffd5
https://dianeortiz1.bandcamp.com/album/bicycle-tour-the-world
https://dianeortiz1.majestat.cz/
