bored with "what saddle" posts too, but bear with

DTM12

I have a Fizik Arione, which is comfy but causes me numbness down below, which after giving this saddle many tries and adjustments, I have decided I cant live with.
A couple of years back I bought a Specialized Alias in response to the numbness issue, hey presto it worked, absolutely no pressure on the soft bits, and no numbness at all, however the fairy story ends there. That saddle is the hardest piece of rock known to man, I swear if they made it out of a solid diamond it could be any harder. This makes my sit bone area very sore, after a while, And for this reason its just as bad as the Fizik. I also have a 08 Flite (standard version, not gel flow or gel etc), seems average / good in most departments (hasn’t eliminated the numbness, but its way better than the Arione, comfier than the Alias but not as comfy as the Fizik) The shape feels similar to the Arione in a lot of ways, i.e where the pressure is mainly.
So having ditched both the Fizik and specialized I need one replacement. Most important to me is the numbness issue, (I don’t like that feeling, or lack of it at all, and I am prepared to sacrifice a bit of comfort for this). However if the compromise is something as hard and uncomfortable as the Alias then I cant live with that either.

So please recommend me a saddle which for you, solves the numbness issue, but is relatively comfortable as well. My current thoughts are

Specialized Toupe – Will undoubtably solve the numbness, but is it going to make my sit bones sore like the Alias.

Selle Italia SLR – Never tried any generation of this saddle to see if the shape suits me any better than the Flite range.

SLR Gel flow – as the SLR but with a cut out

Or is the Flite as good as I will get, based on it being average/acceptable in most departments, however I don’t think I have found my holy grail with it by any means.

Unfortunately just to be more awkward I have just finished building up the bike that this saddle is gonna fit, and its a 15lber so it also needs to be light too !

cannonfodder

I've got 3 Toupes on my bikes and have got an Alias and an Avatar sitting in my spares box. All great saddles for avoiding numbness (Fizik saddles have the same effect on me) - but the Toupe is definitely harder than the Alias - although I've never tried the Toupe Gel.

Jez mon

Well the toupe is harder than the alias.

How long have you been riding with the alias, maybe you need to give your bum time to adjust to the saddle, also better shorts might solve your issue.

redddraggon

DTM12 wrote:

So please recommend me a saddle which for you, solves the numbness issue, but is relatively comfortable as well.

Fizik Arione.



.............well you did ask.....

ride_whenever

You're too difficult, so buy a brooks...

DTM12

I have ridden 2000-3000 miles on the Alias ! Odd I know for a saddle that is causing so much pain. so I have given it loads of time to get used to. And I actually find it getting worse.
The toupe you say is actaully harder ! wow, that seems extreme, It flexes a bit more I guess, does that help the comfort ? Or is it a case of if you get on with the Alias you will like the Toupe. If you hate the Alias you will hate the Toupe. If its the latter then the Toupe is not for me. Coz it would have to be way way more comfortable than the Alias for me to live with it

alfablue

You won't like the weight (500g) or the looks (though I do!) but the Selle An-Atomica is the comfiest saddle you will ever find.

Here's a recommendation. And another

Tom, who runs the company, is great to deal with, takes a personal interest in your needs, and he ships the saddles in a way that ensures there are no customs duties to pay Delivery was 5 days from ordering.

I realise most cyclists won't be ready to take such a radical step as to use one of these, but if you suffer from years of swapping one uncomfortable saddle for another, at great expense, then maybe it is worth a try!

djaeggi

I get on well with the Flite shape but find it a bit much for longer stints in the saddle - I guess this is the comfort issue you are referring to? And, while i didn't get numbness when I tried the Arione, it wasn't exactly a hit with me. So, I get where you are coming from! Two suggestions. 1) I've just starting trying out a Zoncolan and I'm very impressed so far - holds you in the same kind of way as a Flite but seems more comfortable (albeit with limited mileage to date, more when the weather improves!). Sub 200g too. Well worth a look. 2) I know it doesn't score well on weight, but I still love my Rolls, it's my first choice for a long ride.

Monty Dog

Depends on whether you're a weight-weenie or not?

For absolute comfort, a Rolls is hard to beat. Some will say Brooks, but they're hefty and you have to grin and bear the breaking-in period. There's also the Regal or the Concor - classic shapes and recently relaunched. The Aliante is probably the most comfortable lightweight saddle IME, but doesn't suit all and there's not much 'wiggle' room. I've got 3 Ariones too - fairly firm, but weight is evenly distributed. I'd rather have a firm saddle of the right shape than a soft one that's not quite right - decent shorts give the right degree of comfort.

FSR_XC

When I bought my Allez, I was loaned an extra saddle as I tested a Roubaix before buying it and found the Roubaix saddle more comfortable.

The saddles were an Alias and a Avatar Gel. I put this down to me being used to a nice soft mtb saddle and decided to stick with the Alias in the end and 'get used to it'. The Avatar Gel was definately more comfy though.

Have you had your saddle size checked using Body Geometry service? I know Specialized saddles come in 3 widths and this alone can madke a big difference to your sit bones and comfort.

Can you 'borrow' a saddle for an few hours from your lbs?

John.T

I have used both Alias and Toupe. I agree, the Alias is very hard and rather flat across the back which for me makes it worse. The Toupe is better (I have both a gel and a standard model). This is a bit hard on the sit bones but I have done 100 mile rides on it with not too much trouble. The biggest fault I have is when riding in wet weather it chafes under my buttocks. I have relegated the gel Toupe to the winter bike and my best bikes and MTB have all got Flite Gel-flo saddles. These seem to give the best of the old Flite with the cut-out from the Toupe. So far they are very good, especially on the MTB. I only fitted one to this before putting it on a road bike as an experiment. It never came off. They look the biz as well.

on-yer-bike

First see my recent post 'Questions for DaSy'. and also search the forum for Toupe.
I have 2 Toupes and a very sore right sit bone but I can still feel my privates. One is gel.
I want to change saddles and I'm going to try a Selle San Marco Concor if I can ever find one. Also my LBS is lending me an Arione to try. I have ridden about 1500 miles on my Toupes. Apart from anything else they are expensive for what they are and the metal/plastic bit at the front is unnecessary and can dig into you when you dismount at junctions etc.

thiscocks

I have always used an SLR with no probs. They seem to work for me so Id reccomend one, but it is probably the one most personal issue of bike fitting with the saddle... You may find the SLR the wrong shape. I find the flatter shape of it supports you well and while may not seem that cushoning and comfortable straight away, or on a short ride, on longer rides I tend to forget it's there and have no arse ache.

If you get numbness, then the SLR gelflow you mentioned might be a good compromise as its meant to eliviate pressure in those areas.

I also have a Selle Italia Turbo which is more comfortable to immediatley sit on than the SLR, but I have yet to do over an hour on it...

JesseD

I have a Selle Itaila Max Flite Gel flow, I have had a Toupe and an Arione and found the same problems as you. My LBS had the Max Flite as a demo saddle, I borrowed it for about a month and all in all I loved it so bought one. I know saddles are a very personal thing but i cannot recommend these enough.

They only come in black or white (why would you need any other colour?) and weigh 290g. Mine is black and I am about to buy a white one to go on my new frame, I'm toying with selling the black on, or I might just keep it for when I build a hack bike for the winter.

http://www.selleitalia.com/eng/index.html

Martin Van Nostrand

Width and shape are more important than cutouts. Most saddle cutouts make no anatomical sense, as blood flows back to front through the perineal artery. Few saddles have full channel cutouts.

Other factors are:

Riding style: it's a saddle, not a seat. Riding in drops and standing occasionally relieves the pressure on the perineum. Sitting in any one position is bad. This is where Fizik are good, they are long and flat.

Chamois: butter and good quality are very important.

Rails: some saddles do not have good suspension.

There are a lot of gimmicks in saddles, but in the past, the classic shapes worked fine without cutouts.

Also: completely disregard saddle weight. don't even ask. Most pros run 250-300g saddles. Guys like Boonen ride disguised Regal saddles, which are much wider than most.

on-yer-bike

Martin Van Nostrand wrote:

Width and shape are more important than cutouts. Most saddle cutouts make no anatomical sense, as blood flows back to front through the perineal artery. Few saddles have full channel cutouts.
.

Looks like the cut out on my Toupes goes back to front the same way as my blood. Perhaps I'm not understanding you?

Poulsy

Charge Spoon

JesseD

Checked my saddle when I got home last night and it's not a Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow, it's the Selle Itailia Flite Gel flow which has slightly less padding, weighes less (204g) and has Ti rails and is still a bloody good perch to be on for long rides.

antfly

My new bike came with a toupe and it was agony on the sit bones so I put an arione on which I find to be luxury in comparison.The cut-out was uncomfortable aswell.
Have you tried tilting the Fizik forward a bit so that the back is a fair bit higher than the front?Also stand up every few miles to prevent numbness.I`ve never had the problem myself.

jxohn

fizik aliante every time its heaven compared to every other saddle i have tried. 199g with the carbon railed version. selle italia slr was the hardest and most painfull saddle i tried.

John.T

I think we can say from all this is that it is what fits you and no amount of recomendation is really going to do any good.

Anonymous

I must be easily to please as I got selle royale on my main bike from me old bike and I've never had a numb a$$ before.