Selle Anatomica H2 - 500 Mile Review
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Selle Anatomica H2 - 500 Mile Review
After many years of skepticism and curiosity about leather saddles I purchased a Selle Anatomica H2 and a Gilles Berthoud Aravis for my brand new custom Surly Ogre. This is my 500-mile review of the H2. I absolutely love it!!!
Setup was easy. I put it atop a Promax SP-1 seatpost, which has a 20mm setback and a 2-bolt adjustment head. The angle is just slightly nose-up, and despite the setback seatpost I had to push the saddle all the way back on its rails. However, I had just enough room to get it properly positioned.
For my first ride on the H2 I planned a 50-mile route (all paved surfaces), but it was so comfortable I ended up riding 87 miles. Selle Anatomica's claims about the flex and movement is spot on even though the leather is fairly rigid. You don't really feel the movement of the leather top as you're riding. You just feel a constant and very comfortable support under your butt. As my ride progressed I never felt my sit bones or any part of my soft tissue compress against the leather top. For me, compression discomfort is very common with synthetic saddles that utilize a hard bottom shell (which is the vast majority).
I now have 500 miles on the saddle, including one century ride, and the H2 is awesome! No more chaffing, no compression discomfort, and even for long rides my need for chamois cream has been dramatically reduced.
As for the shape of the saddle, it's definitely a "hammock". It feels more like I'm "in" the saddle rather than "on" the saddle. Because of the hammock shape it's not a saddle that affords much movement, but that's not an issue for me. As long as I'm planted in the right position I don't mind being planted.
With roughly 200 miles on the saddle I did have to add tension to the tension bolt, as the leather had taken on more of a hammock-shape. After adding tension the saddle definitley felt more firm with much less of a hammock, but this translated into some testicle discomfort that lasted 20-25 miles... and then the discomfort was gone.
In the photo below I used the picnic tabletop to show the hammock shape of the saddle as well as the level of the saddle. While it is slightly nose-up it feels slightly nose-down, which I attribute to the hammock shape. Between 200 and 500 miles I've made no adjustments, but I expect I'll need to re-tension the leather top one or two more times before it stops stretching.
Based on my pre-purchase conversations with Selle Anatomica I learned their saddles are not intended for decades of use. In fact, the expected life of the leather top is only 2-3 years for someone (like me) that rides 200-300 miles per week. I was surprised and disappointed by that feedback from Selle Anatomica, but after riding the saddle I'll happily swap my leather top every 2-3 years to maintain such a high level of comfort.
I'll post a review of the Gilles Berthoud Aravis once I reach 500 miles. So far I've just done one ride on the Gilles Berthoud, but that first ride was 122 miles! Yeah baby!!!
Setup was easy. I put it atop a Promax SP-1 seatpost, which has a 20mm setback and a 2-bolt adjustment head. The angle is just slightly nose-up, and despite the setback seatpost I had to push the saddle all the way back on its rails. However, I had just enough room to get it properly positioned.
For my first ride on the H2 I planned a 50-mile route (all paved surfaces), but it was so comfortable I ended up riding 87 miles. Selle Anatomica's claims about the flex and movement is spot on even though the leather is fairly rigid. You don't really feel the movement of the leather top as you're riding. You just feel a constant and very comfortable support under your butt. As my ride progressed I never felt my sit bones or any part of my soft tissue compress against the leather top. For me, compression discomfort is very common with synthetic saddles that utilize a hard bottom shell (which is the vast majority).
I now have 500 miles on the saddle, including one century ride, and the H2 is awesome! No more chaffing, no compression discomfort, and even for long rides my need for chamois cream has been dramatically reduced.
As for the shape of the saddle, it's definitely a "hammock". It feels more like I'm "in" the saddle rather than "on" the saddle. Because of the hammock shape it's not a saddle that affords much movement, but that's not an issue for me. As long as I'm planted in the right position I don't mind being planted.
With roughly 200 miles on the saddle I did have to add tension to the tension bolt, as the leather had taken on more of a hammock-shape. After adding tension the saddle definitley felt more firm with much less of a hammock, but this translated into some testicle discomfort that lasted 20-25 miles... and then the discomfort was gone.
In the photo below I used the picnic tabletop to show the hammock shape of the saddle as well as the level of the saddle. While it is slightly nose-up it feels slightly nose-down, which I attribute to the hammock shape. Between 200 and 500 miles I've made no adjustments, but I expect I'll need to re-tension the leather top one or two more times before it stops stretching.
Based on my pre-purchase conversations with Selle Anatomica I learned their saddles are not intended for decades of use. In fact, the expected life of the leather top is only 2-3 years for someone (like me) that rides 200-300 miles per week. I was surprised and disappointed by that feedback from Selle Anatomica, but after riding the saddle I'll happily swap my leather top every 2-3 years to maintain such a high level of comfort.
I'll post a review of the Gilles Berthoud Aravis once I reach 500 miles. So far I've just done one ride on the Gilles Berthoud, but that first ride was 122 miles! Yeah baby!!!
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I have both of those, as well as a B-17, so I am interested in hearing your comparisons.
The only issue I have had with the Sella Anatomica is that the edge of the leather on mine is a bit sharp, and could benefit from being rounded off. I don't have the leather-crafting skills to do this without making a mess of it. My kid has had one for several years and it is still going strong.
As for adjustment, you use a 6mm hex wrench, which is convenient, because that slot should be about 6mm at its narrowest point, so you can measure it with your allen key.
The only issue I have had with the Sella Anatomica is that the edge of the leather on mine is a bit sharp, and could benefit from being rounded off. I don't have the leather-crafting skills to do this without making a mess of it. My kid has had one for several years and it is still going strong.
As for adjustment, you use a 6mm hex wrench, which is convenient, because that slot should be about 6mm at its narrowest point, so you can measure it with your allen key.
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I have 1500 miles on mine and haven't needed to turn the adjustment bolt for awhile. Once I got it dialed in it is pretty comfortable.
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I've wondered about the performance of both of these saddles. It'll be interesting to hear how it goes with the Gilles. I just ordered my second Brooks Imperial..the first one has been very good to me.
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Berthoud
After many years of skepticism and curiosity about leather saddles I purchased a Selle Anatomica H2 and a Gilles Berthoud Aravis for my brand new custom Surly Ogre. This is my 500-mile review of the H2. I absolutely love it!!!
Setup was easy. I put it atop a Promax SP-1 seatpost, which has a 20mm setback and a 2-bolt adjustment head. The angle is just slightly nose-up, and despite the setback seatpost I had to push the saddle all the way back on its rails. However, I had just enough room to get it properly positioned.
For my first ride on the H2 I planned a 50-mile route (all paved surfaces), but it was so comfortable I ended up riding 87 miles. Selle Anatomica's claims about the flex and movement is spot on even though the leather is fairly rigid. You don't really feel the movement of the leather top as you're riding. You just feel a constant and very comfortable support under your butt. As my ride progressed I never felt my sit bones or any part of my soft tissue compress against the leather top. For me, compression discomfort is very common with synthetic saddles that utilize a hard bottom shell (which is the vast majority).
I now have 500 miles on the saddle, including one century ride, and the H2 is awesome! No more chaffing, no compression discomfort, and even for long rides my need for chamois cream has been dramatically reduced.
As for the shape of the saddle, it's definitely a "hammock". It feels more like I'm "in" the saddle rather than "on" the saddle. Because of the hammock shape it's not a saddle that affords much movement, but that's not an issue for me. As long as I'm planted in the right position I don't mind being planted.
With roughly 200 miles on the saddle I did have to add tension to the tension bolt, as the leather had taken on more of a hammock-shape. After adding tension the saddle definitley felt more firm with much less of a hammock, but this translated into some testicle discomfort that lasted 20-25 miles... and then the discomfort was gone.
In the photo below I used the picnic tabletop to show the hammock shape of the saddle as well as the level of the saddle. While it is slightly nose-up it feels slightly nose-down, which I attribute to the hammock shape. Between 200 and 500 miles I've made no adjustments, but I expect I'll need to re-tension the leather top one or two more times before it stops stretching.
Based on my pre-purchase conversations with Selle Anatomica I learned their saddles are not intended for decades of use. In fact, the expected life of the leather top is only 2-3 years for someone (like me) that rides 200-300 miles per week. I was surprised and disappointed by that feedback from Selle Anatomica, but after riding the saddle I'll happily swap my leather top every 2-3 years to maintain such a high level of comfort.
I'll post a review of the Gilles Berthoud Aravis once I reach 500 miles. So far I've just done one ride on the Gilles Berthoud, but that first ride was 122 miles! Yeah baby!!!
Setup was easy. I put it atop a Promax SP-1 seatpost, which has a 20mm setback and a 2-bolt adjustment head. The angle is just slightly nose-up, and despite the setback seatpost I had to push the saddle all the way back on its rails. However, I had just enough room to get it properly positioned.
For my first ride on the H2 I planned a 50-mile route (all paved surfaces), but it was so comfortable I ended up riding 87 miles. Selle Anatomica's claims about the flex and movement is spot on even though the leather is fairly rigid. You don't really feel the movement of the leather top as you're riding. You just feel a constant and very comfortable support under your butt. As my ride progressed I never felt my sit bones or any part of my soft tissue compress against the leather top. For me, compression discomfort is very common with synthetic saddles that utilize a hard bottom shell (which is the vast majority).
I now have 500 miles on the saddle, including one century ride, and the H2 is awesome! No more chaffing, no compression discomfort, and even for long rides my need for chamois cream has been dramatically reduced.
As for the shape of the saddle, it's definitely a "hammock". It feels more like I'm "in" the saddle rather than "on" the saddle. Because of the hammock shape it's not a saddle that affords much movement, but that's not an issue for me. As long as I'm planted in the right position I don't mind being planted.
With roughly 200 miles on the saddle I did have to add tension to the tension bolt, as the leather had taken on more of a hammock-shape. After adding tension the saddle definitley felt more firm with much less of a hammock, but this translated into some testicle discomfort that lasted 20-25 miles... and then the discomfort was gone.
In the photo below I used the picnic tabletop to show the hammock shape of the saddle as well as the level of the saddle. While it is slightly nose-up it feels slightly nose-down, which I attribute to the hammock shape. Between 200 and 500 miles I've made no adjustments, but I expect I'll need to re-tension the leather top one or two more times before it stops stretching.
Based on my pre-purchase conversations with Selle Anatomica I learned their saddles are not intended for decades of use. In fact, the expected life of the leather top is only 2-3 years for someone (like me) that rides 200-300 miles per week. I was surprised and disappointed by that feedback from Selle Anatomica, but after riding the saddle I'll happily swap my leather top every 2-3 years to maintain such a high level of comfort.
I'll post a review of the Gilles Berthoud Aravis once I reach 500 miles. So far I've just done one ride on the Gilles Berthoud, but that first ride was 122 miles! Yeah baby!!!
I'm contemplating going back to SA with the X2 series (reviews of their rubber ones didn't sound quite as wonderful as I'd hoped I would read), or one of the carved Berthouds. So, really interested to hear your review of the Berthoud too. Not sure I want to drop $300 a saddle for my entire fleet, but maybe if it were the absolute bomb....
There are some knicker options i'd like to try, but they are upfront that the abrasive nature of my current saddle (cambium) isn't compatible...and I already know that the b-17, while seemed good a few years ago, seems entirely not so any longer.
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On a lark, I swapped out the R2 on my SSCX for my previously-on-sabbatical H2, just to see if there's a noticeable difference in ride quality. The short answer is... absolutely. The R2 gives up quite a lot to achieve weatherproofing. As I've pretty much sworn off of rain riding (every time it rains, I either fall down, or get a tire-destroying glass cut) I'm thinking the H2 is back in service for the foreseeable future, and the R2 will go on hiatus.
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Funny how we are all different. I love my R2 . And no creaks in my neck anymore looking for sneaky storm clouds. Just glad many enjoying SA saddles.
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Absolutely love my H2. Extremely comfortable. My R2, not so much.
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#11
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Excuse the exhumation of the dead thread, but I'm hoping maybe someone has some advice.
I have an S-A X1 and it's extremely comfortable. I like to ride without padded shorts and the saddle allows this without issue. However I do have one major issue with it and it's significant. When I pedal at a high cadence, the saddle becomes very bouncy and I feel like I have no support. I end up pushing my butt back onto the metal frame so that I have something solid to push from. This is the only leather saddle I've used, and I mostly love it, so I don't know whether this is simply how hammock-style saddles work or if a saddle with thicker leather, say the H-2, might ameliorate this bouncing problem. And, yes, I've adjusted the tension according to S-A's instructions.
Any insights or advice?
I have an S-A X1 and it's extremely comfortable. I like to ride without padded shorts and the saddle allows this without issue. However I do have one major issue with it and it's significant. When I pedal at a high cadence, the saddle becomes very bouncy and I feel like I have no support. I end up pushing my butt back onto the metal frame so that I have something solid to push from. This is the only leather saddle I've used, and I mostly love it, so I don't know whether this is simply how hammock-style saddles work or if a saddle with thicker leather, say the H-2, might ameliorate this bouncing problem. And, yes, I've adjusted the tension according to S-A's instructions.
Any insights or advice?
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Excuse the exhumation of the dead thread, but I'm hoping maybe someone has some advice.
I have an S-A X1 and it's extremely comfortable. I like to ride without padded shorts and the saddle allows this without issue. However I do have one major issue with it and it's significant. When I pedal at a high cadence, the saddle becomes very bouncy and I feel like I have no support. I end up pushing my butt back onto the metal frame so that I have something solid to push from. This is the only leather saddle I've used, and I mostly love it, so I don't know whether this is simply how hammock-style saddles work or if a saddle with thicker leather, say the H-2, might ameliorate this bouncing problem. And, yes, I've adjusted the tension according to S-A's instructions.
Any insights or advice?
I have an S-A X1 and it's extremely comfortable. I like to ride without padded shorts and the saddle allows this without issue. However I do have one major issue with it and it's significant. When I pedal at a high cadence, the saddle becomes very bouncy and I feel like I have no support. I end up pushing my butt back onto the metal frame so that I have something solid to push from. This is the only leather saddle I've used, and I mostly love it, so I don't know whether this is simply how hammock-style saddles work or if a saddle with thicker leather, say the H-2, might ameliorate this bouncing problem. And, yes, I've adjusted the tension according to S-A's instructions.
Any insights or advice?
#13
Senior Member
Does the bouncing occur only with the SA? If you haven't tested another saddle, I suspect that the bouncing at high cadence is a technique issue. I, too, bounce if I get over 110 RPM or so, and I would bet the farm that's because I'm not pedaling smoothly enough.
If you have tested another saddle without bouncing, why not switch? That's a real question - not a veiled suggestion to switch.
If you have tested another saddle without bouncing, why not switch? That's a real question - not a veiled suggestion to switch.
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Very glad to see that your experience with it includes longer mileage rides. For rides less than 35 miles, I can be comfortable on most anything.
#15
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Owning these saddles since they first came out, I would try moving the saddle back a few mm or raising the seatpost a few mm. Another possibility is the X1 is sagginf as you use it. S-A recommends to use the 6 mm hex wrench to add tension between rides so the narrowest point in the slot is 6 mm wide. Adding that little bit of tension tends to raise the saddle surface, giving you more support under you. I think I would try the tension adjustment first.
#16
Junior Member
Does the bouncing occur only with the SA? If you haven't tested another saddle, I suspect that the bouncing at high cadence is a technique issue. I, too, bounce if I get over 110 RPM or so, and I would bet the farm that's because I'm not pedaling smoothly enough.
If you have tested another saddle without bouncing, why not switch? That's a real question - not a veiled suggestion to switch.
If you have tested another saddle without bouncing, why not switch? That's a real question - not a veiled suggestion to switch.
#17
Full Member
Their 20% discount code encouraged me to pull the trigger now on an X2. I'm interested in seeing how it goes.
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#18
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Excuse the exhumation of the dead thread, but I'm hoping maybe someone has some advice.
I have an S-A X1 and it's extremely comfortable. I like to ride without padded shorts and the saddle allows this without issue. However I do have one major issue with it and it's significant. When I pedal at a high cadence, the saddle becomes very bouncy and I feel like I have no support. I end up pushing my butt back onto the metal frame so that I have something solid to push from. This is the only leather saddle I've used, and I mostly love it, so I don't know whether this is simply how hammock-style saddles work or if a saddle with thicker leather, say the H-2, might ameliorate this bouncing problem. And, yes, I've adjusted the tension according to S-A's instructions.
Any insights or advice?
I have an S-A X1 and it's extremely comfortable. I like to ride without padded shorts and the saddle allows this without issue. However I do have one major issue with it and it's significant. When I pedal at a high cadence, the saddle becomes very bouncy and I feel like I have no support. I end up pushing my butt back onto the metal frame so that I have something solid to push from. This is the only leather saddle I've used, and I mostly love it, so I don't know whether this is simply how hammock-style saddles work or if a saddle with thicker leather, say the H-2, might ameliorate this bouncing problem. And, yes, I've adjusted the tension according to S-A's instructions.
Any insights or advice?
I get what you're saying with the "bouncy" feel when spinning hard or pedaling at a high cadence when sprinting. When spinning in a low gear, low speed climbing, the bounce isn't really an issue any. But high cadence when sprinting at a high speed it is very bothersome. But I do just the opposite of what you're doing. Instead of sitting back on the saddle, I move up and am primarily just on the nose. Firm with no bounce.
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#19
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Is your cadence on the other seats as high as on the SA? A lot of people work harder when they're more comfortable.
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I've got 2 SA X-series - love them. Ordered an R2 that has not arrived yet. I really do not care much about waterproof, but wanted to try it out.
No intention to buy a Berthoud. But I do ride Ideale, Brooks, Gyes, Wrights, Belt, Palace.
No intention to buy a Berthoud. But I do ride Ideale, Brooks, Gyes, Wrights, Belt, Palace.
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I am going to agree with @Iride01 - in that, for my rides of 30 miles or less most any saddle is OK. But, .... given increasing age and some moderate weight loss over 2 years, I have decided that some of the 'marginal' saddles on my road bikes need replacement. So trying the SA R2 and chose a new but blemished one for under $100. Again, I like both versions of X series - different rails. The R2 has a new frame that can take a leather cover if the rubber version needs replacing.
The other leather saddle with a cut-out that i like is from Gyes in Taiwan.
Comparing the two cutouts - SA X series to the Gyes - the length is 19cm to 11cm (Gyes). The Gyes is also a stiffer leather.
Will soon be trying out a recovered leather saddle with a custom (long) cutout. From a fellow BF member.
The other leather saddle with a cut-out that i like is from Gyes in Taiwan.
Comparing the two cutouts - SA X series to the Gyes - the length is 19cm to 11cm (Gyes). The Gyes is also a stiffer leather.
Will soon be trying out a recovered leather saddle with a custom (long) cutout. From a fellow BF member.
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Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.