Saddle is not centered :(
 

I got an eBay saddle and it looks like it has a problem.
When I make the post centered the saddle has its nose slightly off the center.
I needed to rotate the post a little to make the saddle aligned with the frame.

Here is how my post needs to be installled:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1443/...3440daa7_z.jpg2016-01-08 10.22.26 by Genna B, on Flickr

The center is off!!
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1574/...97aa4ae1_z.jpg2016-01-08 10.22.26-2 by Genna B, on Flickr

But this is the only position when my saddle is on the same line with the frame:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1597/...88ce0f90_z.jpg2016-01-08 10.23.55 by Genna B, on Flickr

This is not a problem as long as I have round post. However, if I want to get n+1 and the new one will have aero post, my saddle will not fit.

Does anyone have the same problem?
Is there anything I can do to fix it?

PS.
BTW, I absolutely love my new saddle. It was a love from the first (sight) i.e touch.
I did not spent a lot of time to set it up, just did the height approximately with my fit and leveled it.
I am riding like sitting on the could. Moreover I was able to ride my trainer only, which is normally harder on my rear end. Seriously, I am asking myself why did I spent so much time on stock saddle that came with the bike, why.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/...4e72b36e_z.jpg2016-01-06 12.08.24 by Genna B, on Flickr

Can't really tell from the pix, but the marking on the post could be off?

No, the post is good. Also I have another saddle on it, ant the central line on the post was exactly in the middle of the frame gap.

The saddle being slightly offset is pretty normal and one of the reasons that non-round posts are a bad idea.

You've done the correct thing by turning the post slightly.

Also, the marking may not be perfect either. A lot of bicycle stuff you would think is supposed to be right is not.

I had some handlebars on the stoker seat of my tandem that had center alignment mark and installed to that mark. Stoker was complaining about feeling twisted. Once I measured it, it turned out the mark was misprinted by about 1cm.

Andy

The saddle could be a cheap knockoff. There are a lot of fake saddles out there. I wouldn't be surprised.

The triathlon community loves Cobb saddles and I have read that they are a very reputable company. Give them a call and see if there is a way to tell if the saddle is a fake.

Cobb Cycling | Comfortable Bike Seats

Contact Information
Cobb Cycling
2011 Patridge Dr
Tyler, Texas 75701
Phone: (903) 253-8555
Fax: (903) 839-8726
Inquires: info@cobbcycling.com
Sales: sales@cobbcycling.com
Returns: returns@cobbcycling.com

An off-centre saddle can easily be felt if you try to ride no hands - the bike will feel like it wants to pull to one side as if the frame or fork is misaligned. If you can ride no-hands without problem then there is nothing to worry about and you are massively overthinking it.

Sounds like the rails are bent in some way or it's defect. To me it doesn't look that far off and if it rides straight and feels right there should be no problem.

If you are getting an aero road bike with aero post some day then in the grand scheme of things $150 on a new saddle shouldn't set you back much, especially after selling whatever saddle is spec on that bike.

Cobb are nice people and if you call them they may exchange it but the fact you got it from eBay doesn't help that much.

Some other food for thought... beware of riding tri/tt saddle on road bike. It is a trap that is hard to get out of. If you are sitting on the nose of the saddle on your soft tissue at such an angle that your sit bones are lifted off the saddle and aren't your main contact point you are in a tri/tt position, not road. If you're a triathlete then cool because you'll probably use that same saddle on your tri bike or if you clip on aeros but if you have serious road aspirations things make get tricky down the road.

Saddles aren't made to mythical ultra precise tolerances. makers know they're usually going into a post that can be rotated to final alignment, so they don't obsess over that. Neither should you. Align the saddle (not the post) and ride the bike. Odds are that if it weren't for the post markings you'd never have noticed, so just pretend you didn't.

Of course, if you had an aero post and frame which couldn't rotate, you'd need to replace the saddle, but that's not the case here.

Some saddles are not "straight". I have run into a few over the years, and don't use them, but I am picky.

There is a lot going on to make a proper saddle, and some just don't make it in the quality department.

Since you know the saddle fits you, you could try buying one new and see if the problem is corrected. If it isn't you could return it.

It seems pretty far-fetched to say

that a saddle is at fault because

of worry that it might not fit a theoretical future bike.

Adjust the post in the frame straight. Then give the saddle nose a good whack.

It's a saddle. You bought it on eBay. Make it straight. Ride it.

It's leather over padding, not stainless steel; a wee bit of leeway is normal.

As was said, you handled it by mounting it straight.

Now go out and ride it...

1) The most comfortable position for a saddle for a lot of men is not centered. I pivot mine a little to the left. 2) (This is news to me although I grant I never thought about this before) You cannot rotate the seat on an aero post? That's a little like making a pedal/cleat system that isn't adjustable.

Sorry, I am just an old school guy who considers bike fit the most important aspect of the bike - by far.

Ben

this is not tri saddle. I have COBB JOF on my tri bike and it is extremely comfortable
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5348/...07121bf6_z.jpg2014-04-23 (113/365) by Genna B, on Flickr

This is the reason why I got another Cobb saddle, because it will support my seatbones at two right points and I can slide back and forth with the same comfort.

yeah, this is what i am going to do :)
I paid about $60 for lightly used saddle that cost around $200 -
at least I can correct it with my current round post.

I guess I am not in that group of men. :)
After years of riding my bike I found that my fit can be changed a lot and then i can just adopt to new position.
This happened to me every time when I change saddle height, or flip the stem.

I spent very little time setting the new saddle, and was surprised that it felt right on.

Cobb replied, this is what they said:
"Looking at the pictures I wouldn’t be too concerned with the saddle being off 2mm. In fact we generally recommend offsetting the nose of the saddle 3mm if posable for added comfort. You can see this recommendation on our website here http://www.cobbcycling.com/wp-conten...-Setup-PDF.pdf
There is really nothing that you can do to fix a tilted saddle, a tilted saddle usually happens when an athlete has a leg length discrepancy and they are pulled down on that side of the saddle."

So i will not worry about it until it is time to get a new bike.

As Cobb mentioned, this can happen with used saddles. I must have a leg length discrepancy, either physical or functional, as eventually all my saddles get distorted with mileage ridden.