cuyd

I was wondering are snub-nose saddles fine for gravel/mtb? ISM Adamo, Specialized Power, Shimano Pro Stealth and similar, usually coming from TT/Tri. I'm not even talking about their special offroad versions of those saddles but just about normal most-common variants as I could cheaply buy some used ones for my commuter bike. Like is it possible to keep good bike control on them, are they prone to bad, uneven roads or pavement? Is nose width any issue? Are you allowed to change position on those or are you locked to single "most fitting" one? Are those saddles good for long rides(at least few hours without pauses)? Btw, I don't have any kind of numbness and in fact where I usually feel lack of comfort are sit-bones(ie. where those saddles are apparently supposed to put most weight) but I still want to try something different than my crumbling Fizik Arione knockoff saddle that is very long and narrow but never worked well for me.

Troul 

I've on the fence of going with a split shorty seat, mainly to lessen the pressure of the "man area" when going steady in the drops, while also cutting out the heaviness that the current seat has. The sitbone is fine for me, however, if I tilt the seat down in the front,, then the sitbone gets annoyed.

veganbikes

Sure...why not? The most important thing is, is that saddle right for your sit bones? Who cares about gravel or whatever terms they are coming up with if the saddle works for your sit bones and is comfortable then use it.

I wouldn't use knockoff saddles just in general. However I would find a saddle that works well for you and is comfortable. For me I love the Brooks Cambium C17 Carved but you might be different.

If you have a shop that does fitting (or a local fitter or semi local fitter or do a little traveling) you might go visit them after this whole global pandemic is over and get a fit and have them recommend some saddles but also get your seat height and angle and set back and all of that fun stuff set up because maybe it is not just the saddle.

Gravel is just a surface to ride on. The idea of gravel specific pumps and saddles and stuff like that is kind of silly. I can understand it for very specialized disciplines where you may not be using the saddle in the same way you would normally but gravel is just road riding off the road. I have been able to fill gravel tires just fine with my non-gravel specific floor pump just fine with no issues or extra flats or anything like that.

I love gravel/all road riding it is fantastic but the idea we need certain special items is kind of crazy. Bike frames to clear wider tires and with loads of mounts, YES PLEASE, Pumps that pump a little more pressure than a MTB pump but less than a road pump, NAH!

Pop N Wood

I'm having a hard time figuring out the need for short nose saddles. You actually raise some good issues about position and control.

I've never had any issues in the "man area" so don't know what problem a stub nose saddle is trying solve. I use the horn against my inner leg to stabilize the bike when coming out of the saddle or in a hard turn. I personally slide around on the saddle alot, some times riding square on the sit bones, other times tucking the horn to one side or the other of the gooch.

In fact, I think the only type of bike I've seen stub nose saddles is on very upright bikes. Casual cruiser type bikes. Maybe with a bolt upright position the horn isn't needed. Will also add I don't think I've ever seen a stub nose saddle used on a bike that is routinely ridden longer distances.

DrIsotope

You apparently haven't looked at many bikes, then. Tri and TT bikes tend to be fitted with snub-nose or noseless saddles, and those bikes are ridden in an aero position... all the time.
As you've never ridden noseless, you're not really qualified to remark about what situations they're suited for. I've got 15k+ on ISM saddles. I don't move around on them at all. Because they fit properly.

Darth Lefty 

Most MTB have a lot of stack for the suspension fork and big tires, so a regular saddle is fine for winching up a road. Or maybe one size wider, B17 vs Pro just for a familiar example. In situations demanding control the rider is standing and the seat is dropped. SMP has a short nose MTB seat but the ad copy says it’s for free ride where they barely sit at all.

cuyd

My issue with current saddle is that usually after around 40 miles my sit bones start to hurt a lot, to the point where I can feel that I have both condition and power in legs to ride hard but completely no desire due to lack of comfort. And this relates to normal road use. I have also noticed that I can do for example 15 miles ride on road and then switch to just 5 miles on solid pavement, then go back to road and it's exactly when it starts to hurt - hence my guess is that my saddle is much better for smooth ride. And this is also what I am wondering about snub-nose saddles, ie. how they feel when riding on bad roads, pavement or gravel and even offroad. When I bought my current saddle few years ago it was okay because I did 85% road. Currently, in my area they reorganized traffic and built mandatory bike lanes made out of uneven pavement and loaded those with high curbs on every single crossing and even if I would like to do 100% road, due to regulations it would be like 65%. There are cars parked everywhere and pedestrians walking all around, not to mention traffic lights and even speed bumps for cycles. But worst is, riding 12mph on those bike lanes is considered fast. Lets just say that on given route I was used to do 18-20 miles in 60min easily, without any pain, now it's around 90min and I feel horrible, due to longer time on crappy surface and unability to maintain constant speed.

The bike has flat handlebar and aero bars, gravel tires and it resembles touring bike, albeit I have removed all touring equipment. Moreover I am used to very long stem and high saddle, which forces my default position to be more aggressive than of road cyclist riding on tops, somehow akin to their hoods. Initially I wanted to get Brooks B17 or Selle Viscount because I know those two saddles are great for upright/semi-aggressive riding, and I know they would be fine on bad surface, but they weren't made for aero bars. As I said, while it's my all-road bike and I like to do paths and trails and gravel, most of the time is spent on normal roads, and while I don't spend much time in aero position neither, and never use it on bad surface, I really like it for maintaining high gear after quick acceleration or for riding upwind, and I am talking about long, slow and boring upwind rides hated by everyone.

fietsbob

I won't be sitting on it, you will .. why outsource opinions? just try it.


the saddle nose is another place you steer your bike , by weight shifting..

Paul Barnard

I have used ISM saddles on single track and gravel roads. They are fine for that.

cuyd

I am not limited to ISM saddles, albeit I like how those saddles are made. There are more standard snub nose saddles I've mentioned like Specialized Power and Shimano Pro Stealth. I don't have access to Selle SMP but that one technically is also widely popular.

But speaking of ISM saddles, what I want to know about them is how they take micro-bumps. Those from uneven road or pavement - IMHO it's exactly what made my current saddle unsuitable. Also, how do ISM saddles take cadence? I've seen people complaining about their width and I am able to sustain 120rpm easily, would that be a ground for chafing? And what about riding upright - like would I be able to maintain stability while riding with no hands on handlebar?

Pop N Wood

But at least I can read. The wording is pretty clear I was speculating and looking for experienced and helpful comment. Not sure I found that with your post.

BTW, what drove you to a noseless saddle? Sensitive man bits?

cuyd

The fact that I have tried few different saddles and couldn't find one fitting my semi-aggressive position with occasional aero-bar handle. As I said, I am using saddle that looks very similar to Fizik Arione and most of pain actually comes from sit bones. If I understand correctly the whole point of ISM saddles is to put me one those sit bones, but I still like their design because the sitting area seems pretty flat and it's more like sitting on chair than on saddle. If not for aero-bars I would just pick what I've mentioned earlier, B17 or Viscount.

By the way, this is how my saddle looks like from bottom, note that it has some sort of rubber padding in sitbone area and plush padding for testicles. I never liked this design but it was still better than my previous saddles. Has Arione length and geometry when looking from top.

Troul 

look into Selle Royal Respiro, that has a nice sit bone support structure imo.

DeadGrandpa

I use ISM saddles on my paved road/gravel bike (Jamis Renegade Expert), my gravel/bikepacking bike (Trek 1120) and my folding bike (Bike Friday Pocket Llama. I use a Thudbuster seatpost on both the rigid 29+ Trek and the Bike Friday. I have Jones bars on the Trek and butterfly bars on the Jamis and the Bike Friday, so a relatively upright riding position on all of them. I don't enjoy drop bars much anymore. And most of the time, I don't wear padded shorts. Just not necessary.

cuyd

Thanks, and what about ISM saddles when riding on hoods?

drewtk

I use a split nose seat on my TT bike, where I'm completely leaned over in aero 99% of the time. I can't imagine that seat being comfortable on a more upright position for long periods. However, I know folks who use this type of seat on their road bikes, so ultimately it's about whether it works for you.

One thing to keep in mind is that a split nose seat is designed to seated at the very front, unlike a traditional bike seat where you sit back on the large part. Cobb has a seat called the "JOF," which many referred to as "Junk Off the Front." That's literally how far forward you should be sitting on this type of seat, at least on a TT bike in aero position.

Also, in aero position, your body is supported by a different bone structure than the traditional "sit bones" of a regular bike seat, because your body is rolled forward in aero.

The split nose also makes the front of the seat a lot wider compared to a traditional seat. Personally, I find that uncomfortable when sitting on the larger back part of the seat. But again I spend almost all of my time sitting on the front split nose section in aero.

In short, I'm skeptical a split nose seat will work better than a regular seat for a MTB, but if it works for you, I can't argue with that. Personally, I would evaluate other traditional seats first, or least try to borrow a split nose seat first before buying one.

cuyd

I can buy used Adamo Typhoon for around $28(probably 2015 model with minor scratches) or new fake one for half the price, those are my cheapest options as I don't want to spend much. Note I never tried such saddle, should I go for it?

Troul 

most retailers have a 30 day no questions for a return policy. The OP would not be abusing such policy IMO, & if I were to be a retailer, I'd understand completely [without supplied reason] for such a return.

Just my take on finding a "right fit" seat.

Elvo

I have a Selle San Marco Shortfit (Specialized Power copycat) that I got for $35 that I use on Road and Gravel - best saddle I've ever ridden so far and only weighed 165g.

cuyd

I wonder how those saddles(Spec Power; Shimano PRO, etc) compare to ISM U-type saddles, all of them are being advertised as noseless but I can clearly see that former two do have noses.

DrIsotope

I have a Selle Italia Novus Boost Gravel Heritage Superflow on my CX bike, and aside from the dumb name, it's a great saddle, and very similar to the PRO Stealth or Spesh Power, just perhaps a bit narrower. Not exactly noseless, and not nearly as drop-nose as say an SMP, but definitely more comfortable in a drops/aero position than something more traditionally shaped-- that is, flat. My road bike is fitted with an ISM PN3.0 (which replaced a PN1.1.) I wouldn't hesitate to try out the Typhoon for 28 bucks. Yeah, it took me a little while to get used to the different seating position on the ISM vs. the "traditional" saddles I'd used before, but now it's all but invisible. The only issue I could potentially see is the amount of padding on the Typhoon, what ISM calls 60 series, which is I believe their thickest. I went from 40 series with the 1.1 to 30 series with the 3.0. For me at least, less padding is better. But everybody's different.

Comparing the Selle and the ISM, I don't really notice much difference in terms of bike handling-- sitting on an ISM, it's not as if you feel like you're going to fall off the bike. You're just sitting with a different part of your body (pubic rami vs. ischeal tuberosities) so that takes a little getting used to. I would think it would be absolutely fine on gravel, as there's no nose to get caught on your shorts when trying to shift weight out of the saddle.

sarhog

Like his?

I ride long gravel rides with this seat comfortably.