Saddles: Break-In Period?

[Ana]

I've been reading some of the threads that say the saddle has a "break-in" period. Is this for all saddles? Do callouses form on your sitbones or something so it doesn't hurt anymore? :P

I recently went on my first ride with the Voler bibs (very thin chamois) and my sitbones were killing me!

Does that mean that with more consistent riding, they will stop hurting so much during/after my ride?

(I'm hoping the answer is that the hurt will subside as I ride more regularly...)

[mimitabby]

Ana, leather saddles have a break in period for some people.

Sit bones do have to get accustomed to sitting on saddles.
start with short rides and build up. at a certain point, you can try a different saddle, and yes, thicker chamois helps sometimes.

[indysteel]

I've been reading some of the threads that say the saddle has a "break-in" period. Is this for all saddles? Do callouses form on your sitbones or something so it doesn't hurt anymore? :P

I recently went on my first ride with the Voler bibs (very thin chamois) and my sitbones were killing me!

Does that mean that with more consistent riding, they will stop hurting so much during/after my ride?

(I'm hoping the answer is that the hurt will subside as I ride more regularly...)

I'm sure there will be a multitude of opinions, but based on my own experience, it's your butt and not the saddle that have to get worked in. I have to replace my saddle every 4k miles, but it feels good right out of the box. Same with new shorts--assuming the short is "right" for me. It could be that your butt needs more saddle time. It could also be that you are using the wrong saddle and/or shorts. If the Volers have a thin chamois, your sits bones may be crying out for more padding.

How many miles do you have in for the year? How long is your average ride?

I should note that I don't have a Brooks saddle. I could be wrong, but my understanding is that they do take some time to mold to your anatomy.

[Andrea]

Your sitbones have somewhat of a break in period, so you can expect some of the pain (maybe all) to go away as you ride more.

This being said, I put in some 600-700 mile months over the winter, then switched to a specialized jett saddle, which has a fair amount of padding, and (in conjuction with bad chafing) my sitbones were SCREAMING at me after just 30 miles. I switched to a San Marco that's on my bike now, which has less padding, and I've had no sitbone pain at all.

My point is, you'll break in some, but if the saddle's not right, you may still have some soreness.

[Ana]

Are you riding a San Marco Aspide? Are you still liking it?

I haven't been on a ride in a few weeks...so I'll keep at it for a while. Saddle hunting is toooo expensive for me So I'll probably ride mine until I have some savings or it dies...

Right now I'm on the search for nice shorts that I like :P

[Andrea]

I still like it, though I did some climbing yesterday and the prolonged sitting was causing some numbness. I may end up trying the cutout version sometime in the future.

[Beane]

Andrea- I'm about to give up on my cutout aspide glamour, so let me know if you're interested.

I'm starting to think that the issue is with my posture/positioning and not the saddle(s). The best for me has been the specialized jett, but that was on a different bike, so maybe my position/posture was different. i think i may try the jett in a wider size and see...

The saddle shopping has gotten to the point of the ridiculous, but I really would like to be comfortable while riding!

[Andrea]

Beane-

I'd be interested if you're getting rid of it. Let me know! The non-cutout has been better than others I've tried, but not always perfect