New Selle An-Atomica saddle

[jpbayarea]

Thanks for those comments. I am tempted to use the fine half edge file too as the inner edges of the open area are quite sharp and hard. Tom, the owner and designer of the saddles assures me that with more work to find the sweet spot that it can and will be found. It's counter intuitive but as I tighten the tension the discomfort lessens. The "hammock" feeling that can be had with a softer tension set seems related to the issue. I am also playing with the dimensions between my old fit and the new one with this saddle. Tom suggests not to have a professional fitter look into it as they don't understand the dynamics of this saddle.

I do not think the seat is too high as there is a good bend in the knee when fully extended. It's quite a different feel than any saddle I've had so it might just take some time to acclimate. Thanks much for the comments.

[Biciclista]

I think there are plenty of professional fitters who DO know the ins and outs of that saddle!

[jpbayarea]

If I can't figure it out myself with trial and error I will consult one of the good ones in a nearby bike shop. thanks.

[redrhodie]

I don't know if this will help at all, but I thought maybe you might want to see how mine are set up.

[jpbayarea]

Gorgeous Bike!! Oh yeah, the saddle is gorgeous too. It looks from the pics like you like yours rather soft with that 'hammock' in the center. I find I have to tighten it a lot so that there is little give. I went back to my old saddle today just for comparison and though it hurts my sit bones (reason for the change) I appreciated the way it made it all work for me.

What I learned from this is perhaps I do need a professional fit again to fit it as the old one was fit to me/my bike. I am VERY sensitive and if I am not fit perfectly to the bike almost everything hurts. I think the new saddle which is larger, wider and longer than my old one must throw off the fit just enough to make everything hurt (elbows, wrists, hands, crotch, etc,)

Did you find you adapted to yours right away or did it take time to find the right fit? I am waiting for Tom and his crew to return from Europe later this week and hope to have a longer conversation with them about the ins and outs of what is happening.

Thanks for the pics. I love your bike and the saddle looks wonderful on your bike. To be continued....

[jpbayarea]

I guess I should have said "bikes" not bike. I was into the saddle when I first looked and then came upon picture #2 and noticed that bike.

[redrhodie]

Thanks! The bikes are my pride and joy. I love them both so much, it's hard to decide which one to ride.

I had the saddles put on by the guy at my lbs who also has one, so he knew this saddle. As soon as I got on, it was ohhhhhh happiness! My old saddle was like a block, so this was profoundly better.

If you look closely at the pic of the brown one, you can see the tension bolt. It's almost all the way in still on both of them. I recently (like 3 months ago) tightened the red saddle by maybe 3 turns, and that over did it, and my sitbones were not happy. I loosened it again 2 turns, and still I needed to re-adjust. Now it's comfy again. The reason I added tension wasn't that I was uncomfortable, but that the cut-out was starting to overlap.

As sunken as mine look, I'm actually on my sitbones. Maybe that's the key--the slinging makes room for your anatomy? I put the question mark because I'm really not sure of why it works.

Let us know how the fitting goes. If this isn't your dream saddle, I hope you find the one!