By Stan Purdum
Hot!
- Comfortable leather saddle with no break-in period needed
- Made in USA
- Attractive saddle, available in different colors
- Slot down length of saddles creates separate “hammocks” for your sit bones
- Easy-to-access tensioning system
Not!
- Pricy
- Slightly heavier than most hardshell saddles
- Some riders have found the saddle to be squeaky during first rides
Price: $190
How obtained: purchased from Selle Anatomica website
RBR Advertiser: No
After I submitted my review of my new Specialized Turbo Creo SL Comp E5 Road Ebike for publication in RBR last week, the publisher, Lars Hundley, noticed in one of the photos that I’d swapped out the stock saddle that came with the bike for another, and he asked me what it was. I explained that it was a Selle Anatomica leather saddle that I’d transferred from another of my bikes, and he suggested I review it.
I hadn’t thought to do that, primarily because I purchased that saddle in 2017, meaning it is not a new product. But it is in remarkably good shape considering how many miles I’ve put on it since then, and it’s the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever used. Also, it solved a problem caused by my anatomy that makes riding on standard hardshell bike seats — including the Body Geometry Power Sport saddle that came on the Creo — a painful experience. (And yes, I tried the Power Sport before making the switch, but after a dozen miles, I couldn’t wait to get home to get off it.)
My anatomy problem is probably not that uncommon. But bluntly put, my butt is a bit asymmetrical, and the best way to show what that means for bike riding is to look at the photo of my old Brooks B17 leather saddle, which was my preferred bike seat before trying the Selle Anatomica (SA).
If you look closely, you can see that the part of the Brooks that supports my left sit bone is permanently depressed more than the part that supports my right sit bone. Of course, the Brooks didn’t come that way. It took a few hundred miles of riding for the stiff leather to conform to the contours of my bottom, but once it did, the saddle became reasonably comfortable.
But as the Brooks aged, after carrying me for thousands of miles, I was looking for a replacement, and an acquaintance who had used the SA recommended it. I then read the online text about that saddle. That made it clear that the makers of the SA consider themselves competitors to the Brooks, about which they spoke respectfully, but they went into detail about what makes their saddle superior to it. And I bought one.
Comfortable from the Beginning
Visually, the main difference that’s immediately obvious between the Brooks and SA is that the SA has long cutout running down the length of the saddle, from near the nose to near the back, which takes pressure off the perineal zone. Most bike saddles these days have a cutout or a depression in this area, but the SA’s extends back farther, making individual “hammocks” for each sit bone, which makes it a solution for my lack of symmetry in that region. (The traditional Brooks saddles have no slot. They now make one version that does, though it doesn’t extend as far back as the SA slot. The slot in my Brooks saddle is one I cut myself using a utility knife.)
A second difference quickly showed up the first time I rode my bike with the SA saddle installed: It truly was comfortable right from the start. I didn’t feel the need to start rubbing the leather with the Proofide dressing that’s needed to soften the Brooks. SA does recommend treating the underside and raw edges of their saddles periodically with their proprietary “Saddle Sauce,” but that’s not to soften the leather but to waterproof it. But they say to use nothing on the polished topside of the saddle, which they call “Watershed” and say is already waterproof. In the years I’ve ridden the SA, I’ve never been caught in a full downpour, so I can’t swear that’s correct, but the lighter showers I’ve ridden in never seemed to bother it.
While SA says there is no break-in period needed for their saddles, there is a “stretch-out” period for the leather, which, says SA, can take up to about 500 miles (which so it seemed for me as well), but this is not a time of continuous discomfort. Rather, periodically over those 500 miles, you notice that the saddle has become slightly less comfortable. When you dismount and look at the saddle, you notice that the narrowest part of the slot has drawn closer together; But if you use an Allen key to turn the bolt tucked under the nose a couple of rounds, you will see the slot widen to its original position and will find the full comfort has returned. After the 500 miles, you shouldn’t need to do this again.
One unexpected hitch I encountered occurred when I tried to mount my Topeak under-the-seat wedge bag. It’s the sort that uses a separate plastic clamp, which is to be installed between the seat rails at the back. A plastic attachment piece on the bag itself then slides into the clamp, allowing quick removal of the bag when needed. But the rails on the SA saddle are wider apart at the rear than most other saddles and the clamp was too narrow to bridge them. A regular seat bag with straps that attach over the rails would work fine, but since I already had the Topeak bag, I added two small metal brackets to the clamp, which allowed me to bridge the rails. But that, of course, probably added another ounce of weight to my setup.
A Few More Things to Know
I bought my SA saddle in 2017, and as best I can recall, I paid about $140 for it. It has a chromoly frame and rails and weighs 515 grams — just over 18 ounces — and is still available. Shortly after my purchase, SA came out with a “Series 2” version of the saddle, which has a cast aluminum frame and tubular stainless-steel rails, bringing the weight down to 420 grams — just under 15 ounces — and is modular. As SA explains it, “It comes apart. You can swap components yourself without sending them to us. … rails, different leather tops, etc. can all be installed at home without any down time.” Both series currently sell for $190. They also sell some used saddles for about $100.
SA says their saddles all work for both men and women. There is no separate version for women. Saddles are available in different colors and for different rider-weight categories.
While I did not experience this myself, some SA saddle buyers have said they had problems with the seat squeaking, at least initially. But scouring the web, I didn’t find many claims like this, and some of those I did find said that SA helped them fix the problem.
SA also sells traditional leather saddles without the slot, should you want one (but really, why would you want one?).
There’s a video and full directions for installing your saddle on the SA website, but you have to hunt for it. Rather than including it in the menu at the top, it’s listed at the bottom of each page under “Saddle Setup & Adjustment” in the “Resources” column. That column has some other useful information as well for you to explore.
Every SA saddle purchase comes with a 30-day “Comfort & Fit” guarantee. If you don’t like the saddle, return it, and receive your money back.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
Next Article: Ask the Coach: What Should a Beginning Cyclist Eat and Drink, pt. 2?
The SA is comfortable right out of the box, and it remains so for quite some time. However, the leather stretches and became a “valley” under my backside. Even after extending the under-rail to its maximum by turning with an Allen key, the “valley” returned and became uncomfortable. This occurred after about one year and 3,000 miles of riding. I bought a replacement leather to go on the modular frame, but it also deformed after one year. It seems quite pricy for only one year of excellent comfort. I have switched to a 3d-printed saddle.
Sorry you’ve had this problem., Len. For me, the saddle has not sagged at all after the initial stretch period.. Don’t know what year you purchased your SA saddle, but those from 2014 and on have a longer tensioning bolt, which might extend the life of the saddle. See https://selleanatomica.com/products/replacement-tension-bolt
I am 81 and have been riding on an SA saddle a couple of years and agree it is very comfortable.
The slot is recommended to be kept at 1/4″ width at it narrowest point, so just slide a 6mm or 1/4″ and adjust as needed. When the leather has stretched to the point you have no bolt threads left a new leather cover and rivet/bolts are easily done and Bob’s your uncle.
Been there, done that. Pricy for one year of riding.
I’ve used the SA for 4 RAAM races and love it. It’s the only saddle that eases the sit bone pain. Love em’!
Been there, done that. The saddle was great but pricy for one year of riding.
I have had five of them and four are currently installed on my four bikes. A friend suggested them and I’ve never looked back. They do stretch out over a long period of time and therefore reach the limits of the adjustment screw. Also; if you are interested, watch for a sale in mid winter.
I bought the Series 2 aluminum saddle, butthe leather just kept on stretching. I liked the comfort of the saddle, so I bought the rubber top. I was able to switch the leather for the rubber, though not as easily as the website suggested. This is now a great, comfortable, and weatherproof saddle.
Been riding SA only in all of my bikes for more than five years. I tell people that it’s my “all day saddle”. I’ve yet to have one stretch to its max and I ride 6-8,000 miles a year. No other saddle I’ve tried has this level of comfort. I’d love to know what saddle others have tried after quitting the SA
I purchased 2 saddles and one of them cracked after a 3 to 4 hundred miles. Selle Anatomica has been reluctant to replace it. Never purchase a product of there’s avgain.
I have ridden Brooks, Rivet, ans Selle AnAtomica. Out of the box the SAA is the most comfortable. I have one on my commuter that I ride wearing “office clothes.” My Rando bike currently has a RIvet because a bad stwist broke the rails of my 40 year old Brooks Pro and, years later, Brooks told me the Swift i fell in love with wore out in 3 years because I was 30-40 pounds over its design weight.
The Rivet was a “give it a try. ” almost as comfy as the SAA, and more comfy on brevets, and longer lasting. I think the Brooks may still be better the best long ride, long term choice, but not so much that I want to spend money to replace a functioning saddle!
That Swift was nice while it lasted, though!
I typed yhis on my phone, h hit the send button before I did a proofread. Sorry about the slop and errors!
I typed this on my phone, & hit the send button before I did a proofread. Sorry about the slop and errors!
I have SA saddles on 3 of my bikes. Love them! I bought the last one almost 10 years ago and they were considerably cheaper. I find they do need protection from the rain (I use rubber saddle covers) and it’s good to treat the leather with a protective cream a couple of times a year.
Please review the Infinity Saddle. Get the basic E-2 model. I’ve requested this several times.
Sa saddles are junk when it comes to stock bicycles you are forced to buy more expensive expensive models. Check out specialized they value your ass.
Sa saddles have nothing to do with the bike you buy —- understand the conversation…
I found that the saddle cover stretched to “un-adjustable any further” after only about 7,000 miles. Soon thereafter a rail broke. That’s not a very good bargain, $ per mile! I broke a Brooks B-17’s rail too, but that was after about 35,000 miles. I weighed between 190-215 lbs. over the lives of those saddles.
I have no argument on the comfort of the SA, however. Only the comparable value.
I should’ve added that the leather cover on the B-17 I never had to adjust despite my heaviness.
Another B-17 I did end up wearing out the leather cover thru use and sweat and weather.. About 30 years.
I recently bought a rubber SA saddle. Cheaper, waterproof, and I think it should be more durable than the leather one. I’m still undecided whether its less comfortable than the leather X saddle I have on my other bike though.
They really should redesign the nose of the SA saddle. It snags the shorts when pedaling out of the saddle. I won’t use one on a mountain bike just for that reason.
I’ve put about 750 miles on my SA X1 saddle and the jury is still out. For me at least, it didn’t feel comfortable right out of the box. The leather still feels pretty stiff and I’m still getting a bit of sit bone soreness after a few hours. Pretty sure my bike fit is good, I’m wearing chamois, and I’m only 155 lbs. Not sure what the problem is, but I’m going to give it more time. Maybe it just needs more of a break-in period for me.
You may know this but just in case. . .
Have you ridden leather saddles before? If not, you need to try setting it “nose up” compared to current racing saddles. The SAA probably less than a Brooks, though.
When I worked at Bike Friday many customers loved them. But yes, “stretching out” – despite the ability to tighten – was a common complaint. My preferred saddle for years has been the Terry Men’s Fly Ti precisely because its extra long slot and padding where it counts provides a “hammock like” experience more than every other saddle I tried (aside from that early mesh one that was truly a hammock, and the once-was Saddleco Flow RBR reviewed – why did those guys give it up?!?). Terry really know how to make a saddle comfy – I rode their classic Liberator from cross countries in my early touring years. But now, 30 years later with an aging butt I’m looking at the SA again as even the Fly feels a little hard after 40 miles. . I weigh around 100lbs so I’m hoping not to have the same stretch-out problem. I like that it’s proudly made in the USA. Thank you for reviewing guys! Loved riding with Fred, Ed and Jim at those PACTOUR camps!
I was a fairly early adopter of SA saddles, buying a Titanico model in 2013. Admittedly, I didn’t follow the instructions that were provided, and within a few months the beautifully chestnut tanned cover stretched a bit too much under my 220 lbs, and the leather made contact with the seatpost saddle adjustment bolt, and tore at the cutout.
SA HQ couldn’t have been nicer. I sent them a message and explanation. The owner reached out directly within a couple days, and suggested they send me a more suitable “X” model and a bottle of saddle sauce to protect it here in the Pacific NorthWest rainshine, (n/c). Been using it ever since, only half the tensioner screw along so far. I kind of wish it would wear out so I could try one of the new modular ones.
And hey, leather is a beautiful beautiful gift. However, hide isn’t going to be without the occasional naturally occurring inconsistency. I know SA has worked very very hard to establish a standard met by very few other manufacturers. And on the rare occasion there’s a problem, I know they stand behind their product, but you probably will be too busy enjoying it!