Selle Royal Ondina Saddle

Yes - it looks nice, which seems to be the crucial factor in some of these reviews. But I spend more saddle time with my butt than with my eyes - it can look gorgeous, but if it's unrideable I don't need it.So - I was nervous about buying a gel saddle. So many bike saddles that are nice and comfy at first are sheer torture after ten miles. The problem is, the gel, or foam, or whatever distributes weight away from your sit bones - which can feel nice and comfy at first, like your dad's recliner. However... your weight is still there, it's just been redistributed - inevitably to someplace you don't want the weight, like your perineum. Turns out, your sit bones really are designed for, well, sitting, and other soft squishy parts of your undercarriage just aren't. But Selle Royal got it right. I've ridden several 20+ mile rides on this saddle with no complaints. My Raleigh DL-1 has extremely laid-back frame angles, moving the bottom bracket forward of where it would be on many upright bikes - if I had a bike with the crank more under the saddle, I might wish, like another reviewer, that the thigh cutouts went a little further back, more like the overhead profile of a Brooks B67.My only gripes with this saddle stem from some things that should have been, and some that shouldn't. A word about stupid proprietary mounting systems like the one this saddle is equipped with. Don't. Just don't. Please. I despise racks that only work well with the same vendor's panniers, and other accessories that similarly attempt to lock you in. If I want to be held hostage by a vendor, I'll go to the Apple store for my bike components.Unfortunately, this unwanted mounting system apparently necessitates moving the springs, cross-rail and bag eyelets forward under the seat. Boo hiss. Get rid of the stupid proprietary accessory mounting bracket and move the undercarriage of the seat back to make the cross-rail easier to grab (I use this rail as a handy gripping point when lifting my bikes) and the bag eyelets easier to reach. If you can thread them, that is. Unfortunately, the slots in the bag eyelets are a miserly 15mm or so - on my Brooks saddles the opening is closer to 23mm. Neither of my bags had straps that could thread through the Selle Royal eyelets. I had to thread my bag straps through the top coil of the springs. Not elegant at all.So - a decent looking saddle. It really does ride well and is not too soft. It should have been a five-star saddle, good looks and a good ride at a great price. Engineering and marketing choices chased that fifth star away, however.Getting back to appearances - I'd like to see it in black - and that tiny "RoyalGel" logo imprinted on the top surface of the saddle could be moved - whenever I walk up to my bike, my first thought is that a bird has done something unfortunate on my saddle, until I look a little closer.

What are the chances I'd find a bike saddle that is comfortable, lightweight, perfect color—AND comfortable? Beyond happy with this seat!! I tried a Brooks Flyer which was a beauteous work of art but it was numbingly hard and slippery. This $30 Selle Royal Ondina may not last as long as a $130 Brooks but it'll probably last longer than me. On my svelte city bike it's not too big, not too small. The medium/darkish brown (pretty accurate in the Amazon photo) matches the handle grips like they were made for each other. It's PU "leather" but looks great. I find reviewers photos tremendously helpful so I've added mine.

I live in Louisiana where the roads suck, but at 20+ mph on my ebike, this saddle was no problem. I gave it 4 stars only because it's no Brooks, very plastic, but it's inexpensive, so...

Amazing seat. Mounted easy on existin hardware on a 1970's VolksCycle. Very comfortable. Have had comments like "Nice Bike" since then.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this seat. I ride every Monday night with a large group and we ride about 10 to 20 miles and I can tel you this is a great super comfortable seat. Im a bigger guy about 230lbs and this fits me perfectly. I also like the fact that the seat is not crazy big and has a classic look that goes great with my Dutch style city bike. If you want a stylish comfortable seat sit on this.

Seat looks very nice but has torn in front (the horn?) after very little use compared to the factory seat on my trek which has received extensive use and still looks brand new. Wasted my money.

Seat mounted fine with existing hardware and feels high quality. Had a black version of this seat that came installed on a workcycles bike I had. That seat showed no sign of wear Selle Royal is known for high quality seats. This will be the only seat I ever buy again.

It is very nice saddle. I remember using this type when I was young. Unfortunately it presses some points and causes pain. It is common that even the best saddle doesn't work for everybody (matter of geometry).

Was going to buy a Brooks saddle but ended up going this route. Much cheaper looks stylish super comfy could not be happier with the purchase

I really like this saddle, such a good blend of classic look and quality feel.

Nice seat, comfy too. Not real leather, but still gd valuefor the price

my butt isn't as sore anymore, I like the bouncines in it and it's quite soft but if you want expreme comfort maybe get something wider. Over all I'm content with the saddle though

Exactly as described. comfortable. Great Italian engineering.

Great saddle, very happy with it.

An old fashion bike seat that is so comfortable.