Selle SMP Extra and other saddles?

tonysj

Hi All,
I now saddles are very individual to each rider on their preference and whats suits 1 person may not suit another but....
I'm struggling with my current saddle, Boardman stock road saddle, as after riding the bike for just over 2 years the saddle is causing some discomfort after around 1 hour of riding. I've only been riding for less than 3 years so relatively new to this..

I've never changed the saddle and I think as I'm new I just accepted the discomfort as part of riding a road bike as I rode for longer in both time and miles but I have been given a Selle SMP Extra saddle to try by a mate from his turbo trainer and he has 1 fitted to his road bike, Selle SMP Well saddle. He swears by them so its worth a go..

Does anyone have any experience of these saddle and what they think of them, they are rather strange looking especially with the hook nose.
I've read a few articles about them and they recommend having the saddle around 3 degrees down on the nose. How do you measure this angle as the saddle is best described as a "Wave" shaped. Do I put a spirit level across the whole saddle and take that as horizontal and then just angle it down slightly or is it from the straight, middle part, just before the Hook nose.
I'm going to fit it to my turbo trainer tomorrow and see how it feels and them go for a road ride Saturday morning so I have an idea of suitability.
Regards.
T.

handful

If it fits you SMPs can be very comfortable but they are all different. I tried about 5 of the range before finally getting a Dynamic. No harm in trying the Extra but I think it's got quite a lot of padding. Each of the saddles have different recommendations on the degree of tilt and it will ultimately be a case of trial and error but use a level across the whole saddle when measuring the angle, I use an app on my phone to set the tilt on mine which is 4 degrees down.

If you want to try more without taking out a mortgage contact Dillglove who loan them out for free, you just pay for postage. Although the Dynamic is the most comfortable saddle I've been able to find it still hasn't stopped me thinking there is a better one out there for me somewhere!

Matthewfalle

i haven't had an SMP but have suffered the standard Boardman saddle that ypu have suffered. Blloody hell its appalling.

Anything will be better.

nuclearred955

I've been through literally dozens of saddles, including an Selle SMP, can't remember which model offhand. Unfortunately for me the damn thing was a total ar$e-hatchet, and no amount of tweaking layback, angle & position made much difference.

I've learned to accept that some amount of discomfort is inevitable - but I can avoid a lot by using a saddle that's wide enough to support me, and being positioned so my weight's on my sit-bones/back of saddle. Also I find a vented saddle is necessary to avoid genital numbing.

However, I can be perfectly comfortable for 4 hours one day, and the very next day have pressure & chafing after 40 minutes, despite nothing actually being any different.

paulbnix

I love my Boardman saddles.
I pick them up cheaply off Ebay.

tonysj

handful wrote:

If it fits you SMPs can be very comfortable but they are all different. I tried about 5 of the range before finally getting a Dynamic. No harm in trying the Extra but I think it's got quite a lot of padding. Each of the saddles have different recommendations on the degree of tilt and it will ultimately be a case of trial and error but use a level across the whole saddle when measuring the angle, I use an app on my phone to set the tilt on mine which is 4 degrees down.

If you want to try more without taking out a mortgage contact Dillglove who loan them out for free, you just pay for postage. Although the Dynamic is the most comfortable saddle I've been able to find it still hasn't stopped me thinking there is a better one out there for me somewhere!

Hi handful, Thanks for the very useful info especially about Dillglove as I hadn't come across them while researching Selle SMP saddles.
This is something I've found by a lot of prodding and pocking down below :shock: .
I seem to have the front lower part of my Ischiopubic ramus,forward of my sit bones where they narrow, the left side feels more pronounced and obvious and the right side I can hardly feel the bone. This is the precise area where I get the discomfort. It appears my Ischiopubic ramus is not symmetrical, apparently we all have slight differences re symmetry, but mine is very obvious!.
With this in mind could you point me towards a saddle that you may have tried that may be going in the right direction, I know its a big call and you just may not be able to help but worth a punt.
I intend to contact Dillglove and have a chat over the above.
Regards.
T.

tonysj

Matthewfalle wrote:

i haven't had an SMP but have suffered the standard Boardman saddle that ypu have suffered. Blloody hell its appalling.

Anything will be better.

I'm beginning to think your right, I have 2 Boardman saddles one on the winter and one on the summer bike so I may need to change and see if there's any difference in comfort.
They felt ok when I first started road cycling but things have changed a lot with my riding,fitness etc.
T

handful

TonySJ wrote:

handful wrote:

If it fits you SMPs can be very comfortable but they are all different. I tried about 5 of the range before finally getting a Dynamic. No harm in trying the Extra but I think it's got quite a lot of padding. Each of the saddles have different recommendations on the degree of tilt and it will ultimately be a case of trial and error but use a level across the whole saddle when measuring the angle, I use an app on my phone to set the tilt on mine which is 4 degrees down.

If you want to try more without taking out a mortgage contact Dillglove who loan them out for free, you just pay for postage. Although the Dynamic is the most comfortable saddle I've been able to find it still hasn't stopped me thinking there is a better one out there for me somewhere!

Hi handful, Thanks for the very useful info especially about Dillglove as I hadn't come across them while researching Selle SMP saddles.
This is something I've found by a lot of prodding and pocking down below :shock: .
I seem to have the front lower part of my Ischiopubic ramus,forward of my sit bones where they narrow, the left side feels more pronounced and obvious and the right side I can hardly feel the bone. This is the precise area where I get the discomfort. It appears my Ischiopubic ramus is not symmetrical, apparently we all have slight differences re symmetry, but mine is very obvious!.
With this in mind could you point me towards a saddle that you may have tried that may be going in the right direction, I know its a big call and you just may not be able to help but worth a punt.
I intend to contact Dillglove and have a chat over the above.
Regards.
T.

Hi Tony

Me recommending a saddle isn't going to help you but I would suggest if your are not symmetrical "down there" Then maybe try a saddle that will mould to your shape in time, like a Brooks? I actually have a Brooks on my winter bike and as it's wearing in I am finding it more and more comfortable but if you go this route be prepared for a lot of wearing in miles when it won't feel good.

Like I said before, the Dynamic suits me pretty well but I tried a Stratos, a Drakon, a Forma, a Composit and maybe another one or two i can't remember now. Dillglove were really helpful, very nice people to deal with. Good luck in your search!

crescent

Matthewfalle wrote:

i haven't had an SMP but have suffered the standard Boardman saddle that ypu have suffered. Blloody hell its appalling.

This is also my experience of Boardman saddles - great bikes in every other respect but the saddle was shocking.

My latest bike has a Fizik Antares saddle (probably not much change out of £100) which I am also struggling to get along with at the moment. So far it's only really been used on the turbo over the winter but if it is as uncomfortable out on the road then it will be getting changed. My point is that even an expensive saddle does not guarantee comfort. I think padding is only part of the solution as most of my saddles have fairly minimal padding but I find that I need some kind of channel in the middle of the saddle, not necessarily a gaping hole all the way through but some kind of recess to achieve a comfortable fit.

keef66

I found a range of saddles uncomfortable till I realised it was because I needed wider ones. I now have a Brooks B17 special on my winter bike. Wide and flat enough at the back to support my sitbones. Unlike handful, mine was armchair comfy out of the box. After several years I can see a couple of slight dimples I'm assuming where my sit-bones are. Could be that you'd benefit from something which slowly moulds itself to your shape.

Summer bike has a 155mm Spesh Power saddle which I bought from a fellow forumite.

RodeBike

Same experience for me with the Boardman saddle, and always wondered about the Selle SMP but never took the risk because I couldn't find them in any retail shops to get a feel prior.

I use the Charge Spoon, and it cost little or nothing- 30 quid maybe, so it was easy to risk buying online. I bought it quick enough as the Boardman one was so bad, and thinking I'd upgrade to a more expensive/nicer one before long, but I eventually forgot all about it. A saddle must be a bit like a goalkeeper in football, if you never think about them, they're probably doing a good job!