Luv my Selle An-Atomica

I've enjoyed lurking and reading other people's saddle notes, especially when I was desperate for saddle relief this past spring. My vote is the Selle An-Atomica.

I went from 2 centuries last year to over 5,000miles so far this year as I discover randonneuring (long-distance, self-supported riding). After each new milestone, 200k, 300k, etc. I'd cry in pain over the sores, blisters, rawness, swelling, you name it, I had it. But I continued to try new saddles - went through about 12 of the top ones and was about to have to give up on the randonneur dream ride of Paris-Brest-Paris next year.

Found an old thread on another chat room referring to this saddle & it took a while for me to find it because it's still new, but when I did I figured I had NOTHING to lose, plus the designer offers a return guarantee.

Ladies, it has SAVED me! It started life as a modified Brooks, but that's where it stops. The pliable leather and cutout were SO comfortable my boyfriend dragged it with us on my first 400k. We switched to the SA about mile 100 after I was already in tears and I finished and have never ridden another saddle since.

My friends are calling me a preacher, but the Dallas/Fort Worth area is starting to be a hot-bed for this saddle because it works! It's wide enough for my sit bones to sit on the saddle, not the edge - long enough for me to switch positions all day - pliable enough to move with me and not cause friction - supportive enough to actually be comfortable. And no padding to put pressure in the wrong spot! I ride the Titanico LD model (watershed leather is worth the money - I've ridden in HORRIBLE rains and still great)

My favorite Sugoi shorts wound up not working great because the chamois didn't go far enough outside my sit bones, so I've also switched to Assos shorts and right now, this is the PERFECT combination for me! Wish I could describe my relief and belief, but if you've had any saddle issues, YOU know what a nightmare it can be!

I think Team Estrogen will be carrying them shortly, but you can also check out the website www.mcmwin.com. (If you say Pam sent you, I might get a brownie point!) Might not work for you, but I'm proof you should NOT give up on finding a better saddle. Happy Riding,

Pam

Interested to know if this saddle is manufactured by Selle.

No, it's a Wisconsin company called "mcmwin." Their website is www.mcmwin.com and you can send inquiries, etc. to cs@mcmwin.com. His name is Tom Milton and he's extremely knowledgeable and patient. They even offer a guarantee!

If you're having saddle issues, it's absolutely worth a gamble.
Pam

Does anyone have any experience with the Watershed-leather handlebar tape that matches the Sella An-atomica saddles?

Hey, TexasPam, I'm needing some info as I try to pick out a new saddle. Can you tell me what Brooks you were riding, how you modified it, etc., and why the Selle was better for you?

I'm currently riding a Brooks Team Pro S on my long distance bike and, after a year of breaking in, I've got to admit that it's just too short for me. No room at all to move around, my sit bones are perched on the outside rivets, I'm either sliding off the nose or impaled on the middle section, depending on the tilt of the nose. Just can't get it right.

I thought about switching to a B67 to get some more width and wiggle room but then I found out about the Selle.

So I'm thinking about the Selle but I'm scared of that cut-out. Doesn't that edge hurt? Do your girly parts fall through the hole and, well...get squeezed? Any info would be most helpful.

NutHatch, I have one and the cut out is absolutely unnoticeable (though the longest rides has only been 24 miles). There are a couple of people over on the bikejournal forum that swear by the saddle, one calling it her Magic Red Saddle. Mimi's husband, Raleighdon, is another who just rode a 200k on it.

You can find out lots more info here. The saddle needs no break in (though you'll adjust the leather tnesion over time) and has 10 cm rails providing much more fore/aft adjustability in addition to its longer length, which is much longer than the most common Brooks that I see and I, too, like long saddles. When you read the measurements, note that the width is really the distance from the idents put in the top of the saddle for your sit bones.

BTW, Pam, the company is out of Fairfield, CA. The saddles are just made in Wisconsin.

http://www.selleanatomica.com/

It is not as wide as the B67 saddle for sure, so if you have wide hipbones i'm not sure it would work.
When Raleighdon gets his new bike, I might borrow one of these saddles just to see...because then he'll own two.

Hey, Mimi, how do you sit on your hip bones? You using the Superman position these days for speed?

It's really the width of your ischial tuberosities that matter. I like wide flat saddles with long narrow noses. The Selle has those.

Beware that the thing is a boat anchor at 470 gms.

not sure what you mean, Sadie, the ischial tuberosities, i guess i am sitting on,
like i did when i was riding horses.

and For everyone's information, Selle just means Saddles in Italian~
sella is singular.

I was wondering why so many companies called themselves "Selle"!

Thanks for the info. This saddle definitely sounds like it would be an improvement for me - my ischial tuberosities AND my pubic symphysis, which shouldn't be bearing weight but is right now on my Brooks (that white paper at their website was quite an education!).

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Originally Posted by nuthatch

(that white paper at their website was quite an education!).

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what white paper?

White paper

And check this one out - a movie!

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

. . . so if you have wide hipbones i'm not sure it would work.

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I think of my hip bones as those wanna-be protrusions just below my waist on the front of me and to the side, as in 'Simon says, "place your hands on your hips." I rarely sit on on them nor the hip socket portion of the pelvis.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

I think of my hip bones as those wanna-be protrusions just below my waist on the front of me and to the side, as in 'Simon says, "place your hands on your hips." I rarely sit on on them nor the hip socket portion of the pelvis.

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SIT BONES!! DUH!! sorry. I meant sitting bones, ischial tuberosities, not the hip handle bones up there!!

That movie is explicitly illustrative! ;) LOL

I emailed the selle an-atomica people about which one I should try out. I'm on saddle #5 right now since I got my bike back in July, and I'm still having issues with groin cysts and other miscomforts :(

Andrea
Let me know what they say , if my Brooks doesnt work out I may try that one. I am concerned about the cut out as it looks like it has a painful edge.
I love the way the Brooks feels ,but Im wondering why I can make a indentation (maybe the saddle is to narrow for me???

One of the things I really like about my Brooks B67 is that it "flexes independently on each half" like the An-Atomica proudly proclaims.

Something to be said for springs, eh? Yeah, sure, the racer-boys sneer at our sprung saddles, but we don't have eh-ehm *functional* issues later in the evening.:p

SuzieQ- why do you think the Brooks isn't working out? You love the way it feels.... so it's good! Just cuz you don't see indentations doesn't mean anything. Indentations are not the holy grail. Comfort is!

I rode about 140 miles on it last week ,and each day I was surprised it didn't hurt my crotch. I was getting pressure ,but never chaffing. I also was trying to do what you said ( pelvis pulled in),my core muscles are the weakest part of me. My butt is staying in one place ,so I thought I would make some kind of indentation? Oh well ,maybe I'm riding the nose of the saddle. I tend to do that. I had to make the nose totally level. I guess I shouldn't complain if my poor crotch doesn't hurt. :D I have the saddle all the way back. Really not much difference between forward ,and aft on the Brooks.

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Originally Posted by suzieqtwa

Andrea
Let me know what they say , if my Brooks doesnt work out I may try that one. I am concerned about the cut out as it looks like it has a painful edge.
I love the way the Brooks feels ,but Im wondering why I can make a indentation (maybe the saddle is to narrow for me???

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I got an email back asking for my height & weight, and since then, every time I try to respond, my response keep getting returned because "the mailbox is unavailable."
I'm gonna try one more time, then I'm just going to call and talk to someone.

are you talking about Wallbike? just call them on the phone!

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

are you talking about Wallbike? just call them on the phone!

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No, I was trying to email Tod at selle an-antomica. I ended up calling him and then ordering the Titanico LD model. I'm hoping it's not too wide, but it's what he told me to get.

Andrea.
Keep me posted. I think my sits bones are about 5 1/2 ,but not sure. I need to measure them. I'm going to do 75 miles(in a bike event) in 3 weeks on the Brooks...that will be the real test.

Gosh, I wish I could say that I love the An-Atomica I ordered a few months ago.

I've been riding it every day on my short commute to work and some weekend trail rides. No problems with girly bits. It's my sit bones that are killing me. I've adjusted the tension both ways -- too slack and the sides flare out and puts too much pressure on my thighs -- but any tighter and the skin over my sit bones actually gets abraded and the underlying tissue and bone feels bruised.

This isn't an issue of getting my sit bones used to a leather saddle. I've been riding a Brooks pro every day for over a year. I think it's maybe just a bad match for my anatomy. I was never totally happy with either of my Brooks saddles either -- never experienced the "disappears beneath me" sensation. If I didn't ride the Brooks for a few days, I was back to ouch-ville on my sit bones, like I'd lost conditioning. I'm wondering if I need an extra thick chamois in that area. If I throw a piece of fleece over the saddle, I don't have the same amount of discomfort but I haven't tried this on a long ride.