Saddles with Cutouts or Grooves.

[MattyK]

Buy one of these.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ISM-Adamo-At ... R1SVc6JruQ
Sell it on Triathlon Marketplace if it doesn't suit you. Mate of mine turned a profit doing this... I could do the same but I like it too much. Tempted to buy a second one...

[kb]

SMP saddles are more polarising than any others we've had as a test range where I work (although the ISM Adamos come close). People either really love them or really hate them, there is no middle ground, so if you're contemplating one, find a dealer with test saddles to try out first, because it's an expensive mistake if it doesn't work for you.

I would be in the really hate them camp. Something about the Romin Pro seems to work where the SMP didn't. I mean today I did a massive ride and no problems at all.

I'm definitely in the SMP love camp ... by far, the best and most comfortable saddle I've ever used.... I recently did a 150km ride and nothing was sore/numb/out of bounds...

The moral of the story is to disregard anything you read on this thread.... the only way to know if your bum and saddle are a match made in heaven is to try before you buy ... not always practical I know but it's worth the effort.

Good luck!!!

I'm pretty happy with up to 300km on the SMP Dynamic. Better than my old Selle Italia anyway. A couple of years ago I was looking for a flatter saddle and the flatter I went the less comfortable I ended up. Tried the SMP on a whim and it was better. Took about 3 weeks to dial in. My main qualm was feeling a little less secure on descents steeper than 20% as the further back you sit the higher it gets but I've got used to it now. And I'm not hitting Pigeon Bank, Terry's, Baw Baw etc quite as much as I used to either

[g-boaf]

Buy one of these.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ISM-Adamo-At ... R1SVc6JruQ
Sell it on Triathlon Marketplace if it doesn't suit you. Mate of mine turned a profit doing this... I could do the same but I like it too much. Tempted to buy a second one...

Watch out for those saddles, they higher than your normal saddle, if your bike is one with an integrated seat post (ie, older Giant TCR Advanced SL models), this might cause troubles.

[mav]

I got wide sit bones, and rather than splash out uber dosh on a specialized saddle I got a brooks, with the cut out - fixed problems for me. But my longest ride has only been 105 km.

Edit: I felt the cut out was a secondary benefit - the wider saddle alleviated the majority of the issue I think...

I was never completely comfortable on a bike until manufacturers started offering different widths.

[mr_otsu]

Any fans of the Selle SMP range?

I'm a fan, currently riding the Stratos model:

**Note that I purchased this during my bike fit, and this was the model recommended to me based on my size, hip bone width, and riding goals/saddle position.** There were a whole range of Selle SMP models that the bikefitter guys had in stock (The Body Mechanic in Sydney), and they recommended me this model based specifically on your body shape/riding style as opposed to trying to sell "features". It leads to a much better result IMHO.

For background, I had a Merida Scultura 4000 2016 model, which had a horribly uncomfortable non-cutout saddle. My first saddle upgrade before the Selle SMP was one of the leather cutout Selle Anatomica X1's from the US:
https://selleanatomica.com/collections/ ... roducts/x1
The way that I purchased this was based on a sale and colour availability. Initially it was an absolute godsend - nice and soft 'hammock' feeling that eliminated perineum soreness and allowed me take on much longer rides (and have thoughts about future children). Over time, I noticed I was having issues with saddle sores, and would always have to shift in my seat mid-ride to get comfortable.

When I went in for a bikefit check, the saddle issue was immediately spotted. Main ones:

• 1. Saddle way too wide for my hipbones which caused me to slide around on it during rides, leading to saddle sores

• 2. Wrong position - saddle too high, at wrong angle, and too far back

Recommendation for the Selle SMP model was, as mentioned above, based on my size/weight and riding goals. Made a huge difference after getting it fitted - I felt "locked in" when I was riding, so no more sliding around which eliminated all saddle sores; I felt like I could focus on pedal strokes and thus ride faster/better; and comfort level has been absolutely fantastic.

I'm not sure if I would recommend the "just go into the shop, sit on it and see how you like it" approach - what might feel good on the shop test bike may be very different when it's on yours, and I think it makes more sense to work with a fitter around the saddle to best suit you.

TL;DR - maybe get some help from your LBS/bikefitter around a saddle recommendation based on your body and riding style, rather than shopping around based on features or other people's reviews. Hope this helps.

[Arbuckle23]

I purchased a Specialized Romin Evo.
Early days yet with just few rides in, but rode 135 km yesterday and can say an improvement has occurred.

A good chat with the bike fitter at Berwick Cycles (after being measured) on how I needed to set up the saddle and how I then should sit on the saddle was very good value.

Not only does my "issue" seem better, I can ride in the drops far more comfortably.

Will report back after a few more km, but initial impressions are good.

[Duck!]

I'm not sure if I would recommend the "just go into the shop, sit on it and see how you like it" approach - what might feel good on the shop test bike may be very different when it's on yours, and I think it makes more sense to work with a fitter around the saddle to best suit you.

TL;DR - maybe get some help from your LBS/bikefitter around a saddle recommendation based on your body and riding style, rather than shopping around based on features or other people's reviews. Hope this helps.

Many saddle manufacturers provide test programs through their dealers to enable proper testing of their range of saddles, without the expense of buying something in the hope it will work. Make the most of these programs, that's what they're provided for. You will likely need to visit a few shops to try a few different brands of saddles.

A bike fitter can at best only make suggestions of saddle shape that might work. Ultimately the only person who can know if a saddle is right for them is the person riding it. Other people's reviews are not worth a pinch of ant poo.

[Arbuckle23]

]

Many saddle manufacturers provide test programs through their dealers to enable proper testing of their range of saddles, without the expense of buying something in the hope it will work. Make the most of these programs, that's what they're provided for. You will likely need to visit a few shops to try a few different brands of saddles.

I can return my saddle if this does not suit. Initial feel is good though, so we will see how it goes.

[idler]

With SMP saddles I think getting the tilt of the saddle right is crucial. I bought a Dynamic a couple of years ago to give them another try - I previously had a Stratos which didn't feel right in how I had it set up. I must of just got lucky with how I set up the Dynamic because when I sat on it I could not believe how comfortable it was. SMP Dynamics are now on my other two bikes - but you must experiment with tilt/angle and then use a spirit level to replicate the angle. Steve Hogg has some good info on SMPs
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... bout-smps/.

BTW I am in the camp of having the saddle tilted slightly down.