how long to determine that a saddle is not right?

[VeloVT]

Hmmm... Some aspects of fit require time to adjust to... but I would say if a saddle is killing you, it's not likely to get better. It doesn't take that much time to tell. Although you might try adjusting it a bit before making a final decision.

The one exception to this -- if it's your sit bones that are hurting and you haven't been riding for long, they'll "toughen up" after a while (I don't remember how long this takes -- a month maybe, maybe a bit less). But if it's other parts that are hurting, you shouldn't expect to adjust to the saddle.

One other comment -- sometimes other aspects of fit affect saddle comfort. If your reach is too long or your handlebars very low with respect to your saddle, this can increase saddle pressure. Also, of course, if your saddle is too high, that might cause discomfort (though I think it's much more common for people to start out setting their saddles too low than too high), and you might try tilting it down a smidge (personally, I am finding as I ride more that I like my saddle very level, when I used to prefer it tilted down a bit...). You also want to make sure it's in a good fore/aft position, but if it's not, it's **probably** more likely to cause knee pain, or possibly back pain,or maybe loss of power, than saddle pain.

Have you had a fitting done? This might help determine if it's just the wrong saddle for you, or a fit issue.

Good luck!!!