MTB Saddle vs Road Saddles

Equipment
1

Hi.
I am fairly new to road biking and I’m having trouble adapting to the road saddles.

I have had many mountain bikes with various saddles, riding for hours without seating discomfort.
Now as I’ve gotten into roadbikes as well i struggle to find saddles that fit and are comfortable.

The MTB Saddles which I use day to day: Ergon SM Sport, Specialized Bridge Comp.
I’ve tried various Selle Italia saddles and I use a Giant Appraoch saddle that came with my bike, which is ok at best.

Why is it so that i can go ride my mountainbikes for hours on end without without bibs and without any discomfort and as soon as i throw on a bib and go for a spin on the road bike it takes no more than one hour before discomfort sets in?
Does anybody else experience this?

What saddles do you use for mtb and road?
Any tips on saddles, bibs etc would be appreciated.

2

I move around more and stand up more on my MTB. The general position is different too, weighting etc. I like flat pedals to be able to move my feet about more too.

I need to use chamois cream on my road bike and higher quality bibs, i find it generally less comfortable depending on the ride length but not too bad.

Maybe a bike fit might help, or just getting use to riding on the road more. That and realizing where your comfort issue lies and trying to work it out for yourself whether thats a saddle change or seat height change or a load of other stuff.

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3

I use the same saddle on my road / gravel bike and my XC bike.

Its a narrow selle italia slr boost gravel.
It took a long time to find a sadlle that worked for me.

I run a specilaized power saddle on my enduro bike - but thats more like a bench to sit on and is used very differently to the other bikes.

Are they both the same width?

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4

Yeah, have you tried using your mtb saddle(s) on your road bike?

I generally agree with first reply–easier to be comfortable on MTB because I’m moving around more.

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5

I was miserable on my gravel bike saddle, but just ignored it forever since I can tolerate a lot. Then remembered I had a spare saddle that is identical to what I use on my enduro bike. It works great.

We’ve been trying to experiment with different saddles for my girlfriend and I traded her my enduro bike saddle on her road bike, and it was a night and day difference for her. So now I need to buy myself a new saddle.

6

I‘d get a bike fit first before you buy and sell a bunch of equipment. Saddle issues can have a plethora of reasons. The Saddle itself, saddle height, saddle tilt, saddle fore-aft position, shoes, cleat position, crank length, and the list goes on…

7

I will move the Specialized Bridge seat over to my trainer bike before my next session.

Crossing my fingers that it’s more comfortable.

8

I use the same saddle on both my road & mtb, so if you have a saddle you know works well, try using that one before buying anything new.

Failing that, it will almost certainly come down to setup.

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