rbk_3

A local bike shop offers it for $50

I am curious if this has worked for anyone?

Abe_Froman

I have not...but on a slightly related note....I think I've decided I am one of those people that just cannot get comfortable on Brooks saddles. I've tried the B17, and Team Pro...and between the short rails limiting setback, and what seems like a very small area of useable space to sit on the saddle, I can't make it work. I'm always more comfortable on a standard cheapie synthetic saddle.

redlude97

i rode one for 500 miles on the commuter before I gave up, doesn't work with any position except super relaxed ime. Sucks in the drops or on the hoods with 90 degree elbows and a back angle <45. Doesn't work on the rivet either

Abe_Froman

Hah, I had the exact opposite experience. I thought the Team Pro was actually pretty comfy deep in the drops. But any other position and I felt like I had to slide back nearly on the rivets to get my tush onto any usable real estate.

B17 was a flat no go from the outset...cut into my thighs pretty badly. Managed about 5 miles before calling it quits.

redlude97

i guess it probably depends on how it is set up, i don't have experience with the pro team but on the b17 it is suggested to be set up slightly nose up, thats were my probably came from the lower positions. The sides do cut into the thighs initially on the b17 but slowly fold in with use. You might be better off on a C13 that is narrower and doesn't have the lips

Abe_Froman

Ahh, I did have that issue with the B17. The Team Pro is flatter, so you don't really have to put it nose up much.

I think I'll just stick to relatively firm $25 synthetic saddles. No reason to overthink what's cheap and works. My Brooks experiments were momentary lapses into vanity

Also....man the C17 seems awfully expensive for what looks to be a chintzy plastic saddle with some canvas stretched over it.

RNAV

Back to the OP's actual question, yes, I have. For me, it was well worth the money. Prior to the mapping, I'd spent hundreds of dollars and tried easily 10 different saddles. In the span of 30 minutes, my fitter was able to identify my hot spots, and try multiple saddle types to see which reduced/eliminated my hot spots. It turned out that the saddle that gave me the most comfort was completely different from what I'd been trying. Several months later, I'm still riding the same saddle I left the mapping with, and am quite pleased.

TimothyH

Thank you for taking this back on topic.

I'm down the road in Atlanta and curious as to what shop you used. Might be worth the four hour drive to UNCC territory.


-Tim-

rbk_3

Great to hear. What had you been trying and what ended up being the solution?

RNAV

I used Ryan Toth at Trek of Charlotte (he primarily operates out of the North store). I will say that Ryan was able to solve some fit issues that two other professional fitters were unable to correct; part of the fitting featured the saddle pressure mapping.

I'm fairly certain that the pressure mapping is offered at most Trek retailers, so I can't say if it's worth the trip to you or not.

RNAV

I'd been trying saddles with a center cutout/relief (all the Specialized saddles, a couple ISM variants). At the fitting, I tried a couple Bontrager saddles with cutouts, a couple Selle SMP models, etc.

Then Ryan suggested we try something different, just to see what the pressure mapping shows. So we tried a Bontrager Serano saddle (it's similar in shape to a Fizik Aliante, but a bit narrower), and it felt great. The pressure mapping revealed I didn't have any hot spots with the saddle. So he told me to try that for a few hundred miles, and if I wasn't comfortable on it we'd redo the pressure mapping until we found a saddle that worked.

Garfield Cat

Is this Pressure Mapping Analysis a dynamic thing?

Does it take into account the different ride positions a rider uses ?

rbk_3

Interesting. The only issue is my sitbones are about 140mm or so and Bontrager only offers up to 148mm saddles for men. I guess we will see if any of them work. I am going in tomorrow.

rbk_3

I believe it shows you in real time on the screen as you pedal.

Campag4life

Brooks? Why? And I rode a B.17 and variants for a more years than I can remember.

To me, and I come from a tech background replete with computer modeling, this tech is seriously limited or can only be used directionally. Don't even believe its a successful discriminator...or would take a lot of data to identify unacceptable pressure points for a 'given' rider. Differences in anatomy, different riders will prefer weight distributed differently is the point. Some tolerate more weight on their sit bones. Some prefer a bit of weight forward. Some riders ride with more pelvis tilt. Some riders are heavy. Riders aren't even close to being equivalent in terms of ideal weight distribution based upon not only a rider's weight but the geometry of a given pelvis. A further point is, a light, uber fit rider with gristled @$$ can generally ride a 2 x 4 for a hundred miles.
Weight distribution is less important because aggregate weighting of the saddle is less. Saddle hardly matters for a very lean and fit amateur or pro other than being too wide and causing chaffing. A saddle for a very fit rider who lays down the watts and frequently out of it is more of perch than a seat.

So how do you determine the best saddle for a given rider? Dogged trial and error with constant experimentation of combinations of:
- saddle height
- saddle tilt
- saddle set back

and:
of course in combination with different saddle models and widths. Different saddles ride differently and 'preference of load distribution' even factors in.

A degree/mm or two can spell the difference between an unridable saddle versus one that is comfortable. No shortcuts to success and same with overall bike fit. You have to dig it out of the dirt like all good riders have.

rbk_3

Well, I would think knowing you don't have significant pressure on your soft tissue would be a great start in finding a saddle, no?

Campag4life

Significant yes. But, in engineering parlance, there is no free lunch. For X amount of weight on the saddle, subtraction of pressure in one area will increase it in another. Weight has to be served one way or another. In fact, this dynamic explains why many who change their riding position to more aggressive, why it contributes to saddle comfort. Two reasons....a. more weight on the hands = less weight on the saddle and two, more forward rotation of the pelvis automatically reduces weight on the sit bones and why riding a racing saddle like a park bench is generally painful. Some may prefer pressure distributed more evenly because subtracting it completely from the soft tissue, will increase it in other areas of the saddle like the sitbones which can cause some discomfort.

rbk_3

I think I would love if all the weight was served on my sitbones.

Campag4life

Not me. In fact, I adjust saddle tilt as nose up as possible without 'too' much weight on the front of perineum when riding in the drops...because this takes the most weight off my hands and reduces sit bone pressure.
John Cobb talks about this a bit in his videos...he design saddles and advocates nose up where the perineum is pushed in the soft nose of the saddle.
No free lunch. Be careful what you wish for.

Garfield Cat

The traditional thought is that the saddle is fixed and the rider is variable. That's why it hurts.

It should be the other way around. But how the engineers can manage that is another thing.

TimothyH

Thanks a bunch.

I imagine pressure mapping is like fit - lots of places offer it but finding an experienced and knowledgeable human to interpret the results is another thing entirely.

Really appreciate the referral. I do get up to Raleigh on occasion for business so Charlotte is not out at all of the question.


-Tim-

Reynolds 

Just 2mm pedal washers made such a difference?

bruce19

I've done this and it did identify the "hot" spot. OTOH, suggested saddles never worked out. And,using the sit bones method, I should be on a 143 saddle. That never worked. I found a Selle San Marco in 136 and that's the best I've found so far.

Nick Bain

So is that going to tell you if the saddle is too high or in the wrong place? TLdr.

gsa103

Selle SMP. Give it 2 weeks to get used to it. All your weight is on your sit bones. And the first two rides it feels like an ass-hatchet. But it totally solved any numbness and is great once you're used to it.