Which seat is getting broken or broken in?

[biker7]

Guys,
Have a few short rides under my belt on my new sled and need some words of incouragement. Have to say this new Selle Italia XO Sudy on my Bike feels like I am wedging a triangular brick up my sit bones... pretty rough. The ride on the bike is wonderful BTW. I am resisting putting a Brooks B17 on the bike as I would prefer a more modern saddle as discussed previously. Which begs the question...will my sit bones adjust and toughen over time and just need to be firmed up a bit after a long winter? Is there hope for break in on this seat and my seat too or should I place a quick order for a new Arione and become a card carrying member? Reviews are very mixed on the Selle Italia XO...mostly bad.
Comments?...Thanks,
George

 

[OCRoadie]

Hey George-
I'd sign up for the Arione club, but as you know, one size does not fit all. I wouldn't wan't to ride around with a brick up my ass. When I first got my Arione (last Sept), it felt great from the second I put it on. It really didn't require a break-in period (I'm sure it's now broken in and is probably even more comfy). The only thing that took a little getting used to was the long narrow nose, which I've now come to appreciate as it opens up more riding positions. I've probably heard more positive feedback about this saddle than any other, I think I've only heard one or two users that didn't like it. It would be a shame to keep waiting for your Selle to break in, just to find out that it's still a brick and has broke you. On the other hand it would be a shame to fork out $100+ for the Arione to find out that you hate it. FWIW though, I would try the Arione. I'm sure the long winter has taken it's toll, as my ass has just started to break in for the season after about 800 miles.

 

[biker7]

Thank you OC...great advice. Think I may be waiting for nothing with the Italia Selle as others have panned it also. The other Fizik kid on the block that seems to have garnered praise also besides the Arione is the Aliante. Heard it is a bit more concave and some who have tried both prefer the Aliante. In any event, life is too short to ride an uncomfortable saddle.
Cheers,
George

 

[ritcho]

Guys,
Have a few short rides under my belt on my new sled and need some words of incouragement. Have to say this new Selle Italia XO Sudy on my Bike feels like I am wedging a triangular brick up my sit bones... pretty rough. The ride on the bike is wonderful BTW. I am resisting putting a Brooks B17 on the bike as I would prefer a more modern saddle as discussed previously. Which begs the question...will my sit bones adjust and toughen over time and just need to be firmed up a bit after a long winter? Is there hope for break in on this seat and my seat too or should I place a quick order for a new Arione and become a card carrying member? Reviews are very mixed on the Selle Italia XO...mostly bad.
Comments?...Thanks,
George

Just an idea - is the saddle height and setback adjusted correctly? Saddles vary in those dimensions so you might have to change your seatpost height if you change saddles. I experienced _precisely_ this problem when I changed saddles and took a little while to figure it out. It has been fine ever since.

Ritch

 

[dhk]

Thank you OC...great advice. Think I may be waiting for nothing with the Italia Selle as others have panned it also. The other Fizik kid on the block that seems to have garnered praise also besides the Arione is the Aliante. Heard it is a bit more concave and some who have tried both prefer the Aliante. In any event, life is too short to ride an uncomfortable saddle.
Cheers,
George

I've got the Arione also. It's a good saddle, but it's not magic. It's just barely wide enough for me. My butt was hurting a bit yesterday on a 3 hour ride, and noticed it today a little. Believe spring miles are at play here. Plus, you've got "new bike syndrome" to deal with as well.

It the saddle is wide enough for you, believe I'd continue on with it. On the other hand, if you can feel your sitzbones hanging off, with pressure on soft tissue and chafing of skin over the edges, that's not going to get better.

Specialized has a new line of saddles that come in various widths to fit. Those might be worth looking into. If you have a B17 handy, measure the width of that compared to the SI on your new bike. Believe you'll see why I mention width as an issue.

 

[biker7]

Thanks for your comments guys. Many dynamics at play as you well state. No road miles and tender-loins . I am now starting to hone in on saddle height which does make a difference. I am also starting to tweak saddle tilt also having initially the nose of the saddle up a bit...will see if that helps. Believe I have the fore/aft position dialed in pretty close for my knee over the pedal spindle with crank at 3 o'clock. And as you correctly state dhk...maybe a spacing issue. Sitzbones are being loaded with no chafing...its just how they are being loaded. I have heard some that actually have their sitzbone spacing measured....hmmm. So far I have resisted
Thanks,
George

 

[RC2]

George, why not take you bike to a LBS with a good selection and try a few side-by-side? That's how I ended up on an Aliante. It's not magic nor is fizik, you may fall in love with a flite, who knows before you try? Saddle shopping is tough w/o doing side-by-side comparisons, and a dog for some may be a winner for others with different geometry in their bum and sit bones.

 

[53-11]

George, why not take you bike to a LBS with a good selection and try a few side-by-side? That's how I ended up on an Aliante. It's not magic nor is fizik, you may fall in love with a flite, who knows before you try? Saddle shopping is tough w/o doing side-by-side comparisons, and a dog for some may be a winner for others with different geometry in their bum and sit bones.

I have the old specialized body geometry saddle. It really is comfortable (not the sleekest design though) I can ride 50-60 miles with no help from padded shorts. No chaffing at at all. In fact that's what I did when I first got into cycling--ride that saddle in regular knee length shorts.

I've thought about switching to an arione once this wears out. Tell us what you think about it.

 

[biker7]

More good advice...Thanks guys. Been riding my bike a bit as the weather is finally changing. The Italia Selle X0 does have to go, no question. Dropped the nose just a shade to get a bit more weight on my sitz's which helped fractionally but this saddle is quite poor...too much padding in the wrong places and too narrow for me. Saddle performance is aggravated by my riding position until I change my stem as I am stretched well over the top bar which is great for sprinting but as you know aggravates the comfort issue with weight forward. But honestly, that isn't the problem...the Selle just sux. I'm torn actually. Don't want to go retro but am compelled to pick up a B17 because even though heavy, its just a whale of a saddle as some will attest on the board. It doesn't fit the motif of the bike I just bought however which was mentioned previously and I agree. May just pull the trigger on the Arione. Good reports on the Aliante also but since it is quite a bit more jing and seats are a **** shoot anyway forgive the pun...likely will join the Arione marching band.
George