Bill, Thanks!
Your experience sounds the same as mine and others with the SA saddles. I was doing the same thing you describe, scooting up on the saddle to mitigate the girth, which is contrary to the design benefit of the saddle. I haven't experienced the modified Brooks, but am considering it for another B-17. I do notice the added length of the SA does allow a less static position than on a Brooks. By restoring and strengthening the skirt, the lacing also added just the right amount of support to the saddle, so I found that same (improved) sweet spot toward the back of the seat as you'd position on a B-17. However, as folks with positive experience describe, the difference is not just in the immediate, but in the post-ride comfort as well. I've updated my description on Flickr, but note that I used 6mm (.22") rawhide (don't think my wife will miss that piece from her Baggins bag ...), piloted the holes with an 1/8" bit, then 3/16" tapered, then 1/4", being careful not to ream the holes with the latter. Had to taper the rawhide ends to lace through the holes; you want a nice snug fit. The leather drilled easily, of course. There's just a loop knot at the last section of each side towards the back; didn't want the full weight pulling across the rawhide. Besides, the length worked out just right for that. Again, very pleased; it feels great. Cheers, Chris Tucson, AZ On Jan 17, 11:47 pm, "Bill M." <[email protected]> wrote: > Your lacing job looks great! The laced SA looks like a wider, cut out > version of a Swift (Swifts look great IMO). Congrats on having the > nerve to take a drill to such a pricey saddle. > > I have had my SA Titanico Watershed for a couple of weeks now, and I > find myself thinking about exactly the same modification because of > the way the skirts tend to rub my thighs. I don't think it's a matter > of the SA losing its figure as much as it never having had the same > skirt profile as a Brooks. My various Brookses have a much more > defined 'crease' around the perimeter, and the skirts are much more > vertical than those of the SA so they stay out of the way a little > better. > > I wrote to SA to ask about the pressure points I had on my inner > thighs from the skirts. Here is their response: > > [quote]Regarding saddle pressure points on both sides, try lower the > seat post 1 cm > at a time. Ride long enough to feel the effects. We have also found a > few > instances where folks had over tightened tension which created a > similar > issue. The entire saddle surface area, particularly the front 2/3 of > overall > length were methodically designed over a period of years to provide > flexible > soft tissue support and an invisible contact, meaning the slot and > saddle > sides edges did not want to make themselves known. > > Regards, > Tom Milton > MCM Selle An-Atomica, Inc. > 707.372.6540 [/quote] > > I interpret that as "It's supposed to be like that". > > I rode 20 + miles on the SA today to play with position. My instinct > on a Brooks has always been to sit as far back on the saddle as > possible to minimize perineal pressure. It seems I have to sit much > further forward on the SA to keep the skirts from rubbing my inner > thighs. Moving it back a good 2 cm (long rails on these puppies!) and > scooting forward a bit got me sitting on a narrower part of the > saddle; dropping the seatpost a few mm and tilting the nose back down > a tad to compensate help make things more comfortable. I'm about 1/2 > way back on the tension screw after 110 miles or so. > > The softer leather (mine is a standard, not a Clydesdale) and cutout > nose of the SA do help relieve a lot of pressure. I don't feel the > edges of the slot at all. The SA is very nice on the sit bones. > Getting back on a Brooks after the SA, I feel a LOT of pressure in the > area where the SA is cut out. I may wind up having one or more of my > Brooks saddles modified by SA - they will do the cutout and laminate > the leather to prevent stretching out for about $50. > > I wonder how a cut out Velo Orange Model 6 saddle would feel? > > http://www.velo-orange.com/vosaddlemodel6.html > > Bill > > On Jan 17, 7:08 pm, Chris Halasz <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > If you haven't tried one, or if you have, and like many, found the > > saddle splayed a bit in the center, I had experienced the same. Note > > how it had lost its 'figure', as compared with a Brooks B-17CS: > > >http://flickr.com/photos/sea-fisherman/3205439336/ > > > I stitched it up (it is, BTW, the WC model): > > >http://flickr.com/photos/sea-fisherman/3205439196/ > > >http://flickr.com/photos/sea-fisherman/3204591917/ > > > And now it is FINE! > > >http://flickr.com/photos/sea-fisherman/3204591881/ > > > By far, the most comfortable saddle I've experienced. > > > Cheers, > > > Chris > > Tucson, AZ- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
