# Any LBSes in the South Bay or Peninsula with a good saddle demo program?



## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

See subject. I'm looking for my dream saddle, and am hoping that there's some LBS in the San Mateo to San Jose corridor that has a nice saddle demo/tryout program.

Do NOT want to do what I did back in the '80s (the trial-and-error method), which cost me a lot of time and $$$. And which accumulated me a grocery-bag-full of crappy saddles. :nonod:
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## singlespeed.org (Feb 14, 2006)

Many shops have WTB demo saddles. WTB made a program out of it, so made these saddles with yellow text printed on them available to shops. I saw these at Passion Trail Bikes in Belmont. Not sure if they are more mountain style than you would want (I use mountain saddles on all my bikes, as I do mountain pedals, so guess I am not one to know).


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## kretzel (Aug 1, 2007)

*saddle demo*

Here ya go: 

http://www.svcyclingcenter.com/services/saddles.php 

Cheers,


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

kretzel said:


> Here ya go:
> 
> http://www.svcyclingcenter.com/services/saddles.php
> 
> Cheers,


Thanks Karl, SVCC is local to me and has a wide variety of prime saddles, which is great (no Brooks or Specialized though).

BUT, reading the demo agreement... it seems like they (you?) want 75 bucks to demo ONE saddle for one week?!?  

If true, that seems like a non-starter, considering that Competitive Cyclist lets you demo ELEVEN saddles for a week for the same price (a way better deal even if you only get to ride three or four seriously in the timeframe), and that I've seen some online stores that'll let you demo a single high-end saddle for 25 bucks, aka_ one-third_ the price. 

Sure, I prefer supporting a local biz, and like the idea of not going through the hassle of shipping it back. But that is not worth a price premium of triple to me.

Or am I just missing something here? :confused5:
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## kretzel (Aug 1, 2007)

$75 one time fee to demo one at a time, but you can come back & swap it after a week and take a second/third/fourth saddle for a week, etc. etc. In the end it counts toward the purchase anyways. You just get 1 at a time though. 

The problem with the CC program is that you get 11 saddles all at once. Any real test requires at least 5-6 hours total on a saddle, preferably several hours on sequential days. 

The Selle Anatomica is a Brooks minus the painful 3-6 month break in period. Check them out, they are one of my best selling saddles. 

Cheers,


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

kretzel said:


> $75 one time fee to demo one at a time, but you can come back & swap it after a week and take a second/third/fourth saddle for a week, etc. etc. In the end it counts toward the purchase anyways. You just get 1 at a time though.
> 
> The problem with the CC program is that you get 11 saddles all at once. Any real test requires at least 5-6 hours total on a saddle, preferably several hours on sequential days.
> 
> The Selle Anatomica is a Brooks minus the painful 3-6 month break in period. Check them out, they are one of my best selling saddles.


Oh, okay. That sounds way better! :thumbsup:

Just to clarify, but it's $75 _total_, even if I go _completely nuts_ and demo like a dozen saddles in a row? 

And, what if there are breaks between my demos? As in, maybe the entire process takes me 3 months or so, 'cuz I'm out of town/busy/sore/whatever? Still only $75 total? Is there any overall time limit for the program, other than 1 saddle/1 week?

I agree that the CC program is problematic 'cuz you get literally spammed with a zillion saddles all at once... a _Saddle of the Week™_ or something like it would be much better.

If that's what your program is or can work like, more power to you, and I'll be coming by. 


_(edit)_ My only other concerns would be 

– if the demo saddles have been used tons for like four or five years straight, and are very beaten-down. 
...That would not be an accurate test... my old Rolls was very good at first, but beaten-down, it's just not the same saddle

– if there aren't a lot of the _popular_ demo saddles available compared to demand, so you have to wait months to try out an Arione or Antares or whatever

Still, this sounds like it could be really good. Thanks again, Karl. 
.


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## stumpy_steve (Nov 5, 2006)

Karl & SVCC are awesome. I plan on doing the demo program as soon as I figure out what frame to get.


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