GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll: GamJams Reviews: Seat & Seatpost

[All cyclists are experts, at least when it comes to our equipment choices. We know why we chose what we chose, and what we think of the product after we've been using it. GamJams Reviews channels that collective expertise - category by category - into a tidy package of articles designed to help all of us make better equipment decisions. Buying what pros get paid to use is one way to go. But the candid testimonial of fellow racers who paid out of their own pocket - that's an endorsement that really counts.]

This week's GamJams Reviews is on Seat & Seatpost. If you want to add your own review, do it in the comments or on your own blog and throw a link in the comments.

Pete Rides Bikes has had a long and arduous perfect-seat journey, which still continues. He gives high marks to the Specialized Toupe Gel and Selle Italia Prolink, perched on Thomson post. But he warns that finding the right combination is more of a process than a decision: "I 'feel' the pain of the rider searching for that magic saddle that will support their rear and not ruin it over a 4 hour ride. Every little bit of experience, advice, and information can help, as this can be one of the most expensive pursuits in cycling (well, besides legally raising your hematocrit levels)."
Sigberto's crotch rolls on the Specialized Toupe as well, which he rates well not for being comfortable, but for not being painful (which is how many seem to approach the saddle consideration): "the guys at BPS in Georgetown let me try a Toupe Team on my own bike after I'd just returned from a three hour ride. Well, those guys might have saved my first born, because it's a pretty simple selling point to say that my junk hasn't fallen asleep on a ride since I've been using a Toupe."
The Unholy Rouleur is a FiZik Arione guy: "It's a long saddle, which allows me to slide way forward if I'm grinding hard or way back on long hills. It has "wing flex," which means that pre-cut serrated bits on the edges of the plastic base crack in such a way as to provide a slightly flexible platform under your sitbones. So in spite of being narrower than the gap between rock bottom in my checking account and my mortgage payment each month, the saddle is comfy."
Karen Got Wheels is satisfied with her Terry Butterfly: "My saddle for the road bikes, the Terry Butterfly. Like 99% of women I know, its the one saddle that women can actually sit on their seat bones on, and that isn't so wide that it chafes. After about a year the saddle "stuff" gets too soft and I get a new one and give the old one to a new rider to start on."
Good Time Cycling Blog's arms are too skinny for his San Marco Regal "man saddle," so he's testing out a Selle Italia Flite and Specialized Toupe. He advises, "if you are having trouble finding the right saddle, make sure that the saddle in angled corrently... that makes the biggest difference."
You won't be surprised to learn that First Dropped is sitting on something from Performance (but you might not have guessed that it's not just a seat and post, but a complete Forte road bike). "OK, go ahead and snicker. I will ignore you. I believe it has the standard Forte seat post that came with it. The saddle I rock is a Forte Pro... I've ridden on much worse saddles and my junk only falls asleep after a few hours."
Sweet Home Algomaha is sponsored by WTB and rides their Silverado saddle (and also works in the word "junk" into his review. twice.): "I switched to the Silverado for 2008, and couldn't be happier. Well, I could be happier, but it's nothing a saddle can provide. The Silverado is light and comfortable -- great for road races and crits alike. It's not exactly ideal for TTs, though. The nose is flat and thin, which is not good for the junk. Because you need your junk."
Beth Bikes seems to collect saddles. She reviews many, but the one with the highest bling factor is definitely the Bontrager inForm RL WSD: "'The inForm RL WSD shell, while covered with Bontrager's Zone Density foam, is also custom tuned to have the right combination of stiffness and compliance, a delicate blend necessary to create a saddle with all-day comfort.' Yes, Yes, YES! Bontrager inForm dealers should have a sizing device to determine the width of the saddle which will work best, the device has been dubbed by most the assometer."
NPlusOne is in pursuit of the perfect seatpost, one which has "a. The adjust-ability, sturdiness and strength of a Thomson, b. The bling of a Bontrager XXX Lite, c. The lightness of an AX - Europa Carbon Seatpost (85g), d. The setback of a Ritchey WCS." Any suggestions?
Flamenco Chuckwagon is proud of the toughness of his Thomson Elite setback post: "My seat post is a Thompson Elite with set back. I guess it's pretty sweet. It's the only part of my bike that took it on the chin when I crashed last spring. It hit the sign post scant moments after my leg did. The seat post, in vast and profound contrast to my leg, was unscathed but for a small victory scar."
KMAX TRAX sings the praises of the Specialized Avatar Gel for his off-road rigs: "The Specialized Avatar Gel saddle provides just the cushion and support I need on the mountain bike and so far it's been sturdy enough to take the abuse I've doled out. From my Redline cross rig, to my Jamis Exile/Dragon and now on my Cannondale Scalpel this saddle just works. The good side, it's under $100 (in comparison to the $150 Toupe)."