Hi all, was just wondering how long should a saddle last in terms of what do I need to look for to see if it needs replacement. I have a Romin SL saddle from last year and I just noticed that some of the black paint on the rails has worn off, there's a couple scuffs on the side from me leaning the bike on a wall and what not, the saddle itself still feels fine when I'm on the bike.

You've got to be kidding, right? I will give you the benefit of the doubt....

I would say you are nowhere near end of life for your saddle.

A good one should last a couple of decades unless you crash it badly.

currently riding on saddles that were made in '93, '93, '94, and '95.

Hehe, I know it is nowhere near in need of replacement, I just wanted to know that later down the line(i.e., years down the line) what I need to look for

I have a Selle Italia Prolink from 2001 (10 years old) with at least 10,000 miles on it. The leather is non-existant on the sides of the nose and the plastic frame is exposed on both sides. DON'T CARE! It is easier to replace bibs than to find another "perfect" saddle. I will stop riding it when it causes me more pain than a new one would.

According to the Manufacture of your saddle they say by around 10,000 miles the saddle will be losing its support and padding. Mind you this info came from the guys who want you to buy another one.....

I have a selle italia turbo saddle from approx 1985 that easily has 40K miles on it and still is in fine shape.

So you can keep it for awhile.

Yeah and you should get a new helmet every 2 years according to the MFR, this is BS designed for their cash flow.

Note the second sentance in my post

Yeah I saw that, was just amplifying the point, hope you don't mind.

Nah......

I just bought one of those weight weenie 95g carbon saddles, no padding to wear out!

Have had several great saddles that lasted at least 30,000 miles.

Had a Brooks B-72 we replaced due to breakage of one of the rails on one of our tandems.

If things break or it becomes damn uncomfortable for some reason, then replace.

When it breaks.

my wife knocked over my bike last week and scuffed my new Selle Italia SLR Fibra(135g) saddle. it scuffed the paint but the leather is fine. still have tons of life left though so its not going anywhere. i was somewhat concerned somewhat when i bought it how the rails would hold up being carbon fiber but so far so good.

i was slightly dissappointed with a new black selle italia flight i got. After 1 ride a thin layer on the saddle is starting to peel off (where my thighs rub and where my butt sits). seems kind of stupid that they are like this. i dont think this is a factory defect b/c ive had two do this now.

Copy and paste from the How Long Should a New Road Bicycle Last Me thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...icycle-last-me

I had about 62,000 km (38,500 miles) on Machak before he was stolen ... and he had a lot of life left in him. He was stolen almost exactly 7 years after I bought him (last Easter).

Incidentally, while we're talking numbers, I had 46,000 km (28,500 miles) on my Brooks B17 before it was stolen with Machak. I had it about 5.75 years, and it definitely had a lot more life in it.

When you decide to replace it.

Comment from the guy who did my fitting last month. He said the Specialized saddles (with the cutout) are great, but they don't last as long as other saddles. Mine is a Toupe, and he said they typically start losing support around 5K miles. The cutout design makes it weaker.

FWIW ... and he wasn't trying to sell me a saddle, nor was he a Specialized dealer.

I have that problem with leather saddles. First gen Flites were the worst. Saddle noses wrapped in electrical tape were a common sight in the pack.