John C. Ratliff

Just a couple of points:

--A nose-down attitude for the saddle can place more pressure on the soft tissues, by allowing your rear to slide down the saddle. A level or very slight upwards orientation of the saddle will allow you to slide back onto the wider part of the saddle, and take pressure off the soft parts. Use a level to determine whether it is level or not, and not the relationship to the bicycle.

--Try getting your bars at least level with the saddle. That really does help. You can ride in the drops more, and maintain aerodynamics when necessary by simply bending your elbows. But you can also get up and take pressure off the back by riding on the top of the bars. You can also look around, which really helps in traffic.

--I've got a leather saddle on one bike, and a split (Specialized) saddle on the other. When the leather saddle is well broken-in, it works great. The problem is getting there. People say not to put oil onto a leather saddle, as this will destroy the saddle, and it will...in about twenty years. But there are immediate gains in comfort, and in break-in time. It still takes many miles (200-500) to break in. I put my leather saddle into a bag of oil for three days (it wasn't filled, but the excess oil stayed in the bag), then took it out and used it on a Schwinn Airdyne for about 500 miles. That was over 15 years ago, and I'm still using it. I've never since put any oil onto it. Mine is not a Brooks saddle, but a Wrights leather saddle. I believe it was made in England, and may not now be available. I got it for about $7 at the LBS, as they couldn't sell it. It was too hard for comfort. Now, it's a great saddle. It gives nicely when I hit a bump, and I don't get the penal discomfort that occurs from same cheap saddles. But, it still is not as comfortable as my Specialized split saddle.

Good luck,

John