Hi all,
I’m changing saddle after three years with a selle Italia which I never loved, despite having had my bike position revised multiple times.
I’ve tried the SMP Well in both versions: Gel and not gel. I was wondering if you someone has any experience with those. I tested both, and found them equally comfortable. At the end of a two hours ride I had a bit of a bother, but nothing special. Maybe I find the gel version more comfortable, but not by a lot.
I read somewhere that the Gel version is more comfortable right off the bat, but might be not as supportive for longer rides compared to its non-gel version. Does any of you have experience and/or an opinion on the topic?
I love SMP’s they are my fave. I’ve not tried a gel version but the thing with SMP’s is that they are on the heavy side. Gel saddles by nature weigh a lot but then add the SMP weight penalty to it and i’d image you’d easily get a saddle that weights in at near a pound (and should be half that).
On top of that the Gel Packets in the saddle breakdown and leak but could just be what ive been seeing is cheaper Gels.
I think gel has its place but for a performance saddle it should fit well without Gel so i would double check that the Well is your width and go non gel.
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No experience with the specific saddle in question - but generally speaking I always recommend the padding be on the shorts not the saddle. A soft/padded saddle is almost never a good idea in my experience
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To paraphrase Colby Pearce, if you pick the right SMP for you, you won’t need the gel.
(unless I have misremembered what he said)