RNAV

I've been riding a Bontrager Serano saddle for the past few years and have really enjoyed it. I've made some minor changes to my fit, and recently had my daughter record a video of me while on the trainer. That video was eye-opening: when I move to the drops, I hunch my back over vs. maintaining a flat back and rotating forward. I've discovered that I can rotate my hips forward, but don't because it is uncomfortable (too much pressure toward the front).

I've tried lowering the nose a bit (1-2 degrees below level), but I just end up sliding forward. So . . . for those of you who've ridden a Bontrager Serano, do you have any suggestions for a saddle that has a similar shape, but allows more pelvic rotation? I'm thinking something with a cutout may be in order. FWIW, I did previously have a Bontrager Paradigm, but that was uncomfortable to me and caused numbness. So there's something about the Serano's profile that works for me, it just doesn't let me rotate forward very well. Any ideas?

illdrag0n

Bont Aeolus and Specialized Power Arc

canklecat

Fizik has saddles that supposedly help with hip rotation. Check their website for fit guidelines.

The usual guidelines for saddles that supposedly help with hip rotation, limited flexibility, etc., didn't work for me. When I first resumed riding a drop bar road bike in 2017 (more than 30 years since my last road bike), my flexibility was pretty bad due to injuries. I tried saddles that were supposedly appropriate but were uncomfortable to me. I prefer narrow (around 130) nearly flat saddles with little or no upward flare in the back.

I still experiment with saddles but the one that's been best for me for a couple of years is a Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio, their least expensive model with the same design as their race quality saddles, but with less expensive materials -- steel rails instead of carbon fiber or titanium, etc.

And a Bontrager Ajna Comp Gel with pressure relief cutout. It was a new take-off in the LBS bargain bin for 1/3 the new price. Technically a woman's saddle (144 wide, 265 long), but only slightly shorter than the Selle Italia. It looks flat with little or no upward flare, but the flexible shell "sags" a bit in the middle, effectively creating a riding shape that supposedly helps with hip tilt. It's been pretty good, especially for longer rides on rough stuff. The pricier Ajna Elite is lighter and longer (270, still 144 wide -- no narrower options).

My only minor quibble is cutout saddles put too much pressure on my sit bones, so I need thicker pads in my shorts/ bibs. Same with the Selle Italia Q-Bik. My Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio is a solid top and the perineum bears some of my weight, which feels balanced to me. But I didn't really have any perineum problems.

philbob57

Selle SMP. Look for the patent application - there are a couple of diagrams that show how you're supposed to sit on it, with your sensitive bits hanging out over the beak. Especially with Selle SMP, you ride on your pubic rami, not your ischial tuberosities.

canklecat

^^Good point^^

While cutout saddles sound great and do work well for some folks, I seem to prefer solid saddles that distribute the weight more evenly between the ischial tuberosities, pubic rami and perineum.

I've tried three different standard saddles (not time trial/tri-bike saddles like the ISM) with cutouts -- Selle Italia Q-Bik, Bontrager Ajna Gel Comp, and a friend's Cobb saddle -- all with closed noses but varying types of cutouts for pressure relief. They all do indeed relieve pressure from the perineum. But over longer rides or time on the indoor trainer these saddles put a bit too much pressure elsewhere. And while the Bontrager Ajna has a flexible enough shell that flexes just enough to help correct some hip angle issues so my back is flatter, it also seems to cause some problems with either blood flow to my feet, nerve pressure or both. But so far it's an issue only with rides of 90 minutes or longer without a break. Standing occasionally to pedal helps. And shorts with thicker pads help.

No lasting or persistent pain after a ride though so I'm continuing to use the Bontrager Ajna, at least until I find another Selle Italia Kit Carbonio as unsold/new/old stock.

RNAV

Thanks for the input. I'd previously tried a Selle SMP and found it horribly uncomfortable. Tried the ISM and found it too wide and would cut off blood flow/cause nerve pain down my legs. I found the cutout in the Power to be too sharp, and the rear of the saddle too wide. The Serano has been the only saddle I've been able to find that doesn't either cut off circulation to my legs, or cause pretty quick numbness. I still have to stand occasionally. Anyways, the solid design doesn't give any relief if I try to rotate forward to get lower into the drops.

There's a Selle Italia dealer near me that I may go visit. I haven't tried any of those, and the super flow options seem like they could work.

canklecat

Yeah, that blood flow cutoff/nerve pressure thing has been annoying me a bit more with the Bontrager Ajna Gel Comp, which otherwise has been the best/least bad saddle I've tried with a cutout for perineum relief.

But I've noticed that even on my relatively shorter 20-25 mile workouts on the same route, my toes feel cold and numb even when the temperature is in the 50s, I'm wearing good socks and fleece lined shoe covers. It finally occurred to me it's not from the cold, but a circulation problem. It also seems to be aggravating a slight imbalance and hitch in my left leg. There's always been a slight difference in leg length and hip imbalance, but it was never a problem until this year -- when I switched saddles.

So I'm switching back to the Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio. Great low priced solid top saddle, unfortunately discontinued a few years ago. But most Selle Italia race oriented saddles appear to have similar configurations. And I might just spend the extra money for their higher end versions of the same saddles -- mostly costlier for the lighter weight rails.

Or I might try Fizik. Most of my cycling friends my age ride 'em and like 'em. They don't cost too much and, unlike Selle Italia, Fizik doesn't seem to make its entire lineup obsolete every year. Selle Italia has an odd marketing strategy: they discontinue models almost every year and seemingly replace them with virtually identical looking models under different names. Makes it a PITA to choose a replacement, sight unseen.

Lrdchaos

I’ve heard the Aeolus is a good saddle for that, also I just picked up a Specialized power arc to try and achieve the same thing.

Carbonfiberboy 

I have a Super Flow that's very good. Worth a look.