Vinnems

I've been riding on and off again for the past year on a DeRosa with a Selle saddle and it still seems to cause me pain. It's the pain when you first ride a bike having not ridden one for a long time, but it just never seemed to go away. Padded shorts helped a little bit, but even then it just delays the pain from coming on.
I just bought another road bike, a new Panasonic, and it came with a stock Velo saddle of similar design, and even it is giving me the same pain.
I used to ride on an old Ritchie saddle that doesn't look much different but it never gave me troubles like this. Because of the pain, I end up going weeks without riding. Do I just need to keep getting on the saddle until this goes away? I don't remember it taking weeks for this to go away when I first started riding. The pain is only when on the saddle, I can get off the saddle and sit on anything else and I don't feel a thing. But the moment I hit the saddle, I can feel it bad.
Looking at other saddles for sale at bike shops, they all seem to be of a similar design, so I feel like I don't have much of an option other than to grin and bare it. The only other design seems to be those Brooks saddles, and they look like just hard leather!

Maelochs

If you have had it for a year and it still hasn't gotten out to find a job, toss it. it doesn't want a job and will leach off you for as long as you give it a home.

mpath

Have you had a professional bike fit?

Fiery

That's Italia, San Marco, SMP, Royal, Anatomica?

But back on topic, I generally know if a saddle will not work within the first few kilometers. I sometimes takes a bit longer to be sure that it will work on long days, but still not more than one or two good rides. But then, I've tried a few saddles and I know what works for me. It's much harder to tell when you are new.

Maelochs

If you have tow different but similar saddles which both hurt ... maybe because you don't ride enough you are sitting on the saddle too much and not supporting enough weight with your legs?No bike saddle is going to be very comfortable for long if you actually Sit on it, as if it were a chair.

There was a post here recently where a guy recommended sitting on corrugated carboard or something, then running a stick of chalk over it sideways so the chalk covered everything except the depressions made by your ischial tuberosities (the "sit-bones.") The measure the distance between the center of the two blank spots, and that tells you the width of saddle you need.

Mpath recommends a professional fit, but I think that is wasted on a new or returning or casual rider, because your riding position will change a lot as you ride more. But still, you need to have your bike set up right for your body as it is now. if the saddle is tilted a couple of degrees wrong, is a little too far forward or back or a bit too high or too low, it can cause discomfort.

Pay attention to how you sit on the bike---where most of your weight is--and where you sit on the saddle. Check all your contact points and make sure you aren't reaching too far or sitting too far forward to reach the bars. Make minute adjustments to saddle tilt and make sure the height is right.

Finally, figure out how wide you butt is---the bones, not the whole thing---and make sure you have the right size saddle.

I'd expect some discomfort for the first month or so, but not severe and not right away, and I would expect it to lessen steadily as my legs and core got stronger. If it were severe pain, and didn't go away, you have the wrong saddle, have it adjusted wrong,. or are using it wrong ... I'd say.

Andy Somnifac 

When? When it's uncomfortable and you've made reasonable effort to adjust it and it still doesn't work. It's not rocket science. If your taint isn't happy, find a new one (saddle that is).

surgeonstone

When your Hemoglobin level drops below 6 from blood loss.

cthenn

Such a hard question to answer. I've had saddles I hated, then tweaked the position or tilt, which then made them feel much better. Others have started off ok, only to become more painful. Some saddles I can get used to if I ride that bike enough, but then if I don't ride it for a while, it takes a while to get used to again.

The only thing you can maybe try is using that as your primary saddle, and then adjust the position or tilt, and try that for at least a few hours ride time. If you play around with it enough and still can't get comfortable, then move on. Saddles are like shoes, once you find one you like, in a position you like, you never change it!

10 Wheels

My saddle test was a 100 mile ride.

caloso

"Selle" is Italian for saddle.

Anyway, if you can't get it to work for you within a couple of weeks or a couple hundred miles, I'd move on to next.

Nachoman

I usually find that a couple hundred miles gives me enough time to mess around with micro adjustments
and enough time for my ass to express an informed opinion.

bikeme

Get sized for a saddle by a shop. Many have a memory gel bench or cardboard forms one sits on to measure the sit bone width. Then demo a few saddles that are the proper width--or buy one that has a 30-60 day return. Several brands have the same model in 3 widths. Pay attention if the saddle slopes quickly to its sides or if it stays flatter across--only one of those may be right for you. As mentioned by another poster, a complete bike fit by a qualified shop will help eliminate other factors that can cause saddle pain.