Selle Anatomica Titanico X

[2riders]

Any fans out there of the Selle Anatomica Titanico X?  Looking at the cutout design.  Have tried a Brooks B17 Special and just can't get away from the pain after many adjustments.  I know they make the imperial but thought I'd look into the SA brand- made here in Wisconsin.

[jfitch]

Best saddle made, IMHO. I have them on every bike I own, and a couple of spares, just in case they go out of business. Very comfortable right out of the box, once you have them dialed in. You need to pay careful attention to the tilt and tension. I rode for many years on a Brooks Professional, and have gone through many other saddles since, before settling on the SA. That being said, saddles are one of the most individual choices on a bike -- that's why there are so many choices out there, so YMMV.

[paddleboy17]

I will play devil's advocate here...

I cannot get one of the Titanico saddles to work for me.  And I have a buddy who cannot survive the break in on a Brooks, but loves SA's offerings.  Titanico's do have a stretch issue, so expect to replace them every year or two if you ride a lot.

I have a Brook Imperial, and I have two Brooks B-17s that SA put their cut out in.  The SA cut B-17 is my favorite saddle.   SA got started by buy B-17s from Brooks and then applying their cutout. One of my B-17s is from this vintage.  Last time I checked, Monarch Leather, the leather vendor to SA was charging $100 to cut a Brooks, so buying a Brooks saddle and sending it to Monarch Leather is an expensive way to go.

I have a Brook Conquest (no longer made) that I put an SA style cutout in.  I used a handheld drill and a Dremel tool.  My handiwork is not as good as Monarch Leather's handiwork, but the price was right.  It works well, and you would have to be an engineer to tell that I hacked it.

[SCPaul]

I use a Titanico X saddle and like it tremendously. But it does seem to stretch quite a bit. I have been using it for a little over a year.

I may try a Brooks next and see if I can survive the break-in.

[cgarch]

Big fan here. At 250 lbs for me, this is the best saddle I've ever owned. Have one on 3 bikes including the tandem, where I spend far more time on my butt. Wish I had had one on our first touring trip down the coast. On the negative side, I have broken the rails on one of them. But then I've broken rails on every saddle I've owned, and a few other parts as well. But overall, easily the most comfortable saddle I've owned.

On a sidenote, Tom Milton, the developer, was a frequent rider of the California Triple Crown, so he knew what it meant to spend long hours in the saddle.

[Patco]

I acquired a Selle Anatomica Titanico less than a week before my tour last summer. I had been trying a number of different saddles (haven't tried Brooks) and settled on the Titanico because of the zero break-in period. It was easy to dial in and it was (is) a good saddle for me. I had zero issues with the saddle and, at times, can remember thinking, "damn, I am almost comfortable".

[2riders]

Last time I checked, Monarch Leather, the leather vendor to SA was charging $100 to cut a Brooks, so buying a Brooks saddle and sending it to Monarch Leather is an expensive way to go.

I did see on the SA site it is around $100.  I hate to do that to this Brooks I have been trying.  The black B17 Special with the copper rivets really is a thing of beauty but not why I got it.  Brooks gets great reviews but I ran into some issues with my, well you know.  No matter what way I adjusted it I just can't get it to be comfortable on my soft areas.  I only have about 22 bike trainer miles on it but just feel its not for me.  Even my Doctor suggested a switch.
Anyway, thanks for the comments and will consider the SAT saddle.  I will be calling them with a few questions and I have heard they have great customer service and a 30 day guarantee.
Joe

[paddleboy17]

Last time I checked, Monarch Leather, the leather vendor to SA was charging $100 to cut a Brooks, so buying a Brooks saddle and sending it to Monarch Leather is an expensive way to go.

I did see on the SA site it is around $100.  I hate to do that to this Brooks I have been trying.  The black B17 Special with the copper rivets really is a thing of beauty but not why I got it.  Brooks gets great reviews but I ran into some issues with my, well you know.  No matter what way I adjusted it I just can't get it to be comfortable on my soft areas.  I only have about 22 bike trainer miles on it but just feel its not for me.  Even my Doctor suggested a switch.
Anyway, thanks for the comments and will consider the SAT saddle.  I will be calling them with a few questions and I have heard they have great customer service and a 30 day guarantee.
Joe

The founder passed away a year or so ago.  He could be surly to deal with, but I hear that control of the company has passed through the family to someone that really cares about the business.  Monarch Leather is really committed to the product.

I would not feel guilty about sending your B-17 to Monarch Leather for carving out a cut out.  They will do a beautiful job, and you will end up with a prostrate friendly saddle.  But feel free to try out a Titanico.  You may still want to send your Brooks saddle to Monarch Leather at some point.

For what it is worth, the softest Titanico leathers are white and natural, and the hardest leather is black.

[jfitch]

There have been a few comments on Selle Anatomica saddles "stretching". I haven't experienced that, and I've been using one of them for at least 5 years. What does happen is the tension screw on the nose tends to loosen up, due to the rocking back and forth of the nose that is one of the functional aspects of the saddle. This happens over a period of time and might be mistaken for stretching. But you can tighten the leather right back up with the tension screw. I've installed a set nut on the tension screw on all of mine now, and this doesn't happen anymore. I don't believe that stretch is a significant issue with the SA saddles. It's just a design deficiency that can be easily corrected.

[SCPaul]

My Titanico X is definitely stretching. It's not stretching as much now as it was, but it is still stretching some.

I got a white one and didn't know that the leather was softer than the black. Live and learn.

[paddleboy17]

We all have reasons for why we get leather saddles. 

My touring partner that I have previously mentioned ended up with a Titanico because his sit bones are not symetric.  On a Brooks saddle, if he could survive long enough to break one in, their would be two dents, with one being much larger than the other.  So he is counting on stretch in a Titanico saddle when he breaks one in.  He gets about 18 months out of a Titanico before the amount of stretch that can be taken up is exhausted.  This pattern is pretty consistent for him, but your experience should be different.

I find that my cut out equipped B-17s stretch some too.  I expect that I will have to lace them at the bottom, similar to how Brooks laces an Imperial B-17.

[driftlessregion]

I bought a SA because they're made here in Wisconsin but sold it because FOR ME it didn't match any of my three Brooks (a Pro bought in 1974 which I still ride sometimes, and 2 B-17s).

[froze]

I'm thinking about getting the Selle anatomica titanico x saddle, I weigh 164 if that matters.  I did notice on their web site that they offer two different leather (treatments?) of these saddles, one is the Watershed and the other is called Truleather.  According to SA Truleather is not as stretchy as Watershed and thus stiffer which takes longer to break in but will last longer.

Has anyone tried the Truleather version?  By chance has someone tried both versions?  What were your thoughts on these?

[SCPaul]

I have a white Titanico X (watershed) on my road bike. It has stretched a bit but didn't require any break-in. I ordered a Truleather saddle for my touring bike late last year. It needed a little breaking in but not too much. It is now just as comfortable as the white one but hasn't stretched near as much. I think it will last much longer than the watershed saddle. I guess we'll see.

I would not hesitate to buy either. Though, I would prefer the Truleather saddle.

I weigh in the neighborhood of 200.

[froze]

I've been doing some research on the difference between the Watershed and the Truleather and everything I've read agrees with what you just said, that the Truleather takes longer to break in but it doesn't stretch nearly as much and will last longer.

My only problem now is they don't offer white anymore!  So I guess black it shall be.