Ergo The Seat Ultimate Bicycle Saddle, Black

The stock seat that came with my bike was incredibly uncomfortable for my 57-year-old backside. I tried the Forte Easy Rider Saddle, which was better, but it still put too much pressure on my perineum. Based on much appreciated previous reviews, I decided to try this seat, and I'm glad I did. It's a keeper. I concur with the comments of other reviewers that it takes some getting used to, particularly the absence of a "nose." And, it is smaller and less cushy than I expected given its "soft gel cover". But, I can ride much longer without discomfort on this saddle, and my sit bones don't hurt when I'm done. Unlike other saddles I have tried, I can use a broad range of sitting positions as I ride, even placing my weight mostly on my thighs instead of my sit bones for a time (because of the absence of the "nose"), which eliminates the pressure and numbness experienced with other saddles on a long ride. I opted for the Ultimate model with the Lycra cover, because previous reviews suggested it is the cushiest. It's none too cushy, and the Lycra is quite slick when wearing padded bike shorts. But, wearing cotton knit shorts over the padded bike shorts provides good grip on the seat. I did not lower my seat by 1" as recommended in the instructions, as it feels "right" as it is, and I preserved the optimal distance from my hip to the pedals. And, I tilted the angle of the seat upward (raising the front and lowering the back) using the adjustable seat clamp on my seat post, to avoid the feeling of sliding forward mentioned by some reviewers. This combination works for me, and it doesn't feel like I'm going to slip off the back of the seat. I will be interested to see how the Lycra holds up over time. I've ridden a few hundred miles over several weeks since I purchased it and it shows no wear. But, if the Lycra wears out over the next year or two, I will still probably replace it with one of the vinyl-covered Ergo The Seat models, because the design eliminates pressure on my perineum, and the pain on my sit bones. It's a keeper.

I was starting to hate riding due to the severe pain from a regular seat. This one really did the trick. I don't feel any more pain or tingling in my crotch anymore. Although, my sit bones do get somewhat more sore than they used to. It feels less sore each time, so it will probably go away with more exercise, unlike perennial damage which can remain permanently. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't notice even a slight loss of control. I still veer around corners and am able to bicycle with one hand on the handles (when drinking water) like I used to. I guess I wasn't making use of the horn at all. If there is one downside to the seat, it's that it may not be waterproof. I haven't tested it myself, but I get the feeling that if water were to get into this seat, it would be extremely difficult to get it out. The material is cushiony and airy and there's no waterproof finish to seal all the pores in the seat. As such, I would recommend bringing something plastic along to cover it with when it's rainy. For now, I'm just using the plastic packaging it came with, but it will need an actual seat cover. As such, add about $10-$20 more for the seat cover. As far as I'm concerned, ~$50 for no more crotch pain is a great deal. One other thing I noticed is that there are no installation instructions. When I first put it on, it seemed to push me forward too far. Then I turned it backwards (the steel rod under the bike is up towards the back of the seat but the seat itself is facing forward). That made it much more comfortable. I wish they included some instructions. As of now, I have no clue whether I was supposed to install it the way I did, or if the bottom part is backwards. Either way, the seat is still very comfortable so I guess it's no big deal. I would have taken one star out for the lack of installation instructions, but I'm so happy that that dang tingling is gone for good. Such a relief. All in all, this seat is excellent, but expect to feel a tiny bit of soreness in your sit bones. That's still better than risking reproductive damage 10 years from now.

As a cycling lady who has had "Lady Garden: issues from the get-go, I found this saddle in order to be able to enjoy riding instead of concentrating on the pain which detracted from the whole experience. I sunk $80 into this saddle and it is the worst thing I ever put under my tookis aside from my old quarter horse who threw me two times for every three that I rode her. I have to say upfront that this saddle gave me NO PAIN in the girl parts. What a joy to not have that right out of the chute...BUT...I recently participated in a longer bike event and by the time I hit mile 12, I was utterly EXHAUSTED from fighting to not only keep my balance but to keep from sliding off the front of the seat onto my bars.My shoulders were so sore within twelve miles that I felt like I had been pumping iron for an hour...wrists were killing me because I was continually trying to push myself backward to stay in the saddle. I was terrified for the long run. By the time I had reached the five mile point, I got off my bike and called my husband to meet me and switch out to my old saddle. I mean to tell you, I felt in a very dangerous situation no matter the adjustments (gave it the benefit of the doubt on the long ride). I am the recipient of owning an eighty dollar saddle that I rode a total of twelve miles. Not a bargain if you consider that's about seven bucks a minute.

Just bought a new one of these. That's the review in a nutshell. I need this seat because nothing else feels as good and prevents pain as well. However, I also need to buy a new one every year because the supporting bar always snaps. Four years, four seats. Sigh. Still, I keep buying because it does the job well (until it breaks). === Ok, I have to lower the review on this one. One of the metal bars holding up the seat broke, this is not a good thing after slightly over a year of use. I'm heavy, 200lbs, but the seat should be able to handle this. I might think this was a fluke but there are other reviews (which I ignored) saying similar things. So yes, nice seat, helps with my ride, but I have to knock it down to 3 stars because it is not reliable over the long haul. === I needed a new saddle (doctor's recommendation) to avoid pain while riding. I first tried the MoonSaddle, and was very unhappy with that purchase. Ergo's "The Seat" was my next try and it has worked beautifully. A few adjustments in seat height and position and I was off and ridiing. I've had it for about ten days, biking every day on the streets of New York City, and I'm quite happy. One bike ride was a 20-miler around Staten Island, and I never had any discomfort. All that said, there are some downsides to this seat. You miss the nose a regular bike seat has. You maneuver a bike with your whole body and rocking your thighs against the nose is part of how you handle turns and maintain stability. It is particularly noticeable when one hand is off the the handlebars, you need a tighter firmer grip with the other hand to compensate for the lost stability. Still, you adjust. After ten days I'm biking about as smoothly as I did before, with only a modest decrease in maneuverability. And I can ride my bike without pain, which is key.

I'm a speed-oriented bike commuter and weekend warrior in my mid-fifties. In long rides, I started to develop numbness in the nether regions. I talked to my doctor about it and he said that there is research linking cycling to impotence in men. Wha? Checked it out and he is right. While not conclusive and dependent on a number of factors, why risk that? So I bought this seat and installed it despite the fact that I was otherwise very happy with my Bianchi's saddle. At first it was difficult, but after a month, I started getting the hang of it. Now I love this saddle and it makes biking more fun because my boys are free! FREE! The downside is that you have less control because the horn helps you use your whole body in steering in ways that you don't appreciate until it is gone, and it does transfer more weight and stress onto your arms. The first is a real consideration for me because I bike in NYC and the congestion puts a premium on maneuverability. I've adapted so that I've minimized the difference, but it is still there. The arm stress thing isn't a big deal for me since I have always been a hands-on cyclist and I've adjusted by moving to a slightly more upright position, but I'll be able to evaluate any wrist/elbow impact when I start to do longer rides this summer. But so far, so good--no stress or impact arm injuries. Overall, while this seat isn't for everybody, I love it. It does require an adjustment, but it is totally worth it to eliminate the numbness and potentially serious impacts to sexual function from horned saddles. Oh and one other thing--the first day I biked with this saddle, it was about 20 degrees F and I literally froze my you know whats because they are much more exposed to the elements. You've been warned--don't skimp on the thermals down there!

About three years ago I decided to bicycle across the U.S. I am not a competitive cyclist, I'm not even a particularly serious cyclist. I just ride for enjoyment and fitness. I can only stand about one and a half to two hours of cycling on a traditional saddle, so going cross country on one was out of the question. After comparing hornless saddles I decided on Ergo The Seat, since it looked like the most basic and durable of the designs. I'm a male, and weigh about two hundred pounds . During the trip I rode usually five to eight hours a day, five to six days a week, for three months. I would not have been able to do that on a traditional saddle. The Pros: The Seat does what it is designed to do; takes weight off the perineum and puts it on the sit bones where it belongs, increasing comfort and reducing potential physical damage on long rides. It is durable. I did not have any issues with breakage, loose fittings, or wear. In fact I crashed shortly before leaving on my trip, and tore a inch long rip in The Seat's fabric. I kept an eye on it, but the tear never increased over thousands of miles of use. The Cons: The Seat is not terribly comfortable. If a traditional bicycle saddle is a thin log that you straddle, The Seat is a thick log that you sit on sideways, but they're still both logs. The position feels awkward. I felt that The Seat pushed me forward into a "push up" position, and it definitely put more stress on my shoulders, arms, and wrists. By the end of the trip, I'd lost about twenty pounds, but I looked like The Hulk through the shoulders, because I'd been doing a push up for three months. Balance, stability, and directional control is adversely affected. I rarely took one hand off the handlebars, let alone two. You just don't realize the role the horn on a traditional saddle plays in those aspects until you don't have one anymore. I do not recommend The Seat for any technical riding at all. When I came back from my trip I tried riding mountain trails on The Seat. Coming downhill, there were times I had to dismount since I just couldn't trust my balance. Finally, because of the rider's position on The Seat, the leg stroke is shortened, so you lose a little power pedaling. When I put a traditional saddle back on my mountain bike (I used my Trek Mamba with road tires for my cross country trip) the greater ease in getting up hills was noticeable. I realize that's a lot of negatives for a positive review, but hey, there's always bad with the good. The bottom line is I recommend The Seat for people who have pain or discomfort in that area where no one wants pain or discomfort, and do not do any technical riding.

I've had the ergo seat for years. I did 3 triathlons with the seat and I am a "clydesdale." Now, granted those were sprint distance, in my case the bike portion was only 26 miles. But I also trained a lot on the bike just to get comfortable with the process. As a bigger, heavier rider, weight or pressure focused on the perineum is only amplified, but any person at any weight should be very concerned about long rides on the antiquated seats that are known to cause impotence in professional riders. I saw a few commenters state that this will damper performance. The reason is the weight shifts from the perineum (sensitive region between scrotum and anus which has nerves and blood vessels running through it) to the arms to a degree and to the legs as well. To that, all I can reply is that a person a) should locate and learn to sit on the "sitz bones" aka "ischeal tuberosities." If you sit on this bones, far less weight will go to the legs. And, b) what would you prefer, to have one of the most sensitive regions in your body support a large portion of your bodyweight? These seats should be mandatory on kids bikes to avoid permanent damage. But kids tend not to ride for long distances as many adults do, grinding away. Those long rides are where the permanent damage occurs. I give a lot of credit to Ergo for this particular line of seats. But I'm sure there are other companies with hornless seats as well. I've literally had one Ergo seat for 13 years! They work, they last, they protect. Unless you're a professional rider who needs performance (and we all know the lengths they'll go to for performance, right Lance?) then you shouldn't ride a horned seat. My wife doesn't bike nearly as often as I but she too finds this a far more comfortable solution.

I have had numbness in my groin area while riding a bicycle for as long as I can remember, but it became so uncomfortable that I finally decided to make a change in my bike seat. I first tried a seat with a slit in the middle of it, but found this had little or no effect. I then tried the Ergo Ultimate Bicycle Seat, and what a change! It was immediate, and continues to be so at least a month after I purchased it. In short, the seat solved the problem entirely. Several reviewers have commented that it was difficult to ride with this seat because of its lack of a horn. I found it a little strange right at the beginning not to have a horn--it was just so different from what I was used to--but very quickly (maybe five minutes) I got used to it. I would say the adjustment is pretty minor and very quick. The costs in this adjustment are so small compared to the benefits of not having discomfort in the groin area that these costs are eminently bearable. The seat itself is well made, easy to install, and quite comfortable. (It forces you to sit on your sitz-bones, and as they are evolutionary designed for this purpose, sitting on them is quite comfortable. Thus, though the seat isn't all that padded, it needn't be.) I can truthfully say that this seat has fundamentally changed my experience of bike riding, and I think it will for you, too. I highly recommend it.

This is a butt ugly saddle butt if it works for you then it's ok. The lycra-type fabric cover gives some grip, unlike the smooth model which I slid all over the place on. However, I had the prostate surgery and never got to ride it more than a km or two.

This is the most comfortable and healthy seat EVER!!!! The first day I got it (and it got here in just 6 days, very fast!) I went for a 75 km ride. It was great!!! NO PAIN, NO NUMBNESS!!! FANTASTIC!!!! I bought 2 of these, one for me and one for my son (he's 10 years old) we went for a 25 km ride together and he told me he really liked the seat because the traditional seat he had, hurt him and this one doesn't. He was also able to get on and off his bike easier with this seat. I will recommend this seat to all my bicycle buddies!

I liked this saddle and it definitely kept pressure off the lady bits but I did feel a little unbalanced on it. I went on a bought another saddle which was even better for me personally. We are currently doing the London to Paris Avenue Verte so really needed to have a very comfortable saddle.

Everyone's bike should be equipped with one of these seats, right out of the factory doors. It completely revolutionizes comfort levels and adds a whole other level of comfort, and protection

Are you kidding? This seat is like sitting on the end of a baseball bat. It's TINY. You should have said 'for toddlers balance bikes only'. I'm sending it back. All summer looking for a comfortable seat for my adult trike. It snowed near Calgary today. Maybe I'll find one by spring.