Planet Bike Anatomic Relief System Classic Bike Seat- Men

Planet Bike's ARS was my third try at replacing an unforgiving factory saddle on my rather unforgiving MTB. I am a 6'-1", 190 pound male. I use this bike in TOO many ways- on and off trail/road and when on trail/road, typically cruising slowly with my eight year old behind me and for some of that at least, I prefer to actually sit in the saddle (lazy?). With the factory saddle, a 20 minute ride made me feel like I had ridden cross country bareback. I'm not as young as I used to be, but I like to think that I am far from "soft." The two other "relief" saddles I tried were improvements over factory, but longer/rougher rides sent me back to bareback familiarity, and the saddles were heavy. I have lots of other Planet Bike goodies on my family bikes that have invariably provided rock solid product performance. Amazon had a great price on the ARS saddle so I took a shot. It was delivered lightning fast and in perfect condition (not always the case with my growing Amazon experiences). The saddle was surprisingly light; great since I ride hills and have no interest in ANY extra ounces. I put it on my bike same day- easy install; nice sturdy structure; no surprises. At first plop, I was sold, and after a 20 minute ride, I had to write a review. It truly is a great saddle for me and my riding style(s). Not too big (again, I am fairly "slim"), not too small; not too soft, not too firm. It doesn't take care of all of the male anatomy issues experienced while sitting on anything short of a Lazy-Boy, but for the most part, nothing vital felt crushed! I didn't want the weight, look, or restrictions (or peer abuse) associated with a big ole' cruising saddle, so this thing is perfect for me. I've got several hours of riding on it now. Not sure how it will hold up long-term. Cover seems a little suspect, albeit better than others, and again- this is a "comfort" saddle. If it dies in 6 months, I'd buy another one instantly. Highly recommend it.**** UPDATE **** I have been riding on this seat for almost a year (lots o'hours)- rough stuff and cissy stuff, and it still looks and feels great. The only issue is that the screening/logo are pretty much worn off. My bike lives indoors, so I can't comment on how the saddle would perform if left exposed to the elements, but it feels the same as it did when I first installed it. As some reviewers have noted/complained about- It is NOT soft and cushy- don't let the gel-fill fool you. But it's not supposed to be soft and cushy. If you spend 100% of your riding time planted firmly in the sadlle, this seat may not be for you- try the aforementioned Lazy-Boy. If you tend to be light in the saddle or split time up in the stirrups/on the pedals, you will likely be fine. Good luck and ride safely (mostly).

Excellent product in my opinion. I use it for mountain biking. It's a little wider in the back than most seats so I was wondering what kind of effect that would have but it just added to the comfort for me. Hopefully it will hold up. 5 stars, excellent bang for the buck.

We'll start with that: Whether it's a great seat depends on what you need. This IS a great improvement on the ridiculous fence posts that most road racer bikes think people want sticking up their backsides. Meanwhile, this is NOT the seat you are looking for if you will be sitting upright in a more cruising style or need a very narrow "middle" to the seat (more below). This is simply is not as wide as some other great comparably priced seats (like the "Schwinn Pillow Top Cruiser Bicycle Seat" -- though Amazon's add for that seat has TWO DIFFERENT seats pictured -- a note on that in a second). Back to the A.R.S. (... as my teenager pointed out, the acronym when properly pronounced is the British term for its intended application ... anyhoo ...) I mostly do road riding / commuting to work, 10 miles one way, riding as fast as possible. Meanwhile I hate most bike seats; I want a seat I can pay no attention to (read the article: at Cervelo's site: "The Four and a Half Rules of Road Saddles"). When I put this seat on I wasn't convinced right away that this was 'the one': I tried multiple angles, heights, and positions, and found one particular angle where it was tolerable. I kept thinking I would take it off, but after riding >50 miles this week, I had actually improved my speed by over 10% (maybe I'm just getting in better riding shape, or maybe the new tires helped?), but, I've also thought about the seat less and less -- I think there really is a break-in phase as some others have mentioned. Two final notes: some have complained about saddle sores and inner thigh issues: because this is a slotted seat, it has to be more "pear shaped" -- see the article cited above, rule #4.5: "do you prefer a T or a PEAR shaped saddle?" The pears are inherently wider toward the middle, and will rub if you don't have a lot of lateral clearance in your anatomy there. See Amazon ad for the Schwinn seat noted above and the two different seats that are inadvertently pictured there: the top one is a "pear" and the bottom one is a "T", both of a similar model (look at top view images only). I actually own the "T" of those two and it is the best seat I've ever owned (and that's the second note: yes, it's more a cruiser style, but I use it on my road racer -- it's what's COMFORTABLE that matters, not what LOOKS like you think a professional should be sitting on) -- it is ~8" wide in the back, but with a very sharp angle to the nose so it is not very wide in the middle, making for great thigh clearance; if that is what you need, the ARS is not for you, but the Schwinn may be.At the end of the day, the ARS is not as wide as I would prefer, and the "pear" shape causes more friction than preferred; it was also not well fitted and was distracting to ride on at first. BUT, after some fine tuning on position and 50 miles of riding, I think less and less about it, and I'm riding really fast, which are all good things. If you are thinking about getting off your fence post for a street racer, you can't go wrong here. If you prefer wider support and narrower thigh clearance, get the Schwinn, but make sure it is the "T" shaped one.