Anyone tried this saddle?

trevtherev

I still have trouble finding a saddle that I can truly call comfortable. At present I use a giant performance road saddle which came with my defy 1road bike and I also use one on my genesis day 01....but I can't really say that I find them comfortable and have been riding them for some 2 months now....I have posted here a number of times on saddles....but I'm still in pain....my bo***cks can ache after a short time in the saddle and I was wondering if I might have more luck with saddles that have a cutaway. I was looking towards the selle smp strike as below
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=23428

or this one
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=23427

What do you think? should i take the risk and buy one has anyone got one? ?

zedders

My first bike had a cheap standard saddle. My new ride has a selle italia gel flow, which has a small cut away section in the middle, similar to above. I must admit I fould it ''a lot'' more comfy, with not so much pressure on the crown jewells in particular.
I must admit I haven't tried lots of saddles but the cutaway type, IMO is ''different'' to a normal saddle, and may just be what your looking for.

2tired2ride

Have you adjusted the angle of the saddles? This may make it more comfy if the nose is tilted up.

Also what padded shorts do you use?

father_jack

Try Brooks Team Pro.

giant_man

[quote="trevtherev"]I still have trouble finding a saddle that I can truly call comfortable. At present I use a giant performance road saddle which came with my defy 1road bike and I also use one on my genesis day 01....but I can't really say that I find them comfortable and have been riding them for some 2 months now....I have posted here a number of times on saddles....but I'm still in pain....my bo***cks can ache after a short time in the saddle and I was wondering if I might have more luck with saddles that have a cutaway. I was looking towards the selle smp strike as below
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=23428

or this one
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=23427

What do you think? should i take the risk and buy one has anyone got one? ?[/quote]
Finding the right saddle is the holy grail of the cyclist ... good luck! It may take some time.

Headhuunter

You could also try tipping more weight over the bars and pedals/taking pressure off the saddle. The more upright your riding position, the more weight is channelling through your "soft undercarriage". Try dropping the bars a little and raising the saddle to balance your weight across the front and back of the bike. Also try lifting yourself off the saddle every now and then when you're coasting, for example coming up to a red light, slowing to pass between 2 channels of traffic, heading downhill or going over a road hump

Dunkeldog

Personally speaking a cutout is a must for me. Both my bikes came with 'bog standard' saddles which were quickly replaced. I've a Specialized toupe on my sportive bike and a Selle Italia Team gel flow on my road steed. Without the cutout I'm numb for days 'down there' after a three hour ride. On longer rides the Specialized is the more confortable of the two but they're both excellent saddles for me.

grey_area

I recently had an issue with numbness and went for a Selle Italia SLR Superflow, expensive, but after a 50k on Sunday there was no sign of my previous problem. In addition I had a bike fit where my saddle was put almost level.

In short in my experience don't skimp on spending in this area, some things are worth paying to protect - and my wife is rather pleased

defycomp2

All of the above but... if you sit on your sit bones you won't have a problem.

If you are reaching too far forward (i.e. have your stem under all the spacers or the stem tilted down or your frame is too big) you tilt your pelvis so applying pressure to the area that you don't want pressure on. So up goes the stem, down goes the saddle (and back a bit) and the problem should alleviate itself as the pelvis is now in its correct position. If not is your frame too big?

Finally if you tilt your saddle down you slide forward so applying pressure where you don't want it, a good pair of shorts works wonders and you won't go too far wrong with a Specialized Toupe but get your sit bones measured.

vespertine777

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=15377558#p15377558]trevtherev[/url] wrote:

I still have trouble finding a saddle that I can truly call comfortable. At present I use a giant performance road saddle which came with my defy 1road bike and I also use one on my genesis day 01....but I can't really say that I find them comfortable and have been riding them for some 2 months now....I have posted here a number of times on saddles....but I'm still in pain....my bo***cks can ache after a short time in the saddle and I was wondering if I might have more luck with saddles that have a cutaway. I was looking towards the selle smp strike as below
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23428

or this one
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23427

What do you think? should i take the risk and buy one has anyone got one? ?

Hi there. Interesting what you say. I purchased my Defy Advanced 1 at the end of April and have had exactly the same problems. Started with numbness and then less to erection problems and general discomfort in that area. I purchased from a Giant store and having visited an independant bike for for a proper fit a month later was advised that the seat height was all wrong, probably causing my problem. Certainly wornt be visiting that Giant store again. Anyway I have tried a Selle Italia Flite with a slight cut out, but was too hard and am currtently trying an SMP Glider with athe full cut out. Its better, but now getting pain on the inside on my thigh in the crotch. Looksl like I will have to try another. Still have the ED problem too. Hopefully the SMP Strike will do it for you, but watch out for any ED issues as that really takes away the pleasure of biking.

ai_1

I have difficulty maintaining anything but a very upright position on any saddle I've tried that doesn't make obvious allowance for relief in the perineal area. For most saddles that means a substantial channel or cutout. Others are the ISM Adamo saddles which are very different and in my opinion work brilliantly (once you've given them a fair adaptation phase: say 2-3 weeks).

I use the Specialized Romin Evo Expert Gel on my road bike, this is not perfect but it's pretty darn good (for me). It's got a fairly generous but not extreme cut-out and a slightly drooped nose. The width proved critical. I first tried a 143mm version and it was horribly uncomfortable. Then I swapped it for a 155mm which is a pleasure to ride.

The ISM Adamo saddles seem to universally solve numbness/perineal issues although some people seem to find them uncomfortable on the sit-bones. It's possible this is just people who haven't given it a proper chance or maybe it just doesn't work for some people. Because these take your weight on a completely different part of your sit-bones, there is an adaptation period like when you first started cycling and got saddle sore for the first few rides - except maybe a little worse! I found these saddles got a little painful for the first few rides but after about 2-3 weeks and several rides they suddenly turn from a mild torture device to beautifully comfortable place to spend a few hours. This happened the first time I tried one, a trial Breakaway model and again about a year later when I decided to buy one and went for the Attack version.

Whatever route you go, try to avoid buying a saddle until you've tried it. There's a good chance you'll go through several before figuring out what you want (unless you try the ISM saddles first;)) so it could get expensive if you just start buying. Many shops will have a few test saddles you can take a away and try for a couple of weeks. Fizik are usually very easy to find, Specialized can normally be returned within 28 days if you manage to keep them pristine (wrap electrical tape around the rails!) and several places will have trial Adamo saddles too.

6wheels

Toupe for me as well.

I do have my saddle tilted slightly down and shorts which are close fitting to keep everything in place.

dov2711

I have tried pretty much every version of the selle smp saddles and well fitted they are a great variation to anying else out there.
Having fractured my pelvis at one point I used the extra to ease myself back to cycling on a mountain bike, imo it's not designed for anything other than leisure riding. Over padded and wide in its proportions. It did however bridge the gap back to some kind of confidence having been told I wouldn't cycle again due to testicular pain (several weeks of morphine were needed to keep me together at one point)
As I eased back to the road I firstly tried the pro, then the lite 209 which I had most success with and latterly the composit which is suited to the slimmest of pelvis sizes. I have been on smp saddles for the past 5 years and don't think that I would have got my confidence back nor comfort had they not been available. Tilt is a key featurealong with positioning fore and aft.
The Steve Hogg article is as good as you will find on line, unfortunately they ain't cheap and test saddles are hard to come by. Having had six months break from cycling I now find like an earlier poster I have had to look elsewhere due to a rubbing/nipping between thin and bits!!
Im back on Specialized phenom as this was what I had lying around off a cyclocross bike and decided to see how I got on. So far so good. The God thing about smp saddles is if you pick one up on eBay you I'll get most of your money back if you sell it on. I'm likely to put 3or 4 up this week, lite 209 and composite.

JackPozzi

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19641679#p19641679]dov2711[/url] wrote:

I have tried pretty much every version of the selle smp saddles and well fitted they are a great variation to anying else out there.
Having fractured my pelvis at one point I used the extra to ease myself back to cycling on a mountain bike, imo it's not designed for anything other than leisure riding. Over padded and wide in its proportions. It did however bridge the gap back to some kind of confidence having been told I wouldn't cycle again due to testicular pain (several weeks of morphine were needed to keep me together at one point)
As I eased back to the road I firstly tried the pro, then the lite 209 which I had most success with and latterly the composit which is suited to the slimmest of pelvis sizes. I have been on smp saddles for the past 5 years and don't think that I would have got my confidence back nor comfort had they not been available. Tilt is a key featurealong with positioning fore and aft.
The Steve Hogg article is as good as you will find on line, unfortunately they ain't cheap and test saddles are hard to come by. Having had six months break from cycling I now find like an earlier poster I have had to look elsewhere due to a rubbing/nipping between thin and bits!!
Im back on Specialized phenom as this was what I had lying around off a cyclocross bike and decided to see how I got on. So far so good. The God thing about smp saddles is if you pick one up on eBay you I'll get most of your money back if you sell it on. I'm likely to put 3or 4 up this week, lite 209 and composite.

How did you find the cheaper versions against the higher end of the range? I'm currently trying an evolution and finding it to be very good, but I can't afford to buy several for various bikes, wondering if the cheaper smp saddles linked at the start of the thread might be almost as good?

jonomc4

I used to use the high end version of this saddle - I found it very good, though I have since found the other Selle make more suitable for me.

chrisaonabike

I started out with a Giant stock saddle on my Defy 3, but got quite sore after an hour or so.

Had a bike fit, and as a consequence tried a Selle SMP Glider, which felt like sitting on two knives.

Then switched to Selle SMP Drakon, very expensive, but brilliant over even my longest rides (85-100 miles) and haven't looked back since.

If you live anywhere near Newbury, you might try the Bike Whisperer for the bike fit - they do trial saddles if you agree to buy the one you stick with from them. They're a bit more expensive than Wiggle, but obviously not if you have to buy and sell several before you find one you settle on.

Sirius631

Do you have proper cycle shorts with a good pad? You say you have painful bo**ocks, but properly fitting cycle shorts with pad should lift your 'nads away from the saddle, thus reducing the impact.