Touring - Anyone UNhappy with Selle Anatomica?

I've read a lot of good things about these saddles and right now I'm torn between a Brooks B-17 or a Selle Anatomica. I've read countless threads about Brooks and I have no doubt it is a fine saddle and I may very well end up owning one. What I would like to hear is anyone who has owned a Selle Anatomica and either had a problem or the saddle did not work for them. I've read all of the glowing reports, I now want to hear from the other side (if there is one.)

Thanks.

Joe

This is a positive reply, not a criticism -- but still might be useful. I got one of these saddles free in response to some work I did for Tom Milton, the saddle designer. I've had it for a year and never mounted it until a month ago -- on my restored 1983 Specialized Expedition. Loved every one of the past 150 miles on this saddle -- so much that I just ordered two more, one for an Americano I have coming and the other for my wife's road bike. Friends also have this saddle on their new tandem.

Forget about wondering and, order one. It's not an expensive saddle by any measure (especially buying it on-line) and, it is extremely comfortable. Even if you end up preferring some other saddle, it is very doubtful you will not like this one. And, if you end up preferring it to all others, then you will have hit a home run and, everyone knows a comfortable saddle makes an enormous difference in cycling - from dreading to go out on a long ride, to being obsessive and even losing sleep due to looking forward to the next ride.

I have it and, the Brooks B17. I like the SA better. The slightly wider mid-body makes for a more gradual transition from rear to front and, a more consistent weight distribution on the underbody. Some like the Brooks better but, I don't know anyone who dislikes the SA. For the money it cost, it's just not worth wondering.

I recently bought a Selle Anatomica Titanico to try out. So far, I've tried it with many different positions, tilts, and tensions, but I still don't find it comfortable. I posted a thread about it here:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum/board/message/?thread_id=72477

I know many people love it, just like many people love Brooks etc. The only thing I can say for sure is that saddles are a very personal thing. What works for one person might not work for someone else. For me, I seem to be able to feel the edges of the saddle, both on the top where the slit is and on the sides. The leather does not come down on the sides as far as it does on something like the B17. Perhaps for this reason, it tends to splay out a bit when you sit on it; at least, that's how it feels - I can feel it dig into my inner thigh. Maybe I'm just a fat ******* or whatever, but I just thought I'd throw this in the ring. The main feeling when riding is that I just can't seem to get comfortable - there always seems to be an edge or something somewhere or other, depending on where I try to sit, and how. In a nutshell, I'm not forgetting about the saddle when I ride, it's putting itself into my conscious mind in a way that makes me want to stop riding after a while.

Currently I'm back on my B17 - it feels more comfortable to me, albeit without that (theoretically) nice slit to relieve pressure on the groin. For me, it looks like a tossup between the B17 and the B67, which is more comfortable in many ways but feels strangely wide when I ride it after riding the B17 for a while. One thing everybody should be aware of is that all Brooks saddles are NOT alike; the B67 feels very different to the B17.

I may give it a few more tries, but I am probably going to sell my Anatomica. Sorry to burst any bubbles out there! Yes, I've tried out lots of saddles, and yes I do know how to adjust a saddle, and yes I have played around with it quite a bit. It's just not working for me.

/Neil

I own a SA saddle, but haven't put enough miles on it to compare it to my Brooks Champion Flyer yet. One issue that has cropped up on the Randon list is that several people had SA Titanicos that stretched out in a short period of time. SA replaced them under warranty, but more than one rider has been through multiple saddles.

I don't know whether they have got this problem resolved yet.

I'll be using my Titanico saddle a lot this summer so I'll report back either way. I have 3 Champion Flyers in my life [2 on my bike and 1 on an ex-GFs I got for her] they are all going strong and quite comfortable.

I have the titanico and at first I loved it. Thought it was much more comfy than my B17, so I even bought a second one! Then I rode it on my cross country trip, and several times I got numbness where you don't want any numbness! I thought this was kind of strange since it has the cutout. I tried moving the saddle around and the angling the tip further down (never had it pointing up) to get relief but I still had occasional problems. Also, the leather stretched quite a bit after some rain showers (I have the waterproof version), at first it was no big deal, I would tighten it up a little to remove the sag. But after doing this about 5 times (all within a 3500 mile tour), the spanner screw ran out of length to tighten it further. So now I have a sag and can't tighten it any more.
Anyways, I back to using my B17 and happy with it. Never had any numbness with the B17, so until I do, I'm sticking with it.

I recently bought a Selle Anatomica Titanico to try out. So far, I've tried it with many different positions, tilts, and tensions, but I still don't find it comfortable.

For me, I seem to be able to feel the edges of the saddle, both on the top where the slit is and on the sides. The leather does not come down on the sides as far as it does on something like the B17. Perhaps for this reason, it tends to splay out a bit when you sit on it; at least, that's how it feels - I can feel it dig into my inner thigh.

The main feeling when riding is that I just can't seem to get comfortable - there always seems to be an edge or something somewhere or other, depending on where I try to sit, and how. In a nutshell, I'm not forgetting about the saddle when I ride, it's putting itself into my conscious mind in a way that makes me want to stop riding after a while.


/Neil

While I don't have problems with my SA (yet?), a friend with two on his tandem has done some trimming with a utility knife. He trimmed a couple of mm off both sides of one saddle, rounded out the nose of both saddles so you don't have that notch for access to the adjustment bolt, and trimmed the center of one saddle where the two sides came together and was pinching him. I plan to give my saddle a nose job....:rolleyes:

I may give it a few more tries, but I am probably going to sell my Anatomica. Sorry to burst any bubbles out there! Yes, I've tried out lots of saddles, and yes I do know how to adjust a saddle, and yes I have played around with it quite a bit. It's just not working for me.

/Neil

Neil - if you decide to sell, would you PM me?

Judy

Thanks for the info. For me it IS an expensive saddle, considerably more so than the Brooks. I think I'm going to go with Champion sprung Brooks.

Joe