Gear, Korea — April 3, 2012 4:44 am

Saddles: Where We’ll Spend our Days

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When it came time to answer the all important question of what we would use for seats while on the tour, it was a question I intended on taking seriously. I’ll never forget the first 100km trip Suzie and I took around the Han River in Seoul. By about 3/4 of the way through, it felt like my butt was swelling up like a watermelon, and I doubted I would sit right for a week. Surveying the damage later, the black and blue patches leftover from sitting in the saddle for 6 hours had me running out to find some cycling shorts straight away. I will never sit through another ride like that in my life.

While cycling shorts have done the job for short weekend trips and 4 day rides, I always knew a 5,000km trip would require something more substantial. I needed a seat that was more than just a hard pad that punished me throughout the days and threatened to keep me from going my hardest. I think the other teams members agree with me that there isn’t much worse than a sore rear while cycling, and we’ve done our homework to avoid this at all costs.

I can’t remember seeing a single post from any cycle tourist who did not use/recommend Brooks Saddles as the option for long distance touring. Our friends have used them for years, Katie used one on her journey across the world, and countless others swear by Brooks as the most comfortable and long lasting saddles that money can buy. In fact, many people believe that any Brooks Saddle will likely outlive the owner!

It wasn’t really a question of durability for me. I mean, it would be great to have the same saddle running strong for 10 years, but I need something that’s just outright comfortable to ride in over a long period of time. When first seeing the Brooks Saddles Katie and Jared own, I wasn’t convinced. They appeared hard and unforgiving, something that could easily be avoided altogether by just purchasing a gel pad. However, gel pads apparently go flat very quickly and you are left with an uncomfortable flab to ride on the rest of the trip. Further, Jared, Katie, and everyone else I have spoken with have assured me that after breaking in a Brooks… you won’t feel a thing! This… is what I hope for out of my Brooks Saddle. Reviews to come…