Brooks B17 "N" or Selle An-atomica

[bikerz]

The sides of my selle anatomica are not as vertical as the brooks, and looking at the anatonica website, in some of the photos the saddle sides look much more vertical than mine do. Maybe it's just a matter of time before they mold that way.

It seems like if I could lace it in tightly, to make more of a "T" shape, it would be perfect, but I'm nervous about messing with it!

[Kitsune06]

The sides of my selle anatomica are not as vertical as the brooks, and looking at the anatonica website, in some of the photos the saddle sides look much more vertical than mine do. Maybe it's just a matter of time before they mold that way.

It seems like if I could lace it in tightly, to make more of a "T" shape, it would be perfect, but I'm nervous about messing with it!

My thought - to be taken with a grain of salt and maybe a margarita- would be to put 4-5 holes ~1/4-1/2" apart along the flared part, 1/2" up from the edge and lace that way. It allows the safeguard that if the lacing is not what you'd hoped and dreamed it would be you can remove it, and if the removal leaves it very rough, you can still trim that 1/2" at the tops of the punches, 'swallowizing' it minimally. Also having it only 1/2" up means that you'll have enough leather *beneath* the laces to brace the lacing properly and support the structural integrity of the saddle itself.

I'm not sure how it's tied, tho. You'd have to look at that again to see. Another thing you could try is smoother (i.e. flat) shoe/boot laces. They'd be strong and yet lay flat against your leather seat. As the saddle attempts to flare around the stitching it would pull the lacing into it and effectively (eventually) inlay the lacing just a bit, reducing rubbing. ...just a thought.

[mimitabby]

kit
what's scary about cutting the sella anatomica is that since it has a slit in the middle, iff you pull it tight with laces, that slit is going to change. On a brooks
the saddle is a whole entity and your laces aren't going to mess with the integrity of the saddle.
Bottom line, it's hard to cut something up that you just paid over $100 for.

[Kitsune06]

Yes, this is true. I probably couldn't 'swallowize' my B-17 after I had it an-atomicated....

I'm just thinking, you said Raleighdon's slit molded shut after awhile, I'm wondering if tying it would re-open it and restore it to the original position? When I looked at/felt it, it seemed like the Anatomica's leather was a lot thinner than that of the Brooks. All that said, though... I admit. It's much easier to theorize about such things but I'd be sweating bullets seriously contemplating such things.

[mimitabby]

it didn't really "mold" shut, it just sort of shut.. you could pry it open.
and yes, you could TIE it so that would open, but since it's leather (waterproof or not) it's going to change and stretch over time. Fortunately you are a light weight, AND you're not going to do as many 200 mile rides as Raleighdon does so i think the saddle would be more apt to keep its own shape unless of course you alter it yoursellf

[bikerz]

On further consideration (and mimi, it had occurred to me that messing with the sides might mess up the slot behavior - that's a good caution!) I have decided to postpone even thinking more about changing my saddle until I have my new bike and have the fit dialed in for it.

I did a little digging on the selle anatomica site and found that the memos they issue to their dealers have a ton of useful adjustment information, so I'll be looking at those very carefully as I'm getting settled on my new bike.

[Kitsune06]

I wonder if it'd be prudent for high-mileage riders to get the clydesdale option?

[mimitabby]

I owe Knottedyet an apology. She was right and too polite to challenge me.

It says clearly on the website that the selle an-atomica has 3 sizes. How odd is it that when i talked to the guy at expo (who says he is the man who makes them ), what a month ago? did not tell me there were different sizes . I said "I don't like them because this size is too narrow."
He COULD have said "we're about to start making 3 sizes"

but instead he said something like "95% of the people like that size"

sorry Knot, I guess I am better edujmakated now.