Originally Posted by
Noonievut
One question and one observation:
Question: have you found that if after a short ride a saddle is not comfortable, that it won't ever be "the" saddle for you (i.e., if it's not at least very good in the beginning, it won't ever be great)?
Observation: I went from curvy firm saddles, to curvy soft, to flat firm, to flat soft, and I think I'm settled on flat/firm. I cannot stand when the soft tissue around my sit bones is squished, it is very uncomfortable for me. My current flat/firm saddle could you a pinch more padding, but I'm not going to complain (well, until I do...we're talking saddles, I don't believe there is perfection).
In my experience, I can tell most of the time really quickly. I can learn to tolerate them and can try to accept but in the end, they just don't work and there is no love. Now, this assumes someone is accustomed to riding long distances. Not a newbie. I don't know how many miles or number of rides that it takes before you decide to "go steady" with a saddle. Unterhausen's post seems about right to me. I really regret ruining my Berthoud in some bad rain and then riding it saturated. I also let the bike sit in the rain while I tried to get warm, it was a mess. I see that Jan has replacement leathers. The Berthoud went from a blissful marriage to the dog house in one brevet.