Do you like grippy seats?

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sspomer
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Boise, ID US
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I'm curious to hear what you all think about seats or saddles that are grippy...either partially or completely. It seems like most saddles have some portion of the sitting area that's intentionally grippy. there are side panels that are less grippy on a lot of seats to help w/ pedaling friction, but in general, i can't stand grippy material on my seats. my shorts just get twisted (and apparently my panties : ) and i can't remember a time where i thought, "phew, good thing i didn't slide off my seat." i ride in baggies. i don't ride in wet weather often, so that could play into it a bit, but when i have, i feel like the grip on the saddle just grabs my shorts and pulls them down or moves them around rather than keep me in place on the bike.

what do you all think?
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yzedf
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Hebron, CT US
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3/31/2017 9:39am
Agreed even though I do ride in wet conditions at times
3/31/2017 10:58am
I think you need tighter fitting riding shorts.

I've never seen the point of traction bumps on the top of the saddle. Sure, a lot of riders sit down mid race run to save some energy (even the WC guys), but I've never really thought those saddles were mega necessary. 99.9% of the time I'm only using the saddle between my knees or while sitting at the top of a run, neither situation puts those traction things in play.
sideshow
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Keene, NH US
3/31/2017 2:52pm
I once made a home-made grippy seat like Sam Hill's signature seat from SDG year ago and now Nukeproof.
Let's just say this: I ripped off the repurposed Highroller tread after the second lap down the hill...ow.
For XC a seat with proper support (and adjusted angle) is more important, though I'd even argue that some amount of "slip" is preferred for pedaling and high-post maneuvering. For example, my two trail seats are a Fabric Scoop and a Cromag LTD Trailmaster. My DH seat is a Charge Spoon.
Sesame Seed
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Farmington, CT US
3/31/2017 3:06pm
Well - I have to buy one now.
T-Dawg
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Portland, OR US
3/31/2017 6:35pm
Define "grippy". Obviously nobody wants a sticky seat, but who the hell wants a slick seat either ? And anyone that claims to be sooo bad ass that " I never sit down in my seat " is complete BS. If you never sit down - then take the whole seat and post out. Or what? Now your bike doesn't look cool because it does have a seat? My dirt jump bike used to have a Kevlar seat, angled the same as the top tube, but my ass would sliding off the back if I wore anything poly or nylon, ( for example - when I sat down on it -to chill between runs). No offense to anyone- but over the years- it seems any time to subject of seat design comes up.....somebody always claims "I never sit down in the seat" ....." or "only people that suck sit down in the saddles" .......defeating the purpose of the topic.
sspomer
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4/1/2017 2:49pm
T-Dawg wrote:
Define "grippy". Obviously nobody wants a sticky seat, but who the hell wants a slick seat either ? And anyone that claims to be sooo bad...
Define "grippy". Obviously nobody wants a sticky seat, but who the hell wants a slick seat either ? And anyone that claims to be sooo bad ass that " I never sit down in my seat " is complete BS. If you never sit down - then take the whole seat and post out. Or what? Now your bike doesn't look cool because it does have a seat? My dirt jump bike used to have a Kevlar seat, angled the same as the top tube, but my ass would sliding off the back if I wore anything poly or nylon, ( for example - when I sat down on it -to chill between runs). No offense to anyone- but over the years- it seems any time to subject of seat design comes up.....somebody always claims "I never sit down in the seat" ....." or "only people that suck sit down in the saddles" .......defeating the purpose of the topic.
in particular, i was referring to trail riding, so definitely sitting. i find when i hop on and start pedaling, i have to take some time to get my shorts organized. the saddles i'm currently using aren't like grip tape or anything, they're pretty normal/average saddle material, they just really seem to grab the fabric. i don't notice the problem during descents though, just that transition from standing/pumping/descending to getting back in place to pedal.
Falcon
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Menifee, CA US
4/3/2017 12:00pm
I literally cannot ride a motorcycle without a gripper seat. A bicycle though? Uh, I don't see the point.
drfaceplant
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Fayetteville, NC US
4/3/2017 4:59pm
I've never found myself wanting for more grip from the seat, in dry and wet conditions. If anything, I would probably want less. A couple of you brought up the material of shorts and I find that's what aggravates things (increases grip) when I ride. The newer trail shorts definitely seem to catch on the seat, giving me some of the same issues sspomer brought up.

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