Saddle woes

Mozza1

After reading lots of reviews about how comfortable it is, I bought a Selle Italia SLR XP for my best bike.
After 3 rides of 22,30 & 22 miles I'm finding it a bit uncomfortable.
Should I give it a bit more time to break in or should I ditch it?
Would a new pair of shorts help.......I'm thinking that my existing shorts have worn/moulded to my old saddle.
Bit gutted really; haven't really got the money just to replace it like that.

rc856

Know what you mean. It's hard to stick with it!
I had a Fizik Arione which was comfy enough but I got numb bits.
Went to my local Spesh dealer who had test saddles. Tried the Toupe
but wasn't liking it after a couple of short rides.
Changed to the Alias which is fine. This was at the same time as treating
myself to my first pair of Assos shorts and I'm very comfy now.

So, you could try a test saddle and sell the other one on eBay for a small loss?
I take it your saddle is positioned correctly?

Mozza1

Thanks for your reply RC856.
Yep Saddle is correctly positioned.
I really wanted an Selle Italia saddle to match the Italian frame/seatpost/bar & stem.
Also the old saddle was a Selle Italia so I thought I wouldn't have any problems thinking that the basic shape & dimensions were very similar.
Can't afford to Assos shorts either!
Might have a look at spech saddles now we have a concept store in town.

RDB66

Mozz, if your on abit of a tight budget for a saddle, i recommend trying a Charge Spoon or a Charge Knife. Both the same shape saddle but the Knife has abit less padding.

I've been using a Knife on my winterbike and it really is a nice comfy saddle.
And for the money you cant go wrong. Got mine off ebay new for about £20.

Hope this helps mate.

Rich.

peter101cycle

Mozza1 wrote:

After reading lots of reviews about how comfortable it is, I bought a Selle Italia SLR XP for my best bike.
After 3 rides of 22,30 & 22 miles I'm finding it a bit uncomfortable.
Should I give it a bit more time to break in or should I ditch it?
Would a new pair of shorts help.......I'm thinking that my existing shorts have worn/moulded to my old saddle.
Bit gutted really; haven't really got the money just to replace it like that.

Give it a bit more time to break the saddle in for a start and for your arse and legs to get used to it.

I built up the summer bike last year and bought a Fizik saddle, which after the first couple of rides was as uncomfortable as hell. After the winter, got the bike out again and still uncomfortable but with a few more miles and tweaking the saddle position (fore and aft), it is now fine.......still think about comparing it to an old Specialized Toupe saddle though...

giant_man

Saddles of this ilk don't need to be 'broken in'; it's not a brooks after all.

Selle Italia SLR was one of the saddles i disregarded and sold on cos wasn't comfy. Don't worry about how sexy you may think it looks, if it doesn't suit your ar$e, then it's no good. You may pay out for some decent bib shorts only to find it's still not comfortable.

Onwards young man and continue your search for your ideal perch. Don't be taken in by clever marketing strategies such as the Spesh 'measuring sit bones' method either, there's no magic to this, it's trial and error that will find you your perfect saddle.

nmcgann

giant mancp wrote:

......
Onwards young man and continue your search for your ideal perch. Don't be taken in by clever marketing strategies such as the Spesh 'measuring sit bones' method either, there's no magic to this, it's trial and error that will find you your perfect saddle.

Sadly, that is true. I have several saddles in my spare parts box that just didn't pan out.

I ended up with Fizik Ariones, although I have recently got an SLR XP (like the OP) which seems to be OK too. There is a proviso on that as I have only used the SLR on hard training rides so far and I'm not really thinking about saddle comfort on those rides :?

What I have noticed is that when I was overweight and unfit I really struggled to find a comfortable saddle, but now I am lighter and fitter it doesn't seem to be as much of a problem - I guess that I am taking a lot more weight on my legs now.

rickyrider

RDB66 wrote:

Mozz, if your on abit of a tight budget for a saddle, i recommend trying a Charge Spoon or a Charge Knife. Both the same shape saddle but the Knife has abit less padding.

I've been using a Knife on my winterbike and it really is a nice comfy saddle.
And for the money you cant go wrong. Got mine off ebay new for about £20.

Hope this helps mate.

Rich.

I'd second the recommendation for Charge saddles - got spoons on mtb and commuter and knife on road bike - they worked for me instantly, and I've never known anyone to have a problem with them. Plus as Rich says, they are good vfm

bristolpete

rickyrider wrote:

RDB66 wrote:

Mozz, if your on abit of a tight budget for a saddle, i recommend trying a Charge Spoon or a Charge Knife. Both the same shape saddle but the Knife has abit less padding.

I've been using a Knife on my winterbike and it really is a nice comfy saddle.
And for the money you cant go wrong. Got mine off ebay new for about £20.

Hope this helps mate.

Rich.

I'd second the recommendation for Charge saddles - got spoons on mtb and commuter and knife on road bike - they worked for me instantly, and I've never known anyone to have a problem with them. Plus as Rich says, they are good vfm

Same here. I have them on my bike and had a Madison Flux which is the same. Briliant saddle and for £24.99 retail you are laughing.

stfc1

Mozza1 wrote:

I really wanted an Selle Italia saddle to match the Italian frame/seatpost/bar & stem.

Have you tried a Flite? Horses for courses and all that but I haven't been able to find a single uncomfortable position on the Flite Team Edition...

matt.rochfort

How about a San Marco Rolls? A classic saddle that is apparently used by many pros because it is so comfortable and having bought one I have to agree - gos really well with my new Italian steel frame - but be warned it is not the lightest saddle but who cares weight is all in the mind anyway!

peddlefever

I would say it depends on what kind of discomfort you are having. If it is soft tissue numbness, I would try a different saddle. In my own experience I have never tried a saddle that made me numb that got better over time.

However, the Specialized Romin I have was not totally comfortable at first in the sitbone area, but it never gave me numbness, and I got used to it. So along with some other experiences I have had my sit bones adjust to some minor discomfort.

Also, I wouldn't just try to fix it with new shorts, because you want a saddle that will be comfortable with a variety of shorts, in case you use a different pair that aren't made exactly the same. So in my opinion I wouldn't rely on shorts to make a saddle comfortable, since you want them to make an already comfy saddle even better.

Not sure if you bought your saddle from a shop or online, but my LBS let me buy a saddle and swap it if it wasn't comfortable and I brought it back in good shape. Maybe your's will do the same if you did indeed by it from a shop.

MattJWL

Mozz, if your on abit of a tight budget for a saddle, i recommend trying a Charge Spoon or a Charge Knife. Both the same shape saddle but the Knife has abit less padding.

Also a fave of mine. Have the Ti-Leather Spoon on my MTB, very comfy, quite light and seems to be wearing well (although I'm putting in more hours on the road bike just now). Ti rails flex a bit, which adds comfort, but is disconcerting if you look at it while riding. The solution; don't look at your saddle while riding ;-)

Mozza1

Thanks for the replies everyone.
My old saddle is the last generation Flite Genuine Gel which weighs 290g..........with technology moving on as it does I thought that a newer generation saddle would give me the same comfort at reduced weight.........then the old Flite would be consigned to the winter bike.
I read a lot of reviews (which were all good) about the SLR XP before I got it.............unfortunately it was bought on 'tinternet (as a xmas pressie) so i'm stuffed on returning it.
I'm thinking now that I might try the current Flite models either with gel or not although these don't appear to be the same shape as mine.
Of course I'll have to try & sell the SLR XP first.
As a fall back plan I'll just stick the old Flie Gel back on.

stfc1

Mozza1 wrote:

Thanks for the replies everyone.
My old saddle is the last generation Flite Genuine Gel which weighs 290g..........with technology moving on as it does I thought that a newer generation saddle would give me the same comfort at reduced weight.........then the old Flite would be consigned to the winter bike.

New Flite Team Edition with Ti rails is about 200g. The San Marco Zoncolan is another to try if you like your Flite.

dieselgeezer

The back of the SLR XP looks "humped up" in the middle (well, mine does) & I think that's what causes some discomfort. Have found with some saddles that dipping the nose a bit makes you sit on your sit bones which I think is where you should sit.

jb-redbull

i would also recommend a charge saddle to you got one on my enigma and getting one for my scott cr1 tried a couple of saddles this was best by far