smoors

Hi guys

I have a question concerning the selle anatomica H1 saddle as this one is sold cheaper at the outlet store than the X which is not on sale. I am female and weight 121 pounds and thus would fit more in the SA X category. Right now i am riding a brooks b17 which i love for my sitbones but which gives me problems with my delicate areas so i thought the selle anatomica with its cutout would maybe arange that. I already tried the brooks imperial which did not impress me because the edges of the cutout pointed upwards and still chafed on my soft tissue. I prefer a harder saddle anyways (my brooks b17 is hardly deformed even after maybe 1000 miles on it and i love it compared to the old, hammocky b17s that i have tried), so i thought the tougher leather on the SA h model would still fit my preferences even though i am under their recomendet weight. Has anyone ever bought a SA saddle with thicker leather than recomended and can share their experiences? Thanks for your help!

Road Fan

The B17s that now feel hard will feel softer in the future. With your weight, maybe far in the future. If you have some discarded B17s that have broken in to the point of being soft and hammocky, some people might want one of those broken in saddles as long as they still have a good shape.

I like the Selle Anatomica, I had an H1 that I sold off but for my weight it's the right answer. Right now however I'm using Brooks. They have a model called T1 that you might want to read about - it's for up to 120 #. The H models are for 190 to 250 - it's going to be really stiff for you. You might try an X1 or X2, intended for 120# up to 190#.

With your sensitivity have you tried adjusting the angle of the saddles? And when you change saddles do you go back and fine-tune the height and the angle? All your saddles seem to be very high quality. It would be a shame if you are buying new ones and not getting the best out of your already spent $$.

Relative to teh B17 Imperial, I've also found that the edges of the cutout can be a problem. It is less of a problem with the SA and with my best SA (an X1 from a few years ago) it's no problem.

It could be (it was with me despite my male anatomy) that if you set it level you are sliding forward off the wide part which supports your sitbones. Then the pressure will be in the area that is in front of your sit bones, and that is very painful after a few miles. It's normal to angle the nose up somewhat, with a Brooks or an SA. I now find that if I have abrasion pain in the perineal area, I need to lower the saddle about a millimeter at a time to minimize the tendency to stretch the leg down to the pedal at the bottom of the stroke and rock the pelvis. Then I revise the up-angle to even out the pressure - not too much in front and not too much in back.

tyrion

I've had an SA H2 and a couple B17s. The SA H2 is softer, more flexible than a B17. The SA has thicker (or reinforced) leather, but that long slot allows it to flex more. That's by design - it's flexible right out of the box.

(FWIW I'm 230 lbs. - maybe an SA H2 wouldn't feel so soft to someone that is much lighter, but it is without a doubt softer than a new B17,)

Cyclist0100

Road Fan : I'm also a light rider (125 lbs.) in search of a leather saddle and have been going back and forth with SA about the "X" and "H" saddles. Even though I am close to the weight cutoff for the "T" saddle SA strongly recommended against that saddle. To my surprise SA thought I should be on their "H" saddle, not the "X" saddle... the reason being that I ride a lot of miles (200-300 miles per week on average) and the "H" saddle will last much longer than the "X". According to SA, the only "downside" for a light rider going with an "H" saddle is a modest break-in period of 100-200 miles.

Regarding the cutout, I'm pretty agnostic about them and was leaning towards the NSH2 (which does not have the cutout). SA confirmed that the non-cutout version of the "H" saddle will likely outlive the cutout version, but they also said most riders strongly prefer the comfort and added flex that the cutout provides. Based on SA's feedback I went with the H2 (cutout), which is currently on sale for about $123 with free shipping. I should have it by end of next week and will report back after I've tried it.

Road Fan

I'm looking forward to seeing your results - we can compare impessions!

phughes

If your B17 is giving you pain in sensitive areas, very likely the seat is too high, or you have too great of reach. It isn't the seat, though many other seats will be more forgiving of a bad fit.

fietsbob

IDK Selle Anatomicas with the slot, seem to stretch significantly
a friend has one .. needed to make more holes in the nose leather when the bolt ran out of adjustment..

so as to give it another go..



My Brooks team pro bought in the mid 70s , I had 10 years of day rides on it before putting it on my 2nd long tour of UK & Europe.



1000 miles is not very much use in comparison..










..

Unca_Sam

It's designed to be flexible, and absolutely must be kept dry to prevent overstretching. They say on their website as part of the adjustment instructions that a common issue is Brooks and Ideale users trying to replicate the feel of their old saddle and stretching the leather prematurely. There are plenty of Selle Anatomica saddles on Ebay with close to maxed-out adjustment bolts. Is your friend heavy and riding on an X saddle?
FWIW, they recommend adjusting the tension to the point that a 6mm allen wrench passes through the notch in the cutout with little resistance.
I've found them to be extremely comfortable once I figured out the set back so I couldn't feel the frame at the top of my hamstrings.

fietsbob

Old but Not heavy IDK if its the X version




...

Unca_Sam

The x maxes out around 180, then you should be on an H. T is for juniors at 120 max.

Road Fan

@fietsbob: Look at the saddle-top at the back. If the leather has an impressed big "X" between the cutout and the rear of the saddle it's an X. If it has an H, it's an H. I think the T model is not marked, but I'm not sure about that one. But I have both H and X examples. I also have a few that are old enoug that they pre-date the designations T, X, and H. I weigh just under 200 and some of they are fairly stretched, but I still use them.

I can't say what is and what isn't over stretched, but many things are on the SA website somewhere. One is that the front screw should be adjusted so that the minimum gap in the slot at the narrowest point is about 6 mm. There's been some additional discussion about whether one should not tighten it with weight on it and while it is wet, even from perspiration. My recollection is that we should not do those two things. I use a 6 mm allen wrench as a feeler gauge to check the gap. As well, at one point they sold a replacement tension screw that was a lot longer than the original one. I think the message is that the length does not matter a whole lot. What does matter is the gap and the pitch angle. Between the two you can make the two long strips support your underside with even pressure fro front to back, just like a hammock.

Kudos on sorting out the setback!

Road Fan

On the website they say they would recommend the heavier-rated saddle when the rider's usage seems aggressive or severe. It doesn't sound like you are planning rough usage, just long usage. I guess they want to be sure their product will give you good support over that distance. It sounds to me like it's good they did that, and it's good that you contacted them directly to discuss your needs, rather than just use the charts in the web pages.

Road Fan

Since my first reply I've received another H model, I think H2. This H2 with its lightweight rails has shorter rails that do not enable as deep a setback but also take off about 100 grams with the aluminum cantle. So far it's ok with me, but theoretically I don't have quite enough setback on my rando bike. It should work better on my vintage clubman, which has 2 cm more seatpost setback due to shallow seat tube angle. The H2 top has a great shape, but it started out a little stiff. I was also worried a about rain, so I used the Selle AnAtomica Saddle Sauce to make a waterproof coating. That has actually seemed to soften it early - it's quite nice at the moment and I don't have 200 miles in yet!

79pmooney

I don't ride traditional leather saddles because I move forward and back too much so I have no adive there. What I will say is that we are each so different there (like our faces and no, I haven't looked but I observe what works for myself and others) that we each have to do this by trial and error. A huge gift that some shops offer is arrangements like full return for a ridden saddle, either toward another or other merchandise. Shops were doing this more and more (at least until COVID) . One Shop in Portland had a "library" where you buy a $25 card and can take any of the two dozen seats on the shelves for a week, as many times as one likes. Find a good one and they will sell you a new boxed one with your library card $25 going toward the purchase.

My favorite seat, on all my good bikes (the city bikes get plastic coated seats for the rain) is the Terry Fly with the cutout I now need but didn't in my racing days in a past millennium.

Ben

Cyclist0100

I received the SA H2 and took it for a short spin today. In total I just rode a couple miles with a few stops to adjust. It didn't take long to get things dialed in and I was very surprised how comfortable the saddle is right out of teh box. Tomorrow I'm going to ride one of my regular 50-mile routes so I can properly assess this saddle's comfort. Will report back with more info.

Cyclist0100

smoors : I just took my new H2 saddle out for its maiden voyage (87 miles) and I absolutely love it! As I shared in a previous post, I'm about 125 lbs., I ride 200-300 miles per week, and Selle Anatomica strongly recommended I go with the H2 due to the miles I ride. Evidently, distance trumps weight when choosing a Selle Anatomica, and I could not be happier with the company's recommendation.

Right out of the box the leather is quite firm and rigid, but the cutout allows the saddle to flex and move per Selle Anatomica's claim. Despite my relatively light weight the thicker leather of the H2 is not an issue. The saddle immediately felt comfortable, and roughly 25 miles into my ride I started to forget about the saddle altogether. At the end of 87 miles my butt was very happy. I can honestly say that I've never ridden a more comfortable saddle.

Prior to purchasing the H2 I was concerned about the break-in period and how long it would take for the leather to soften. Based on the level of comfort I experienced during today's ride I now hope the leather never softens. It's super comfy just the way it is. I realize that's not realistic. The saddle will break in to some degree. However, considering my weight and the fact that I purchased the thickest leather Selle Anatomica offers it may stay on the firmer side longer than it would for heavier riders.

smoors: If you like the firmer feel of a B17 I think there's a high probability you'll dig the H2.

The Selle Anatomica is a definite keeper for me, but I've got one more leather saddle to try. At the same time I purchased my H2 I also purchased a Gilles Berthoud Aravis. The Aravis is GB's men's touring saddle with no cutout. The leather seems to be thicker than the SA H2 and it's really, really hard. Will keep riding the SA H2 for several more days before trying the Aravis, but I can definitely say that the H2 is a winner!!!

Road Fan

Cycletography, I'm glad you like the H2!

Cyclist0100

Road Fan So far I'm lovin' it! And I really don't expect that to change. I've got three rides under my belt so far. The first ride (as reported above), a 2nd ride of 57 miles, and a third ride of 101 miles. My 2nd ride was just as comfortable as the 1st. No issues whatsoever, but I did start to feel the hammock-effect sooner than expected. This wasn't a bad thing. Quite form-fitting actually. However, I'm finding that I like the saddle on the firmer side with less "hammock".

When I received the saddle there was absolutely no tension on the tensioning bolt up front. To prevent it from rattling I snugged it up before my first ride just enough to stop it from moving. When I noticed the increased hammocking after my 2nd ride I decided to re-tension the front bolt prior to my third ride to reduce the hammock and stiffen the saddle a bit. When I first started my third ride the saddle felt great. It was noticeably stiffer, but still retained excellent movement and flex. After a few miles into my ride I began to feel pressure against my testicles that was slightly uncomfortable. By about 5-7 miles into my ride the pressure became uncomfortable, but not painful. I was worried that I might have over-tensioned the saddle. However, I pressed on. At 15 miles into my ride the pressure on my testicles began to subside and by 25 miles into my ride the pressure was gone and the H2 was once again the most comfortable saddle I've ridden. I ended up riding 101 miles with very little break time. The saddle is just so darn comfortable my need to break is now mostly driven by water requirements, not fatigue or soreness in the saddle.

As for the 1st re-tensioning of the saddle, I was thinking in real-time on the bike and wondering how I went from feeling like my testicles were in a "soft vice" to total comfort in only 25 miles. The re-tensioning obviously added quite a bit of firmness and reduced the "sag" of the leather. However, the return of total comfort was not the result of increased hammocking during those first 25 miles or the saddle loosing tension. What I think happened is that my weight on the saddle over those 25 miles caused the increased tension to even out and reduce "hot spots". The increased tension that I applied via the tensioning screw did not diminish. I guess this is the beauty of leather! I wish I would have tried a leather saddle years ago... but hey, better late than never, right?

I'll provide more updates and feedback as I put in more miles. It'll be interesting to find out how much this saddle continues to "break-in" and how (or if) the feel changes over time. My initial impression is that the H2 is supremely comfortable right out of the box, even for century rides.

Michael Ar

I'll put in my 2 cents worth of experience with a Selle Anatomica X2. I picked up a very lightly used unit about 400 bike miles ago and it is without doubt the most comfortable bike saddle I've ever ridden. I think I can honestly say I prefer sitting on it to sitting on my desk chair. And feel rested after a ride rather than chafed or numb, which was my usual condition in the past. I usually ride 30-40 miles a day.

Michael