Saddles: How long do you... (Page 2)

I'm going to say both to this Tom.  The reason being that I think we confuse the source of discomfort.  This may be lack of paying attention and analyzing exactly what's going on.  A good example is: my saddle hurts and it must be the seat because I am wearing the same shorts that I have worn for the last 6 months.  It's a sort of jump to the conclusion without rationalizing the actual issue. 

The problem is not just that your saddle hurts.  The saddle is actually just fine.  The problem is the discomfort.  So in looking at the discomfort, we have to look at what the type, location, severity, change in discomfort and so forth to pinpoint what is going on.  If you can figure out what is actually going on with your body, you can change a pair of shorts out or change the way the saddle contacts your body without actually having to change the saddle at all. 

This process takes a bit of time to rule out that the saddle is the problem.  30 days is a good amount of time, but because the saddle isn't always the problem...a little help ruling it out would be great.

jgerbodegrant, your assesment is very good- or, at least, one I agree with...

I'm a pragmatist though, and I think people create their own "belief sets" when it comes to saddle (dis)comfort.

The key for our industry is to learn those belief sets- what things people believe best facilitate saddle comfort- and then provide them.

I know what works for the top 5 Ironman competitors and the guys in the Tour de France. Thing is, our industry does not sell to them, and they aren't the rank n' file user- the typical user.  

I'm learning the majority of triathlon cyclists look for a comfortable saddle interaction in about 30 days, and if they don't find that, they'd like to try something different that could potentially work better.