Do you all like a little flex side to side in your saddles? how about a little bounce?
The most comfy saddle I ever tried was a Specialized Mirror Romin - but had a bike fit and it was pointed out the flex side to side was quite a bit…such that my hips were rocking.
and there was some bounce that on bumpier roads - I don’t wanna say I lost power but it took full concentration. I believe some of that was my technique at the bottom of the stroke which I am working to correct. but still a bouncy saddle can’t be great on the knees right?
I tried a saddle with minimal padding and I feel like I have a much more stable surface to push from.
tried 70 saddles (exaggerating…maybe 60 though) including the firm Romin which didn’t work.
the firm saddle I’m on now doesn’t suck (for me)…but I wouldn’t say I’m in saddle nirvana. everything else is super comfy on the bike.
I was recommended to try 3d Selle San Marco Shortfit. the flex is much less than the 3d Romin but the bounce is still there.
just wondering if you all trade off a little bit of bounce and or flex for comfort?
I am one of those people who has ridden for 30 years and never found a saddle that “just disappears underneath you”. I envy people who can ride 5 hours and not even notice the saddle.
A few years ago I bought one of the Specialized 3D saddles and liked it enough that I bought 2 more to have the same saddle on all of my bikes. Since then, I’ve become less and less happy with them. I recently bought a new bike that came with the non-3D Power saddle and I’m happier with it than with the 3D one. I’m not sure if it’s that saddles wear out over time or that my body just needs to change things up once in a while and will start to hate this one too in time.
All that to say I’m no longer sure I think the 3D saddle is the best for me.
While unrelated to saddles, have you considered that shorter cranks maybe fix your rocking/bouncing issue? When I went from 172.5 to 165 it made a huge difference in the smoothness of my cadence. You may have already looked into this, but just a thought.
Personally speaking, I would not want either bounce or side to side flex in a saddle. Those motions would seem to promote instability and help to prevent a smooth pedal stroke. Comfort is almost purely dependent on shape and how well a particular shape matches an individual. Trends in saddle shaped do not always help either. I gave short nosed saddles a try and hated it and ended up going back to the trusted model I had been riding.
It all has to do with riding style, your butt, your bike and fitness level off the bike. I find the 3d Romin just fine after 2 years on my current bike. I’m a born masher, so not super smooth. No bounce even on these crappy Texas roads. A little squeaky noise while climbing in the saddle but that’s more to do with my riding style since I was injured. Now on my old bike the power saddle worked great. Would not work on the new steed.” 50 or 60 saddles later” wow that’s a lot. You should take up consulting people on saddles.
I don’t have 30-years of riding under me but I do have 20-years and I am the same way. I have never truly been comfortable and just able to “manage.” I was thinking about trying a Selle SMP out as its one of the only shapes I have not tried yet (Selle Evo) - have you tried one of these?
To the OP - if you are bouncing or rocking it usually means that the saddle height is to high or you do not have a good anchor on your ischial tuberosities or if you are a rotated rider on the Rami. That is just an opinion though as I mentioned above im not completely comfortable but have had lots of fits and dont rock or rotate my hips.
I did get a good fit and everything feels tremendous.
the bounce is the 3d material in the saddle when I hit a bump or something. like I don’t bounce on the firmer saddle but the 3d material squishes when my weight comes down.
also the wings of the saddle flex. I can bend them by hand easily on the 3d Romin. on my firm saddle I can’t do that. (same with a few SMPs I tried…you can’t really flex it much - i tried several SMPs - extremely comfy but I got a lot of rub on the inside of my thighs to the point where they were pretty ragged. I wished one of them worked out).
on the 3d Selle San Marco Short Fit I can’t flex it much…it’s a lot stiffer. but the 3d material still gives a bit on the bouncy parts.
I have tried an Avant and it didn’t work for me in the long run. I actually still have it if you’re interested, but it’s a 154mm. The next saddle I’m going to try if the Power doesn’t work out is the Selle Italia SLR Boost that Bikefit James always raves about.
I’ve had this happen before and destroy bibs
I have a 3D Romin I’ve been meaning to sell. I just grabbed it and can confirm the wings flex. I also have a 3D Power and it does not. Interesting.
I feel like I always prefer a bit of flex but not bouncing. And certainly many saddles market flex as a feature. And sqllabs has different elastomers to allow different levels of flex.
I thought I had found my forever saddle years ago which was a fabric scoop elite saddle. Has a bit of flex. But within the past 6 months it started giving me numbness issues I believe because rotating my pelvis a bit more (properly rotated) as I started to develop lower back issues. But that in turn put more weight on my perenium. Now I’m testing out cutout and short nose saddles.
just rode outside 75 min (mid endurance pace) with my 3d Selle San Marco Shortfit
basically zero flex that I felt…if there was any it didn’t cause any rocking.
a touch of bounce (from sinking into the 3d material then it pushing back up) when I hit a bump or crack but nothing unwieldy. tbh if it means i lose a few watts I’d rather bounce than have my undercarriage smashed I’ll just try to be extra smooth with my stroke so I’m not jarring my knees as I bounce at the bottom.
the saddle is built spectacularly. nothing is sore or hurts. can’t say it “disappeared” under me yet because I was so focused on it.
for those that have ridden SMP saddles and felt the weight on your pubic rami instead of your sit bones, I felt that with this saddle. it didn’t quite cradle me like the SMP but close.
the material was pretty grippy I’d say. if you want to move you can slide, but it’s easier to put weight into your pedals and lift up and move. I didn’t find myself wanting to move much really though.
so fingers crossed that this doesn’t end up on ebay for 30% of what I paid for it.
Thank you so much! What kind of cost would you want to try it out (you can PM me). The Avant doesn’t seem to align with a recommended saddle according to SMP for me but it never hurts to try something as these saddles are so expensive.
That is an interesting saddle - it looks very similar to the Specialized Power Arc which is the only saddle I have been getting along with so far. It even looks like it has the swat accessory location on the back of the saddle.
so as a matter of fact, I didn’t mention it because I don’t wanna seem down on the saddle…that’s my “firm” saddle that it’s replacing. (potentially / hopefully)
My experience (25ish years) is that I find a saddle that I love, it works pretty well for a while, then I have some epic ride or race during which I decide that it actually sucks; this sets me off on a search for an alternative.
I was on a Spesh Phenom for a while, then did a 5+ hour race in which my upper hamstring tendons got quite sore; this set me looking for something a bit narrower and (crucially) less sharp in that area. It’s honestly surprising to me how many saddles have a deck that ends in a sharp edge where it flares out, which I think can cause some rubbing/pain in the hammy tendons.
I found I prefer the shape of the Fizik Antares Vento, but it’s pretty damn hard; no problem on trainer rides up to 90 min or on good tarmac, but long gravel rides leave me feeling borderline bruised. Fizik’s 3D printed version lacks a real cutout. The Selle Italia Flite Superflow has a similar shape but is just a tad softer, plus SI makes a “gravel” version that’s softer still. Bonus that it has a really nice round transition from top to sides, no sharp edges there. That’s my current pick, we’ll see how long before something makes me decide it sucks too…
That is interesting! I would like to hear your feedback - this thread sparked my interest in saddles again (which isn’t necessarily a good thing) and now I’m going to be honing in on why I want to try other things.
My experience with SMP has been that they can feel great in the ONE position they’re designed for, but if you try to get low or ride “on the rivet” the “shoulder” on the front of the saddle become very uncomfortable. As others mentioned they also have some embroidery that can abrade bibs over time.
I had that happen with a different Specialized saddle. Bought one, loved it, then bought 2 more, and in months, 6 maybe, hated them. I felt like I was dealing with an eight year old kid that hated the expensive clothes I bought him so yeah… Can’t remember the model, but they eventually gave me saddle sores. (Probably ruined any resale potential here) They really did feel great. Until, well…
I Loved the 3d fizik saddle I bought, and it lasted longer than these Specialized ones, but met the same fate eventually.
The crazy is they disappear, until they don’t. And when they don’t, it’s just… Time to invest in more saddles.
(Currently on the Fizik Argo R5 - 160mm, and it’s good, so far)
I’ll just try to be extra smooth with my stroke so I’m not jarring my knees as I bounce at the bottom.