Got back on the bike after a three month hiatus and have come to realize my bike saddle is and never really was comfortable. I have a San Marco Rolls Titanium. I don't care what anyone says, it is NOT a comfortable saddle. I desperatly need a new saddle and would rather not spend more than $150. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Saddles are highly personal... With the San Marco Rolls, I assume you are talking about a drop bar road bike. Is that the case? The type of bike/riding position is one factor in saddle selection.

If you hate the Rolls, and have a saddle you would like to try, you might want to check out the "Saddle Swap" thread, I think it is in the "For Sale" forum.

According to a Bicycling magazine book I have, the best way to deal with saddle sores is to wipe down with alcohol before a ride, use some sort of chamois type cream and wipe down with alcohol after riding. Coincidently, I stumbled on this routine years ago and can attest to it's effectiveness. As for saddle comfort, as Little Darwin said, it's a highly personal thing. I had a Fizik that a riding friend loves and it didn't work for me. He traded a Selle Italia Flite he had for my Fizik and that saddle is perfect for me.

I see that the San Marcos Rolls is a fairly textured leather saddle, and after trying several saddles with textured surfaces, I finally found considerable relief from abrasions by using a saddle with a smooth slick shiny surface. I never remembered experiencing the extent of saddle sores on my commuter of years ago that had a slick saddle as well, but never really connected the two until after I purchased a Brooks saddle for one of my current commuters. Once past the break in and figuring out what the best saddle position was for me, I now understand the term "disappearing saddle".

has anyone suggested proper bike shorts and a hot 20 minute hoth bath after every ride? epsom salts are best along with some foaming bath soap. the hot bath is great for relaxing muscles (legs and back) and preventing saddle sores. it's also great treatment for current saddles sores. I haven't had any in a long time but a little Clearasil seemed to help them heal too.

In my case, 20 minute baths after every ride would be impractical when trying to factor them into utility cycling, same with spandex shorts on most occasions. I've found that products for treatment of athlete's foot also work well in helping with healing saddle sores.

This is where those insufferable recumbent riders just smirk. Sorry, I have no advice that would help.

liners for mtb shorts are padded without spandex. use these as underwear

Thankfully I haven't had these in awhile, but my strategy involved epsom salt baths, as mentioned above, and riding with no saddle or seatpost for a couple months.

Brooks.

Or if you're a vegan like me, anything from the Specialized BG series. (I've got the Sonoma 175, and it's awesome, and the Sonoma Gel is probably even better.)

Never had a saddle sore, I have buns of steel baby!

Dude.
Bad Mojo. You have angered the Bicycle Gods.
Do hill repeats as pennance.