Road Cycling - Break in time for saddles?

I recently got a Selle Italia Max Flite Trans Am. I am thoroughly happy with the numbness problem below the waist but now my tailbone and *** cheeks hurt! I have had a serfas tailbones gel saddle for a few years now and I guess I got used to the softness on my butt but it made me numb down below.....now with my new saddle...I am NOT numb but my butt hurts. What is the "breakin" periods for most leather saddles such as the Max Flite or flite....I think they have the same type of padding. I also feel that my sit bones are too wide for the saddle...was wondering if there were wider saddles than that with a cutout in the middle like the Max Flite Trans Am is....i weigh about 170 lbs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Daryll

Unfortunenatly, you do not break in saddles, they break you in.!!!!

The only saddle you can break in is a Brooks leather. You need to ride it for lots of short rides for the first few weeks, then it moulds to your butt and is a custom fit ever after. If your bike gets stolen, the first instinct is *£$&, someone stole my saddle.

Plastic framed saddles dont change unless you take them back to the shop.

I have the same brand, and had the same problem on my first couple of rides. But, after a month and a half riding it, it's better and the pain doesn't really bother me anymore.

I say give it 2-3 weeks of actual riding and see if it works out. You need to let your butt adjust to the new shape. The padding will wear in a bit too.

Obviously if it is painful to ride, and you can't find a sweet spot with tilt adjustments, then its not right for you.

This is annoying.

also, if you're switching saddles which have relatively different shapes, they are going to fit you differently. The height/angle/fore/aft adjustment for one saddle may not work at all for another saddle. Experiment with and make note of different adjustments until you notice a difference, and then keep going until you find the perfect settings.

And the worst case scenario is that the saddle doesn't suit you at all - so find another one that works for you:thumb:

also, if you're switching saddles which have relatively different shapes, they are going to fit you differently. The height/angle/fore/aft adjustment for one saddle may not work at all for another saddle. Experiment with and make note of different adjustments until you notice a difference, and then keep going until you find the perfect settings.

And the worst case scenario is that the saddle doesn't suit you at all - so find another one that works for you:thumb:

I think you're a decade too late...

Saddle angle is critical. If you don't have a seatpost with a 2-bolt rocker style angle adjustment, you may never find comfort, if the angle is a problem. That said, I tried four new saddle models last season. No amount of angle adjustment made any of them tolerable for long.

I had that saddle for a few rides. Gave me some numbness as well. Groin numbness is not something I am willing to put up with hoping it will get better in a few hundred miles, so I ditched it. I have a Brooks on my commuter, and find it to be less comfortable now than it was when it was new. So overall I don't have a very high opinion of "breaking in" a saddle. After your first 50 mile ride, you should know whether it's going to work out or not.

Next time I'm in the market for a new saddle, I'll probably do something like Competitive Cyclist's saddle demo. It's $75, which is pricey, but beats buying a $150 saddle that you can't stand.

Holy zombie thread, batman. Look at the OP date!