# Seat Upgrade for my Synapse 6



## Ruby13 (Aug 11, 2011)

*Saddle Upgrade for my Synapse 6*

I really felt the standard seat was comfortable for 10 to 20 mile rides. But now that I'm doing 25-30 it's getting a bit uncomfortable. Thought is was my shorts and have tried the three that I have all different manufacturers and good quality chamois but realized it's the seat.

I've put almost 500 miles on since Dec. 1st (just love the bike) so feel that I've given the seat and my rear a good chance to break in but I'm just not "feeling" it.

Tried a Roubaix before I got the Synapse and it had a Toupe seat on it which felt great but again only rode it for about 5 miles.

My back is bad which is the reason for the Synapse geometry and have also shortened the stem to 80mm so primarily ride on the hoods and rarely if ever on the drops. Any recommendations would be appreciated for a "reasonably" priced seat that won;t break the bank.
Thanks


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## AnthonyL88 (Oct 9, 2007)

My friend recommend the Prologo's Scratch Pro Nack Saddle, he said out of a dozen or so saddles he rode, the Prologo Scatch Pro Nack is the best. I'm riding the Fizik Kurve and it's a nice saddle. Try ordering the saddle at Competitive Cyclist because they got a 90 days no questions return policy on your saddle.


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## milkbaby (Aug 14, 2009)

Do you have a local store that has a saddle demo program? That way you can try out all different demo saddles without spending the bucks or hassle of mailing them back and forth. The conventional wisdom is that no saddle is perfect for everybody; one person's treasure is another person's a$$ hatchet... 

Not that it makes any difference, but right now my favorite is the Selle SMP Forma, an unpadded saddle with a huge cutout in it.


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## M60 (Jul 27, 2011)

The stock saddle on my Synapse Carbon 5 was pretty hard. I replaced it within a couple of months with a Koobi Century. They also have seconds with slight cosmetic issues which will save a few bucks.


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## Helitech (Jan 23, 2012)

I recently bought my synapse from a friend who bought two (got a killer deal)... I had the same issues with the factory prologo also..I searched high and low for a saddle I had a long time ago E3 form or form gel... Slapped it on and the 25-30 milers were a lot more comfortable after some fine tuning on a trainer... They don't sell the saddle anymore so I had to get them on eBay... The owner of the design is pumping out new saddles under the name "kontact"... As far as I'm concerned they are pretty much identical except the new kontact saddle doesn't come in a gel model... Worth checking it out if you're looking, but saddles really boil down to rider preference...happy hunting!


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## deftone86 (Jan 23, 2012)

Has anyone had a chance to try out the seat post on the new 2012 Synapse Carbons? I am wondering if its worth upgrading to.


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## Helitech (Jan 23, 2012)

deftone86 said:


> Has anyone had a chance to try out the seat post on the new 2012 Synapse Carbons? I am wondering if its worth upgrading to.


I'd also like to know.... The factory one is a PITA to adjust...anyone know where I can grab one for my carbon synapse??


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## Ruby13 (Aug 11, 2011)

Just spoke with my LBS and he thankfully has demo seats to try that should at least save on the cost of buying a new one. Don't mind supporting the LBS when they add value like that. He also is a Cobb saddle dealer that he says is more of a Tri seat but it seams to be really interesting from a comfort standpoint. Plan to go try some out tomorrow.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far.


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## Ruby13 (Aug 11, 2011)

Went out this morning with a demo Cobb V Flow. Did 26 miles and my bum seemed to be in a much better place than with the standard ProLogo that came on the Synapse. While it seems to be primarily for Tri riders I found it to be pretty comfortable but since my LBS has a demo program will try out some others recommended.


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## Helitech (Jan 23, 2012)

What condition is your factory prologo in? Any chance u wanna sell it? Someone jacked the one I put on my hybrid


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## rlb81 (Feb 2, 2010)

The prologo that came stock on my supersix wasn't for me. What sort of discomfort are you having? There's such a wide range of issues you can have with a saddle so that might help to narrow it down. I've been having luck with the Specialized Romin. The width of the saddle will make a huge comfort impact.


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## Turtle Torque (Jun 13, 2011)

I did a 50mile bike ride on the 2011 stock synapse 6 apex saddle and had giblet numbness at the end of the ride. tried couple more rides after several adjustments and still had numbness. I had great success with Selle Italia SLR in the past and was going to buy one, but was at a LBS and saw they had the specialized toupe which was very similar to the SLR not to mention significantly cheaper. I gave it a try and at first, felt firm, but never got numbness. After about 100miles, the saddle broke in real nice and it's been a comfortable saddle. I've always preferred slim (thin/minimalist) saddles because of the slight "flex" it gives.


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## Digger51 (May 12, 2006)

1) Specialized has a pad that you sit on and it measures your bone width. That will help you get the proper size saddle.
2) If you have not had a fitting then get one. It will put you in proper position so you will sit on your saddle at the proper pressure points.
3) I have been happy with Fizik saddles (Aliente and Arione).
4) Use the LBS trial saddles until you find one you like and does not hurt you,


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

No saddle is confortable for every cyclist. It can be hard to find the right one. But also note that if you have always only did short rides, it's not that surprising that longer rides are harder on your butt...body. 25-30 miles still isn't all that long. As you get fitter, your rear end gets stronger too and will have more endurance. Not saying that you should endure just any saddle though.

My personal favorite is the Fizik Antares, I like flatter saddles (tip to tail but also side to side) and the shape is more important than the amount of padding or the saddle flex.


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## Shinjukan (Aug 22, 2011)

My Schwinn Super Sport flat-bar has the stock WTB saddle like the one below. At first I already had some warning signs that I'm not going to have a happy relationship with this saddle but like what others did, I worked around the pain and numbness issue by getting higher quality shorts, adjusted the tilt and position of the saddle, and simply by HTFU. It's tolerable for up to 10 miles, but anything beyond that means a slow but very uncomfortable progression of pain. In my last 50-mile ride I literally alternated walking and standing on the saddle on the last 6 miles. Endured things like this for a total of 400 miles before saying quits. Replaced this with a Serfas Dual-Density and up till now I was thinking why did I wait that long?

Support those LBS that have the Trial Saddle program. There's no way to find out if the saddle is the right one not until how one feels after a fairly long ride (about 25 miles).

Good luck and may the best saddle be with you.


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## rlb81 (Feb 2, 2010)

Shinjukan said:


> I worked around the pain and numbness issue by getting higher quality shorts, adjusted the tilt and position of the saddle, and simply by HTFU.


Pain is one thing, but to HTFU and deal with numbness isn't wise, since long term it can cause some issues that I'm sure none of us want to deal with :blush2:


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## Shinjukan (Aug 22, 2011)

rlb81 said:


> Pain is one thing, but to HTFU and deal with numbness isn't wise, since long term it can cause some issues that I'm sure none of us want to deal with :blush2:


I hear you on this. Being inexperienced 2 years ago, I heeded the opinion of other "seasoned veterans" to HTFU and I'll soon 'break into' the saddle. Obviously that didn't happen, so that was just chalked up to my experience belt.

To the OP, I don't know where you're located, but in my local Performance store, they have the saddle below on their clearance rack for $24.50. Though it's classified as TT, maybe it'll suit you fine and won't break your bank too.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

OP, you can pretty much ignore any saddles recommendations so far. The fact that a certain saddles works for somebody means nothing to you. You have to try a few and see what works for your a$$.


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## Shinjukan (Aug 22, 2011)

Well, to me 'ignore' is not the right word. If you, the OP, would start this thread in the first place and then heed what the others are saying to ignore the suggestions of others, then what's the point of posting? The brands and models of saddles that are being floated around by some members are only meant to give you some idea on what those are and some first-hand experiences. That's not meant to say that you should go and buy that very same saddle and it'll work for you right away. By narrowing your choices to some of the suggestions here it might speed up your selection process. But still it's not a guarantee that one of those saddles suggested will work for you. Your butt still has the last say. 

I rest my case.


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## Ruby13 (Aug 11, 2011)

I thank all for the suggestions made to date. So far I have tested the Cobb V Flow and now have the V Flow Plus on. Both I find pretty comfortable. Next up will be a few Selle models and others mentioned here. I also tested a Roubaix with the Toupe on it and although it was only 5 miles was pretty comfortable but my LBS is not a Specialized dealer but does have a very good assortment of test models which I'm going through.


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## heybrady (Jul 3, 2011)

I had the stock San Marco Island on my CAAD8 and never got along with it. On a whim at Performance they had the Forte Classic on clearance for ~$25 so I picked one up. Instantly felt as comfortable as a Lazy Boy. No need to spend big bucks for me.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

Shinjukan said:


> Well, to me 'ignore' is not the right word. If you, the OP, would start this thread in the first place and then heed what the others are saying to ignore the suggestions of others, then what's the point of posting? The brands and models of saddles that are being floated around by some members are only meant to give you some idea on what those are and some first-hand experiences. That's not meant to say that you should go and buy that very same saddle and it'll work for you right away. By narrowing your choices to some of the suggestions here it might speed up your selection process. But still it's not a guarantee that one of those saddles suggested will work for you. Your butt still has the last say.
> 
> I rest my case.


Perhaps not the best choice of the word on my part. Sorry ...but I'm sure you get my drift.


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