breaking in a new saddle

[chickwhorips]

i just got a new saddle (again) and i was informed that its one that needs to be 'broken in' because its a better saddle then i'm use to.

its the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour.

so far it seems good. though my sit bones are sore from riding, but i figured that was from not being use to the saddle and the 'break in period'. i've messed with it a bunch so that i have it tilted and adjusted to where i'm comfortable.

i just got it in and haven't rode on it very long. only a brief ride to adjust it and then one other soon after. taking a break so my butt heals a bit and see what happens then.

so question is this: how long is the 'break in period'?

[Squirrel 2]

I'm afraid that's BS -- saddles used to be broken in when they were made of leather, because leather softens & molds to conform with your body. The new saddles are synthetic materials. They don't break in, it's your butt that breaks in, if it breaks in at all. You'll have to see how it goes with your healing as to whether your butt can deal with that saddle. But the saddle will not "break in" if you ride it for 100 years.

[mimitabby]

THAT saddle is plastic, but there are leather saddles on the market and they take a variable length of time to break in.
I think it depends on your weight and the amount of time you put in onto a saddle.(when it's leather like a brooks saddle)

[SadieKate]

I agree. And not all leather saddles require break-in time. Brooks saddles are a different animal (pun intended).

[Squirrel 2]

Absolutely -- Brooks saddles mold to you as they break in, they are famous for this. Another variable is how much you sweat into it, and whether it gets rained on. But, alas, a plastic shell ain't got no forgiveness. What you get is what you get.

[chickwhorips]

so does this mean i didn't get a good saddle? these things are so frustrating.

all i know is i needed a good saddle with a cut out. i saw a good review on this one and figured i would give it a try.

hopefully my back end will adjust to it or i'm right back to where i started and another saddle goes to ebay.

[bcipam]

The perfect saddle for you is one that doesn't need to be broken in - but that's like the quest for the Holy Grail. It did happen for me. After years and year of purchasing new, expensive saddle and trying to break them in, I as forced to buy a saddle (while touring my broke and it was the only one the shop had) - the Terry Butterfly - put it on my bike and Viola! Instance comfort! I was in heaven. Now after several years the saddle is starting to broken me so perphaps its gotten too broken in. I may have to purchase a new one.

I would say, depending on how often and how long you sit on the saddle, it should take 2 - 3 months to get comfortable(ish).

[SadieKate]

No, it just means that whoever told you it needed a break in period was probably mistaken.

[melissam]

AKA: Can this marriage (between chickwhorips and the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour) be saved?

Could be. While it's true that this saddle won't break in like the good ol' Brooks, there are other factors:

1. Maybe this saddle hits chickwhorips in different spots than her other saddle, and these areas need to "toughen up."

2. Maybe it's a matter of positioning the seat in a slightly different way?

I dunno, chickwhorips, I'd give it a couple more tries before bailing on it.

Good luck!

-- Melissa

[emily_in_nc]

I dunno, chickwhorips, I'd give it a couple more tries before bailing on it.

I agree. I changed from a Terry Butterfly (wider and softer) to a Selle San Marco Atola on my road bike a year or so ago. The first couple of rides the Atola felt awfully hard after the cush of a B-fly, and I got a little sore in the sit bones even though I was not a new rider. However, that passed after the first few rides and I ended up loving the Atola.

It doesn't always work that way, though. A couple of years ago I had tried to change from the Butterfly to the Damselfly. No go. It felt miserable on the first ride, and the second, and the third. It pinched my girlie bits and made them raw because the cutout was too narrow, and it was just plain too hard. I couldn't get used to it and sold it.

The Atola is narrow like the Damselfly, but is a little softer and has a larger, diamond-shape cutout that is very soft around the edges, not stiff like the Damselfly, which is why I decided to give it a go a year or two later. And it worked out.

So, give it a few more rides - you'll soon know if it is never going to work or getting better all the time!

Emily