Originally Posted by
Cyclebum
The idea came about because when I stretch out a bit, especially when using the aeros, the pressure from the horn becomes really annoying. If I tilt the saddle down to fix that problem, when I sit more upright, the downward tilt is annoying. Figured others must experience the same sort of irritation with a fixed tilt.
I had the same problem.
I fixed it by dumping my (almost) universally vaunted Brooks B17 and switching to saddles that were almost dead level from nose to back. The B17 has a pronounced ramp near the rear, especially when being sat on. It's also a bit slippery because of the smooth leather. To compensate, most people set the Brooks up with the nose slightly elevated, like this:
That creates the "hammock" for the sit bones that lots of people like. I don't because of the pressure of the nose when I'm in the drops. I don't like the B17 tilted down where the nose is more level because I slide forward when I'm on the tops.
I solved the problem for myself by switching to saddles that are nearly level from nose to rear. These saddles give me much more of a feeling of my sit bones being perched on top rather than squashed into the saddle. I use a Selle San Marco Rolls for my touring bike:
and Selle Sam Marco Regal saddles for my sportier bikes:
I actually get a level out to set them up level to the ground. I've been much happier with the way they work for me.