My main man @mcneese.chad asked if we can start a saddle discussion thread.
I will kick it off with what I posted about SMP Saddles;
There is so much documentation on the saddle it can be overwhelming.
I liked reading Steve Hogg’s take on it;
I also like all the information that road cycling academy did with it (Neil Stanbury)
Colby Pearce has some good info also;
SMP’s instructions;
The short version for me - I roll my pelvis very far forward, I always have and I guess in turn this loads my IPR a lot and always has caused discomfort on my soft tissue. I hardly every use my ischial tuberosities when riding. It took me a long time to realize it, but that is just how I ride.
What the trial SMP Avent Did - When @Pbase sent me the “Avent” it showed me for the first time ever that I needed a full cutout to relieve my IPR soft tissue and a shape to support how I move around the bike. It literally was like a switch for me from my Specialized Power Arc in terms of comfort.
The Issues with Avent - it was too wide and thick for me to use (also rather heavy) and was not the best choice for a rolled/low position. The Avent is great for a more upright rider.
What the Evo Did - The Evo was more narrow, had less padding and dropped a ton of weight. The evo allowed me to fully roll and naturally sit the way my body wants too.
My Setup - SMP recommends a saddle nose tilt from +10mm to -25mm from saddle back level. I currently run the saddle at -20mm. On the SMP Evo that means that the highest point of the nose sits roughly 1-1.5mm higher than the center (or around 80mm) point of the saddle.
Great info. Thanks for sharing. I ran the SMP tool and it was suggesting the VT30 or Well saddles. I think I’m going to have to do a proper bike fit again. I’m not a competitive racer, so I’ve always just kind of put up with the pain of my best guesses (and a mildly helpful myvelofit fitting). As I mentioned in the PM, a fitter has the SMP saddles plus others.
I’ve been unhappy with my current saddle (Pro Stealth) for a while now and this is basically the exactly my issue. I find I sit very far forward with a 0mm offset seatpost and the saddle pushed all the way forward I’m still not on the ‘wings’ of the saddle. So the central cutout isn’t actually where my soft tissues are sitting. And even when ‘relaxed’ and sitting up I’m still not fully on my ischial tuberosities.
I bought an ISM PN 3.0 that I’m gonna try out after I finish the VO2 block I’m in and I’ve been eyeing several other TT type saddles to maybe try out as well.
Might have to add SMP to the list.
I haven’t been able to find a ton of discussion around using a TT saddle on a road bike so I’m interested in trying some out.
Boost SLR 130mm. The PRO stealth is very wide so it is no wonder it pushes you to the nose.
I also think the Boost SLR is a much better alternative to SMP offering same benefits but without the extra weight and ugly nose.
The “disadvantage” of a TT saddle is it is only comfortable in a TT position. If you plan on riding like that all the time I do not think there is an issue.
However the Boost SLR also allows you to roll hips extremely far forward to the same level of comfort.
I don’t think it’s so much that the saddle pushes me that far forward but I prefer that pedaling position. When I sit back on the wings it feels like I’m pushing forward on the pedals vs down. That’s what makes me think I want a saddle that helps me sit toward the nose and rolled forward as opposed to one that lets me sit further back
I had been riding for forever before I had a really high quality fit and found out that I have pretty wide sit bones, which really limits me on saddles. Tried the SQLabs 612 Active in 160mm and it’s perfect. Took a while to get used to actually sitting on a saddle properly, but now I can’t go back. Love how flat it is, and the “shelf” that you sit on.
Saddles that don’t have good thigh clearance push me forward. Saddles that don’t have good clearance at the front also push me forward. Being pushed forward just ends up with me sitting on stuff I shouldn’t sit on.
Long nose saddles don’t work for me. Tried a Selle SMP, mounted it up, took it right off and am now selling it. Did NOT work for me. I think my thighs are too big and I start to get rub.
I’ve tried Specialized and Fizik “Mirror” Saddles, and while they initially worked, I’ve moved away from them and sold them all. Best was the Specialized Romin Evo Mirror but I think it was too soft and was starting to get pressure where I shouldn’t.
I’m back to Selle Italia SLR Boost Superflow on all my bikes now.
If only there was one saddle that worked for everyone. But, of course, there is not. It is a very personal thing and the quest to find “the” saddle can involve plenty of trials and changes.
I ride the Selle SMP Pro.
I first learned of it when I saw Mark Beaumont using it in one of his early, crazy endurance rides that he became well known for. You can see the saddle on the bikes pictured on his wikipedia page.
I did a bit of research and got a trial saddle from the UK distributor. I rode that a couple of times, maybe for about 100 miles or so, and then ordered one for every one of my bikes.
I had found “my saddle.” To this day, I still use it and have no reason to try any other saddle.
Selle SMP saddles might not be right for you and the Pro may not be the right size for you, but if you haven’t found “your saddle” yet, I do think the appropriately sized Selle SMP variant is worth a look.
I also got pressure on the Romin Mirror which was unfortunate because otherwise it was extremely comfortable.
I have also tried SQlab but the problem with them is that whilst it supports your sit bones, there is nothing supporting you forwards of that (i.e. a nose). The result is a lot of extra pressure on your hands.
Maybe the SQlab works better if you are in quite an upright position or do not have much saddle to handlebar drop.
I used the aforementioned SQlab saddle for years without issue, until I moved to a slightly shorter crank length (172.5-170). I’m now using the SMP VT30 after a bike fit about a year ago - all good so far (2.2 degree tilt in case anyone is interested)
I have been on short nosed saddles for about 5 or 6 years now - they seemed to be the only thing that worked for me until now.
I will say that with a SMP (and some information out there supports this) that if the nose is tilted too high it creates too much pressure on my soft tissue and I DO NOT like the saddle in the least bit. That is why it had a nose tilt of -20mm and it is amazing.
I imagine a Selle Italia SLR works pretty well too! It however does not appear to have a full length channel, on the SMP Evo I literally can hang it all out from the back to full beak (Ba da bump) and it does not bother my “soft spot”
Just some feedback from my perspective, no I have not tried a SLR. I have tried tons of saddles thought (probably almost every Specialized one) and I wanted to try something out in right field which led me to the SMP line.
Had nothing to do with nose tilt for me - nose was too wide and interfering with my thighs causing uncomfortable rub. Was a very, very hard no for me. My off-the-cuff guess is that it’s a combination of nose length and nose width to accommodate their design and why the Selle Italia works much much better in my case (which from a pressure perspective is also the best I’ve tried)
I got the thigh rub on the first 2 rides but it went away or I got use to it now. It was much worse when the nose was too high and the saddle was too high.
The SMP saddles sit way higher than other saddles and took a bit of adjusting.
Maybe its a sign that you have bazooka cannon thighs
I do have big thighs - and probably why the SMP didn’t work, the place where they are the closest (less than a finger width of space) is probably right where the SMP nose angles down. I need the combination of a shorter / narrower nose and it can’t dip down too much.
After trying a bunch of saddles a couple years ago I ended up going with the ISM PL 1.0. I’ve also tried the Gravel P1 and while it rides similarly as far as ‘no pressure’ it’s a bit squishy for me and ends up less comfortable on longer rides. On the PL, and to a lesser extent the P1/PN3.0, you are not locked into a TT position. I can scoot back and get into a more upright climb position if I want.
During my saddle trials I tried a Selle Italia SLR 130mm Superflow (non-Boost, so longer). It was close, but for whatever reason the Italias seem to really want the saddle way forward on the rails, so much so that I’d need a zero offset instead of the 20mm setback I use now. The Fabric Line-S Flat was the closest runner up in a somewhat normal looking saddle. It was very sensitive to tilt, but was a decent fit. For my purposes the only downside to the ISM is aesthetics, though.
I’d be curious to try the SMPs, but can’t think of a reason to go trialing saddles again at this point. It’s not like they’re any less ‘weird’ compared to ISMs!
