I used to think the expensive climbing saddle was a waste until my buddy Vic let me try his

For years I ran a cheap $150 saddle from a local shop in Akron, figured it did the job. Then last month Vic handed me his Buckingham Ergovation for a big oak removal, and I climbed for two hours without any hip pinching. The next day I ordered one online for $475 and haven't looked back. Has anyone else had a single piece of gear totally change how you work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wyatt14d ago

I remember that hip pinching feeling all too well. Dropping that kind of cash on a saddle felt stupid at first, but after a full day on the Ergovation my lower back wasn't screaming at me. The difference is night and day, like the weight just disappears into your legs instead of digging into your hips. Makes you wonder why you suffered so long with the cheap stuff just to save a few bucks.

sean78214d ago

Buddy of mine spent two years on a secondhand Wintec that had this weird pressure point right in the middle. He'd get off after a 6 mile ride with that exact hip pinch and a numb left leg. Finally broke down and got a used Ergovation off a guy at the barn for half price. First ride he called me laughing saying he spent the whole time checking to make sure his saddle wasn't sliding off because he couldn't feel it at all. Now he's all paranoid about any other saddle ever touching his horse again.

richard_anderson13d ago

Vic talked me into trying his Ergovation for a full day on a big job, and I was ready to hate it. I figured $475 was highway robbery for a saddle. But after three hours without that nagging hip pinch I'd accepted as normal, I ordered one that night and never looked back. I get what @the_wyatt said about the weight disappearing into your legs - that's exactly how it felt, like someone took a load off my pelvis I didn't even know I was carrying.