My beloved ti. railed SDG Bel Air RL saddle has finally started to come apart after 7-8 years of sterling service (the uppers are starting to split).

It’s been great but things have moved on and the Bel Air RL has been replaced by the Bel Air 2.0, so I replaced it with a ti. railed version of this.

The Bel Air 2.0 is set up as the the RL before it but after a while I seem to be getting some pain in my sit bones. It’s not severe and I do have a tendency to notice and focus on things not ‘being quite right’ so I probably just need to get some long rides under my belt for the new saddle to feel old and familiar, but I was wondering whether there’s a breaking in period for a new saddle (or my arse).

Equally, has anyone else moved from an RL to a 2.0 and noticed a difference?

Likely that your backside adjusted to the old saddle over time as it slowly wore out so even if you were able to buy the exact same saddle it would feel different.

No they don’t, although your beloved old saddle might have sagged a bit over the years. Synthetic saddles are good straight out of the box.

Brooks saddles OTOH are beaten together in the same Birmingham factory where medieval chastity belts were once made and being essentially a thick piece of leather suspended between the nose and the rear rail they are designed to sag to conform with your bottom. They also have a nut under the nose to allow you to re-stretch them.

My actual experience of going from a SDG Bel Air (Mk1 and 1.5) to the 2.0 version was uncomfortable !

The 2.0 version feels wider at the back and nose, it’s flatter and the padding is thinner but firmer. I didn’t like it so put it on my DH bike (don’t sit on that much !)

Instead I’ve found the SDG Falcon a comfortable alternative on both my trail bikes.

Well I’ll give it a bit longer and see how things go; it’ll be a shame if it doesn’t work out, but we’ll see.

just echoing the above really….modern saddles don’t need breaking in, they feel the same new as they do after 1000s of miles, unless the foam somehow becomes permanently compressed…..but I’ve never experienced that.

Thanks for the thoughts. Reviews of the Bel Air 2.0 are generally excellent citing it as being as comfortable as or more so than the RL. Knowing my penchant for needing everything ‘just so’ on my bike it’s probably as much in my head as it is in my backside!

My experience reflects yours, OP. 2.0 is quite uncomfortable compared to the original

I find it tends to be the arse checking
cheeks just getting used to a new saddle over a few rides.

Why not get a Bel Air RL – Bel Air RL

Hello, the brooks cambium rubber saddle is said to not need breaking in, looks nice too. Not tried one myself yet tho, loads of reviews for it out there too.

I’m going to cut my loses and get another Bel Air RL instead. I’m a bit narked as I’ll be rather out of pocket but there’s no point spoiling my cycling by trying to make it work.

It’s a shame as it’s a lovely looking saddle!

Always found Fizik Gobi’s need a good amount of use before they become properly comfortable, hence lots of ppl trying them for the 1st time, moan about them being really uncomfortable..