How long should I give a new saddle?

Shezzer

Hoping you guys could share your thoughts on a saddle problem I'm having ...

I bought a Specialized Roubaix a couple of months ago and am still finding the saddle pretty uncomfortable after 25-30 miles (to the extent that I get out of the saddle at every opportunity!). I've now done 300+ miles spread over 8 rides on this bike and used a combination of different bib shorts. The saddle is decent enough (a Spesh Toupe Gel) and is the right width for my sit bones (143mm).

Although I've been cycling for a couple of years, I had a couple of months off in December/January so don't know if my backside has just become delicate and I should give the saddle more time. Tbh, I've not noticed my other bikes (with different saddles)being this uncomfortable.

I know it usually takes a while to get used to a saddle but my question is how long should I leave it before deciding whether this particular saddle is right/wrong for me?

alfablue

I think the saddle is just not going to suit you - it is not like you are a new cyclist, if you were I would suggest persevering, but for an experienced cyclist I would listen to your bum :? , it will know what it's talking about!

antfly

I had the exact same problem when I bought a Roubaix last year only I couldn`t sit down after about 20 miles.I gave it a few rides because it felt good before the pain came but it was the same evey time so I gave up on it and stuck an arione on.

topdude

This months Bike of the Year Test has poor reports of the Toupe on the Roubaix and Tarmac although i have read many folks here get on ok with it.
From my experience i suggest either spending £20 on a Charge Spoon or £70 on an Arione, both are good but the Arione suited me better

Also you could sell the Toupe easily in the classifieds or on E bay.

toofat

i too have the roubaix, I was looking for another saddle because after 80 km I would just have to get off the bike,

in the mean time I have tried Fizik arione and aliante and a san marco regal and keprt going back to the gel toupe
I am now able to get to about 150km before the pain barrier, on the only 200km ride completed I was hanging off the side of the saddle to ease the pain for the last 40km
.
the search continues, hopefully the pain threshold might catch up to the distance I am capable of, loosing another 10kg might help

giant_man

That saddle doesn't sound the right saddle for you. Modern saddles (with the exception of the Brooks ones) don't actually 'wear in' as such, as there's not much give in the materials, which don't change unlike leather on the Brooks ones.

You may take literally years to find the right saddle for YOUR BUM. A very individual and personal thing this saddle searching. We've all bought saddles we've likened the look of, only to find they are not suited to our backsides at all. I know I have. Hope this helps.

Juju_uk_68

Agreed - The saddle on my Bianchi that I bought only last year has never given me a problem when in the saddle for a couple of hours.

The saddle on my Orange p7 which I bought in 2001 is still bloody uncomfortable after much of a period. It's never really got any comfier, despite my arse accumulating more padding since then.

If a saddle is uncomfy from day 1, then it won't get much better.

flyer

I bought the Roubiax Pro and also found the saddle uncomfortable, however a saddle is very personal and the Toupe gets some good reports.

I bought the Selle Italia SLR for £80 and sold my Toupe on ebay for £55.

I would buy a new saddle and give it a couple of hundred miles, but remember no saddle will be as good as a DFS sofa

Good Luck

Flyer

antfly

You did well to get £55, I think the ones that come on the bikes don`t have titanium rails.

I find my DFS sofa uncomfy,how long should I give it?

johnbirkby46213

I also bought the spech with that Toupe Gel saddle. Even my teenage daughter thought it looked sexy! However, sitting on it was a very different matter.
If you have a LBS, see if they will hire you saddles to try. I hired two (neither were any good ).
In the end I was fortunate enough to find someone who wanted to swop their Brooks Swift(!) for my white sexy light as a feather saddle.
My behind now thanks me for making the swop and I really can't tell the difference in weight on my bike.
The Toupe will really will not get any better (as mentioned above) no matter how much you ride. It either suits or it doesn't.

Shezzer

Folks

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It's good to know I'm not the only person that finds the Toupe uncomfortable. I've tried a few saddles, including a Charge Spoon, and the most comfortable I've found was the one that came on my cheap Halfords bike a few years ago ... a Selle Royal Viper. It's a cheap crappy saddle but I fit it to my Spesh and did a hilly 60 miles in the Lake District on Saturday and it was comfortable all the way.

Good job I'm not a bike snob!

mattsccm

Spoon or old Turbo