Clean Saddle, Clean Slate

I've owned the same road bike since 2004. It is my first road bike. It is a 1993 Trek 1000. Only, now it's not.

It was named Tsav, hebrew for Turtle, because the frame was green, and we were slow.
Now it is named Dag, hebrew for Fish, because it is silver and spry.

Yes, both my 'cross bikes (Ze'ev and Carish) and my MTB (Levyatan) were similarly named.

Over the years, I've invested in the bike, usually replacing broken items. Apart from a new chain, cassette, etc (the usual suspects of periodic replacement), Tsav's transition to Dag has been a slow but almost complete rebirth, including a new:

Frame (2001 titanium Mongoose (rebadged TiSport), nude and unbadged)
Fork (not sure, something carbon... came with the frame)
Brifters (9sp Tiagra... high roller, right?)
Pedals (Crank Bros Quattro)
Brake (front only)

So the only leftovers are the wheels, rear brake, seatpost, handlebars, and saddle.

Let me tell you about that saddle. It is old. I don't even know how old, because it came with the bike when I bought it. It felt alright, so I didn't question it. Then again, I'd never ridden road before, so I had no basis of comparison.

Now that I have a coach, my weekly mileage has gone way up, and it has become clear that I needed a new saddle. Well, I also need wheels whose spokes aren't rusted to the rim, race-worthy tires, and more bibshorts... but trust me, I really needed a new saddle.

I bought the Specialized Alias; not the highest end, but definitely not what I'd been riding on.

Some people get baptized. Some people have epiphanies. I bought a new saddle.

Words cannot describe the difference between pre-Alias and post-Alias riding. Dag is now a completely new bike. The fit is the same, but the ride feels so much more forgiving, so much more powerful... It's as if Dag herself has been rejuvenated. She feels livelier, like being ridden is no longer a struggle, but a game.

Or maybe it's just that the old saddle was a piece of crap, and now my ass doesn't hurt so much.

Out with the old...
...and in with the new