Lrdchaos

I’m looking to upgrade my saddle due to longer rides and rubbing from my toupe. I’m looking for a saddle with a short nose, and something that’s comfortable for 5-6 hour rides. Anyone with experience on theses saddles?

guadzilla

I had a Power that came with my Venge - was never able to get comfortable on it. Tried a Power Arc tester for a couple of weeks for 3.5-4 hour rides, and liked it a lot more: enough that I am ordering the S-Works version of that.

In terms of padding, both are very similar - it is the shape of the edges that will determine comfort for you.

bahula03

Depends on where you're getting rubbing from your Toupe. When I tried the Power, I had rubbing/poking on the back of my thighs on the downstroke, and between the size of the cutout and shape of the foam, the edges of the cutout dug in. The Power Arc addressed both of those problems, but the sit bone area has a lot more curve than either the Power or Toupe, seemingly more even than the Romin I've ridden for years. This is an exaggeration, but the Power Arc was kind of like sitting on an upside-down bowl, pressure pushing out on the inside of my sit bones. Tried the Power Mimic after reading about the changes they made from the Power, and it seems to be the sweet spot for me. The sit bone area is relatively flat like the Power/Toupe, but the "wings" of the saddle don't extend quite as far forward and the edges of the cutout aren't as pronounced.

Best thing to do is find a shop that'll let you try them all though. Good luck and hopefully that's useful info.

Sojodave

I'm kind of embarrassed about how many short-nosed saddles I have had. I'm 6'4" 200 lbs with 130 sit bones. Here is my take on each saddle.

Power Expert 155- I have done more miles on this saddle than any other. It is super important you set it up correctly and I have done up to 140 mile rides without pain. It is a one-position saddle and I have often tried other saddles thinking there is something better...Maybe there isn't anything better.
Power Arc Pro 155 - Sitting on a Power saddle is like sitting on a plank, sitting on a Power Arc saddle is like sitting on a log. Some people love them, I had a hard time committing to this saddle because it doesn't support you as well as the Power.
Prologo Dimension 143 - This is a lot flatter than either the Power or Power Arc. It is pretty comfortable most of the time; however, it is only 143 and is too narrow for me.
Bontrager Aeolous Elite 155 - This saddle is a short-nose saddle, but it has a wide nose and a swoop kinda close to a Romin Evo saddle. I have only ridden this saddle indoors and I hope it is more comfortable outdoors than indoors.
Romin Evo Pro 155 - Most people don't think of it being a short-nose saddle, but it is only a centimeter longer than a Power saddle. It has a big swoop with a narrow nose. The jury is still out on this saddle. I haven't ridden it longer than 30 miles and it has been fairly comfortable, indoors it was torture.
Pro Stealth 150 - This saddle is flat and the padding is very firm and the biggest cut-out I've seen on a saddle. Some people love that kind of saddle, I found the firm padding too firm and on long rides this saddle caused pain. I sold my Pro Stealth on eBay.
Power Mimic Expert 155 - This is a woman's saddle; however, I have a friend who is a dude who rides this saddle and has suffered from many saddles and he said this was the most comfortable saddle for long rides he has ever tried. I rode around the block on it and I have to admit, it felt pretty great. I have ordered one and it hasn't arrived yet, but I have high hopes this gives me the benefits of the Power saddle with a softer nose.

Go to a Specialized dealer, gets your sit bones measured, and look at the different versions of Power saddles.

Even though I have struggled to find the perfect saddle, I believe most people that have tried short-nose saddles have stayed with them. I will never go back to a saddle longer than 260mm.

surak

I've used the Power, Power with Elaston, and Power with Mimic saddles. I've also tried the Arc during a Retul fitting, where I definitely preferred the flatter sit bone support of the Power shape to that of the Arc. I still like the Power shape over any other saddle I've used, but returned the Power for a Mimic, while also buying a used Elaston saddle for cheap, because after more than an hour the Power made my sit bones sore. The Elaston was touted to provided different type of padding in the sit bone area, but I didn't notice much difference. The Mimic solved that issue for me. I mentioned in another thread, but if you buy from a Specialized dealer, you can return any of their saddles for store credit on a saddle swap within a month. BTW all of the saddles were Level 2 padding, not the Level 1 S-Works that will be firmer.

Dopefish905

Both great saddles, found the arc worked better for me, seems if you have sit bones on the more narrow side the power arc is more favourable, you gotta try both though if possible!

Lrdchaos

I appreciate the feedback, it seems like I need to see if my spec dealers have demo saddles to try out. If not, I’ll probably buy the power first and see how it fits.