You should buy the saddle that is comfortable.

Do you want a saddle for a tri bike or a road bike?
Basically everyone's bits are different, so you're gonna have to learn a little what shape works for you.
Some local bike shops will let you try loaner saddles and that's very worthwhile. If they won't do this, I think there is a service online that will rent you a series of saddles.
Don't necessarily assume that something with insane padding is more comfortable. Also start with a level saddle.
You don't need anything fancy at the rails (e.g. Carbon). Just try curved and flat saddles (front to back) and possibly a cut-out.
The stronger you get on the bike, the less of your weight will be supported by the saddle.
For tri bikes, consider looking at Cobb saddles. John Cobb has worked on finding comfort and is a bigger, very enthusiastic triathlete and cyclist.
Good luck!

What Trexlera said. Also, Giant and Specialized (and maybe some others have tools that help you find the correct saddle. I'm more familiar with Specialized - they have different widths and different levels of padding. And you idon'thave to buy their top-of-the-line saddle to et these features.

hth

Thanks to the both of you. Basically I'm not sure if I'm going to keep doing tri's and want to find a comfortable middle ground in seats, but most important I want to find something that won't ruin "the undercarriage" when I ride. My LBS let me evaluate a Brooks Cambium and it's close - mainly because it's wide, but when you're hovering around 250 and love to push 75 miles in a ride, you need all the support you can get.

Thanks to all your help. Triathlons are daunting prospects.

Do you have a road bike or a time trial bike?

I'm 250lbs and other than staying clear of carbon and/or titanium saddle rails I have never considered my weight when buying a saddle.

I'm just aware of the saddles I've tried and what works for me, try a few out if you can, either borrow one or use a few samples from your LBS.

Also remember to buy good shorts, its easy to blame a saddle when your shorts/chamois are/is rubbish.

To echo earlier comments, you have to try a few and see what causes you problems and what you like.
I consider a source of trial saddles or returnable saddles pretty much essential.


For me:

• A cutout or a generous groove is essential in a conventional saddle
• A split nose design is far better for triathlon (or numbness where you don't want numbness will ensue)
• Moderate padding is far better than generous padding, especially as the distance increases (I know no cyclist with experience who thinks otherwise)

Also:

• Get your saddle height right, if it's too high it will be come uncomfortable. You'll rock left and right though you may not realise it
• Don't trust a chart or a quick sit on, or a short test ride for choosing your saddle. You need a long ride.
• If you're getting a split nose saddle like an Adamo ISM, give it time before deciding. I found them hell for 2 weeks and then suddenly a switch flicked and I found comfort. You need to adapt, your existing conventional saddle requires different adaptations and you need to allow additional time if changing to a split nose style.

I think it's all been resolved with a Cobb seat on my BH road bike. It feels nice and my undercarriage makes me feel better after a few hours. I appreciate everyone's help!