Saddles, how long do they last?

danowat

As per above, what sort of life should you expect out of a saddle?.

The saddle on my Allez is now 3600 miles old, and it starting to sag in the middle a little (I am no lightweight....), is this a bit soon for one to start to go?, or should you expect to replace one around this sort of time?.

Also, if I need a replacement, what is deemed to be the most cost effective saddle with the best perenial (sp?) pressure relief?

Cheers

Monty Dog

Forever if you don't crash...but about some lightweight saddles don't last as long as the thin covers wear through on the sides and you can't get them repaired (Fizik reckon a £150 Aliante is disposable once the cover wears through!)

racingcondor

I'd expect it to last a lot more than 3600 miles. I wouldn't worry about the sag as long as it's comfortable and there is no sign of the plastic cracking.

You will find that the saddles break in, softening where you sit on it over time. I'm thinking about replacing my 3 year old Arione (with 10,000+ miles on it) as the foam has collapsed enough that I can start to feel the reinforced parts where the rails meet the saddle. I'll probably leave it for a while though as it's still comfortable.

danowat

Its definately not as comfortable as it was some months ago, I've had to drop the nose a little now, I'll stick with it for a while, but I reckon it could be on the way to the scrap heap.