Selle SMP

TDC
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby TDC » Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:58 pm

Ha...just looked at the date...sorry for digging up old posts.

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open roader
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby open roader » Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:44 pm

Now that the SMP thread has a pulse again.... I can add my own recent epiphany......

Recently built up a new bike - seat post clamp cradle did not quite have the adjustment to allow my SMP Glider saddle to be clamped dead level as I've had it set for the last x years. So I went for the closest setting of having the nose set approx. 5 degrees down and hey presto - BIG improvement in comfort. Funny how some of the best things in life are discovered by accident.......
3rd class cycling is always better than 1st class walking

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sumgy
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby sumgy » Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:59 pm

Still looking for a SMP Dynamic myself.
I put an ad in the Market Place section but no luck.
I guess once you get one of these you hold onto them.

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ldrcycles
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:13 pm

I have a Strike Extra, it isn't quite right but it's a massive improvement over every other saddle i've tried. I think what i need is one that's a little wider and with softer padding, one of these days i'll get around to the nearest SMP dealer and do some research.
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby sumgy » Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:17 pm

ldrcycles wrote:I have a Strike Extra, it isn't quite right but it's a massive improvement over every other saddle i've tried. I think what i need is one that's a little wider and with softer padding, one of these days i'll get around to the nearest SMP dealer and do some research.
A good starting point
http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/blo ... bout-smps/

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby open roader » Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:19 pm

sumgy wrote:I guess once you get one of these you hold onto them.
Answer = it depends.....

I went through some highly fancied saddles like Fizik Arione, Selle Italia Flite Gel and Specialized Toupe (6 in all) before I settled on an SMP.

I initially purchased the cheaper SMP 'Strike Extra' saddle to see if the shell suited me - as it happened it did suit me so I then purchased a much less padded Glider and now use the Extra on my MTB.

I was on the 2nd hand saddle merry go round for the best part of 20 months before losing patience waiting for a 2nd hand SMP saddle to materialise........
3rd class cycling is always better than 1st class walking

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ldrcycles
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:48 pm

sumgy wrote:
ldrcycles wrote:I have a Strike Extra, it isn't quite right but it's a massive improvement over every other saddle i've tried. I think what i need is one that's a little wider and with softer padding, one of these days i'll get around to the nearest SMP dealer and do some research.
A good starting point
http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/blo ... bout-smps/
Thanks, i actually only just finished reading that article! Thanks to that, i now think i'm looking for either a Pro or Avant, i was thinking i might be able to go into Coolum Cycles after work tomorrow but on checking their website for opening hours, they no longer list SMP as one of the brands they stock, and neither do Le Cyclo Sportif in Noosa, though they are both listed by the distributor as stockists. Guess i'll have to find out...
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sumgy
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby sumgy » Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:58 pm

ldrcycles wrote: i was thinking i might be able to go into Coolum Cycles after work tomorrow but on checking their website for opening hours, they no longer list SMP as one of the brands they stock, and neither do Le Cyclo Sportif in Noosa, though they are both listed by the distributor as stockists. Guess i'll have to find out...
I hope my experience at Le Cyclo Sportif was just a bad day for them.
I wandered into there after riding up from Brisbane.
They looked at me as if I was covered in dog crap before finally asking me how they could help me.
I told them I was just needing some directions and they then basically pointed in the direction I needed to go, rattling on how to get there and sending me on my way.

Obviously my Rapha kit and Moots was too low brow for them. :P

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:07 pm

Went in to Le Cyclo Sportif this arvo and my experience was VERY different. Never been in there before but the bloke at the counter took his time to explain various points of the saddles to me (and suggested that i may be sitting too far forward on my current saddle, and should try angling it down a little more and raising my bars a bit), seemed to know a lot about SMP saddles and virtually insisted that i take a demo Lite 209 for the weekend. Going to go out for a spin with my Extra adjusted as he suggested before popping the demo saddle on and seeing what it's like.
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby sumgy » Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:19 pm

ldrcycles wrote:Went in to Le Cyclo Sportif this arvo and my experience was VERY different. Never been in there before but the bloke at the counter took his time to explain various points of the saddles to me (and suggested that i may be sitting too far forward on my current saddle, and should try angling it down a little more and raising my bars a bit), seemed to know a lot about SMP saddles and virtually insisted that i take a demo Lite 209 for the weekend. Going to go out for a spin with my Extra adjusted as he suggested before popping the demo saddle on and seeing what it's like.
Must have been a bad day when I went there.

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:46 pm

sumgy wrote:
Must have been a bad day when I went there.
Today could have been an exception though, it works both ways. I'll be returning the test saddle on monday and i'll see if i get the same service. Working in retail myself i can definitely understand what it feels like to be having a bad day and wanting to throttle the next person that comes in.
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ldrcycles
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:21 pm

Spent an hour riding up and down the street this evening, adjusting my own seat every which way (which did seem to help a little), then popping on the test saddle and doing the same with it. The Lite 209 has much harder padding than the Extra, but has a very different shape. I seem to have found a reasonable position for it, hopefully i can wake up early enough to do a 1-2hr ride tomorrow to test it properly.

My Extra.

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The Lite 209.

Image
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby open roader » Sat Nov 05, 2011 11:01 pm

I found the cushy padding on my Strike Extra uncomfortable after 90 min. or so. The harder SMP (Glider in my case) is indeed harder on the pins first up but for me, provides a more sustained level of comfort once I 'hardened up' to the lack of padding.
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby TDC » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:40 pm


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Re: Selle SMP

Postby Drunkmonkey » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:59 pm

open roader wrote:I found the cushy padding on my Strike Extra uncomfortable after 90 min. or so. The harder SMP (Glider in my case) is indeed harder on the pins first up but for me, provides a more sustained level of comfort once I 'hardened up' to the lack of padding.
The glider being more comfortable would have had more to do with the saddle width, rather than the cushioning.

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby sumgy » Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:08 pm

The link I posted from Steve Hogg's site talks extensively about the differences between the saddles.
It is not just about the padding.

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:41 pm

Spot on. I was quite apprehensive about the firmer padding on the Lite 209 but the shape seems to fit pretty well. I found this morning when riding to work that i had the nose up too high, i had adjusted it while just spinning up and down the road, not hammering it as usual. I'll tilt it down a little and spend some more time on it after work.
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby open roader » Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:52 pm

Drunkmonkey wrote:The glider being more comfortable would have had more to do with the saddle width, rather than the cushioning.
I should eloborate - when I mean comfortable, I'm talking about perineal numbing. The sit bone issue is fine for me on most saddles I've tried.
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:27 pm

Took the saddle back this arvo, service wasn't as good (but by the end of my Monday i'm not the cheeriest bloke). From the riding i've done on the Lite 209 i think the padding would be ok but it dips too much in the middle, so when it is angled to be comfortable on the hoods, i can't use the drops and vice versa. From what i can tell the Avant is a bit flatter from the side, so i want to test one of those, i'd say i'll have to check with a store in Brissy for that though. In the meantime, the tips i got from the guy at the shop may help to make the current saddle more comfortable.
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tooraj
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby tooraj » Thu May 16, 2013 11:56 am

Hi folks,

Sorry to open an old discussion, but I have a question that I can't find an answer to.

Has anyone switched from an SMP Extra to any other SMP saddle?

Last year when I switched from a hybrid to a road bike, my new bike came with a Prologo saddle and I just couldn't get used to it. It turned out that it was a bit narrow for me. I then did a lot of research and couldn't find any place in Melbourne that offered SMP testers, so I bought a second hand SMP Extra.

Lo and behold! I had instant relief. Now the saddle is worn out and I feel Extra has too much padding. I'd like to get a new SMP saddle. But I am not sure which one of the SMP saddles.

Steve Hogg's site does not mention Extra, neither does SMP's Selection Table.

I think Avant, Plus and Pro are wider than Extra. I am thinking of perhaps Lite 209, Dynamic or glider, rather than the narrow ones such as Stratos, Evolution or Composit.

Has anyone transitioned from Extra to another SMP saddle? Which one has worked for you?

Any suggestions?

Thanks heaps in advance.
Tooraj

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby rjk » Thu May 16, 2013 4:27 pm

i got my tester from letour in ringwood.

I now have 2 lite 209's on my bikes :)
Boardman CX pro now the commuter, Salsa Casseroll, Trek Domane

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby open roader » Thu May 16, 2013 5:19 pm

tooraj wrote:Has anyone switched from an SMP Extra to any other SMP saddle?
Yes.

Strike to Glider = for me - major improvement in numbness and sit bone discomfort.

Now have tried a Dynamic for 155km before switchng it onto a new bike = improvement for chafing/rubbing compared to Glider and better forward posture comfort ie. on the drops and tucked in than any other saddle I've tried.
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby ldrcycles » Thu May 16, 2013 5:28 pm

I'm still using my original, now rather battle worn, Strike Extra, and I bought another less than a year ago (which is actually a very slightly different shape). I still haven't found the PERFECT spot for either of them but I've done up to 260k on the new one without being crippled.
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tooraj
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Re: Selle SMP

Postby tooraj » Thu May 16, 2013 6:57 pm

Thanks guys for quick reply. this link is broken now offer SMP testers online. They don't have Glider. So I think I'll try Lite 209 first.

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Re: Selle SMP

Postby foxglove » Sat May 18, 2013 1:54 am

Have just come across this thread. I bought a Glider online having read the Steve Hogg information. However, after about 30km decided it was not for me. I didn't return it as I'd taken the labels off. If anyone would like a (almost) new saddle, I'd accept a reasonable offer. It's still in its box.

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