Seats wearing out.

[Lewis Moon]

How many miles do you usually get out of a saddle before you replace? I probably have 7 or 8000 on a Prologo Scratch Pro plus and it's starting to be a bit uncomfortable. It's a padded saddle so the padding breaks down sometime....

[zap]

Over 25,000 miles and counting.........AX Lightness carbon saddle.

Conventional saddles (Fizik, Selle Italia, San Marco).............10-15K. Either the shell starts sagging too much or the padding goes south. However, a more recent saddle purchase, Spec Toupe Pro (current model) lasted around 1500 miles......the shell cracked.

[TiminVA]

I tend to wear through the cover long before the padding or shell experience problems. Usually around the 10k mile mark.

[christian]

Never had a saddle go more than 10k miles.

[HenryA]

snipped.....

and it's starting to be a bit uncomfortable.

snipped.......

Do it now!

[regularguy412]

tip: use a saddle cover. preferably a waterproof one like sells Italia USED to make. saddle will maybe never wear out

Mike in AR :beer:

Sent from my fire using Forum Fiend v1.3.3.

[Lewis Moon]

tip: use a saddle cover. preferably a waterproof one like sells Italia USED to make. saddle will maybe never wear out

Mike in AR :beer:

Sent from my fire using Forum Fiend v1.3.3.

The problem is the padding(?) not the cover.

[batman1425]

I typically deform the rails from biomechanical pedaling problems long before the cover wears out. 3-5 years of continual use 6-10k miles is the norm for me but I'm using specialized saddles (romin evo - best shape for my rear I've tried) which are not known for their long term durability.

[CNY rider]

My Brooks Team Pros are just hitting their stride at 8000 miles.
Give one a try?

[regularguy412]

The problem is the padding(?) not the cover.

What I found is that, over time, the saddle absorbs salty sweat. The moisture continually evaporates, leaving behind the salt -- which eventually turns into a rock. So if you prevent the absorption, you can help prevent the 'solid saddle' phenomenon.


I have a 100th Anniversary Selle Italia saddle i purchased in 1996 that is still going strong today, with over 50,000 miles on it. Had a waterproof saddle cover on it from day-one.

Mike in AR:beer:

[berserk87]

I get about 8k to 10k miles out of a saddle. The leather cover tends to shred at the sides. I can get a few more months out of a saddle with some duct tape. Looks hilarious, but it works.

[Seramount]

the old Turbomatic II has 40K+ miles on it...still looked and felt ok when I retired it for newer, lighter models.

have a couple of Flite Ti saddles...one has ~8K and looks new, the other has a half-dollar size abrasion in the cover after only 5K.

most recent purchase, a SLR Team Edition, has at least 20K miles and is still perfectly serviceable. only has some slight fading of the logos.

[soulspinner]

Aliante carbon rails 20000 miles but needs a recover badly.

[spartanKid]

pec Toupe Pro (current model) lasted around 1500 miles......the shell cracked.

Common and very well known problem with Toupes. You should be able to get a warranty on it.

[bicycletricycle]

saddles I like a lot and how long I get out of them

B17 ti rail- maybe 7k then they start to sag too much, otherwise they are fine, I usually sell them to someone, some people like them soft.

C17- so far I only have 3k or 4k on one, still in good shape, cover looks fresh, getting a little flexier, the carved one I have more so.

Regal- These are not very padded, they do seem to get harder but I don't mind, leather starts to tear around the back but that's okay )the rivets keep it on), copper starts to flake of the rails, never had one go out of rotation, my oldest one is a train wreck.

[jmoore]

The correct answer is, it depends on the saddle model. I have recovered 10+ yo saddles that the foam was fine on. I have trashed 1 year old saddles because they were unuseable anymore. Not even worth a new cover.

Terry Fly and some of the old Avocets tend to break down. They have similar foam. Flite's are not too bad. Fizik's are good. But generally if the saddle has thicker foam it's going to compress to some extent. It depends your your anatomy, your normal riding conditions and how bad your swamp crotch is. Everyone is different.

And I've never seen a saddle that turns into a brick because someone rode on it and oversalted it. Overlay covers might work for some people but that is a suboptimal solution for lots of reason. Waterproofing is not necessary because most covers on modern saddles are not absorptive. And even on a nice cool spring day, having a sweaty crotch grind into them a few hours a ride is a worse environment than rain. Same with duct tape or electrical tape patches. They might hold for a while but you are risking quality bibs doing that.

[cachagua]

No, the CORRECT correct answer is, congratulate yourself on riding enough to destroy a saddle, and feel good about getting yourself a new one!

Make a ceremony of it. Build a nice fire, and as it burns down to embers, sit in front of it with the old-- no, the venerable, the ancient, the wise and revered saddle in both your hands. Massage it gently as you remember all the miles it carried you through, all the unrelenting climbs and merciless headwinds, the dreamlike mountain-pass descents, the days when you regretted getting out of bed and the days when nothing could slow you down, the sunshine and the rain, the flat tires and the song the tires sang you when they, and everything else on your bike, in your entire perception, was simply perfect...

You don't HAVE to throw it in. Toast you up some nice smores and take the saddle to the used-bike-parts joint. But pay attention to all this riding you've done! Remember what Robin Williams says, in "The World According to Garp"? He has a heart attack and the medevac copter is carrying him away, and he says to his wife, "Remember." She says "What?" and he opens his eyes and looks at her, and says "...Everything!"

[smontanaro]

My RRB has a 30-40yo Brooks Pro. Well broken in at this point. I haven't any idea of the mileage since it predates my ownership of the bike. Ron Boi told me he thought it might have been his at one point (sold it to the previous owner whose saddle busted).