I am new to Mtn biking. I have a Marin Mtn bike, Juniper Trail model..I love it...but..the stock saddle it came with is just hard as rocks.

What saddles are out there that are better than what I own..I realize this is subjective question, but anything has got to be more comfortable than this saddle.

I don't do any hard/extrememe Mtn biking..and even occassionally take my Mtn bike on an asphalt paved bike trail too...So I really use it for a lot of different road conditions.

Any help would be appreciated.

My suggestion is to stay away from any of the really soft gel saddles. The ones with gel inserts for the jewel area is fine. I like the Serfas Cosmo and the WTB Laser Stealth saddles myself.

After suffering with an old Specialized saddle, went to a Terry Fly Tri (gel around the middle hole). It is extremely comfortable but firm enough for me and not too heavy. It is also narrow for my bony ass. I can go all day long on the Terry. I next tried a Koobie Enduro Gel for another bike. It is much firmer and a little wider.

The thing is, what is good for me, may not be good for you. You gotta try a few out until you get one that works. Hopefully, you know of a shop that will let you test a few out. Loads of padding is not actually a good thing, as weird as it sounds. Padding can apply pressure to a larger area that doesn't actually wanna see any pressure. Get a saddle that cradles your sit bones.

In my case, I ended up with a WTB Stealth V DH from a swap meet for $10 that is the best saddle ever. It's comfy, light and doesn't have much padding at all. OTOH I had a cushy Sefras Gel saddle that graced the top of my seatpost for... oh, like 30 seconds. Others have sworn the Sefras was the best ever... but not for me.

The other thing is, if you are not used to biking, any saddle short of those big gradma couches are going to make your tucas a bit sore until you do 2 or 3 rides on it. Also mess with the tip of the saddle. I go for as much nose up as I can handle before 'The Boys' fall asleep on long climbs. That's pretty much level. I have a bud who rides with the nose of the saddle pointing down. He loves it that way, but I'm surprised he doesn't have back problems with it like that.

Still searching for a saddle...so many to look at it

Just saw something called the Tricosport split rail saddle..wondering about that one too.

The thing is, what is good for me, may not be good for you. You gotta try a few out until you get one that works. Hopefully, you know of a shop that will let you test a few out. Loads of padding is not actually a good thing, as weird as it sounds. Padding can apply pressure to a larger area that doesn't actually wanna see any pressure. Get a saddle that cradles your sit bones.

In my case, I ended up with a WTB Stealth V DH from a swap meet for $10 that is the best saddle ever. It's comfy, light and doesn't have much padding at all. OTOH I had a cushy Sefras Gel saddle that graced the top of my seatpost for... oh, like 30 seconds. Others have sworn the Sefras was the best ever... but not for me.

The other thing is, if you are not used to biking, any saddle short of those big gradma couches are going to make your tucas a bit sore until you do 2 or 3 rides on it. Also mess with the tip of the saddle. I go for as much nose up as I can handle before 'The Boys' fall asleep on long climbs. That's pretty much level. I have a bud who rides with the nose of the saddle pointing down. He loves it that way, but I'm surprised he doesn't have back problems with it like that.