nick779

I got the higher priced non "exclusive" one the VSX. It didnt look like the picture though, so I dont know if it was legit or a knockoff or something.
In the picture it shoes the channel having almost what looks like a white, woven webbed or look, and the one from performance looked like it just had a light grey area painted on, no like webbing to it and the bull was black.

TriEngineer

Buttr will help some of that, certainly it allows you movement to find a comfortable spot. However the Attack is entry level in terms of chamois - it has the Race 3D which is okay for entry level touring. If you want something with more support, LG, Hincapie, Sugoi, etc. will offer better shorts with more padding. I find PI product line poor for fit, and once you have found a size that actually fits you, the chamois are meant for guys that have "boney crotches" that are okay with minimal level of padding. Variable density foam is good, visco-gel is also another good option.

donnarebeca

I've only gotten a handful of miles on mine so far and seems promising.

Wheever

That's what mine looked like, and I got the "exclusive" model. I don't think it's a knockoff, I think it's just a color variation. The box said something about "chroma series." I really didn't like the texture of the material, either way.

nick779

So would the LG Fit Sensor 2 be something worth trying out?

JohnJ80

Castelli has a 20% off sale on. Their Kiss3 pad in their entry level shorts is excellent. Might be worth a look.

J.

nick779

Got the Selle MAX SLR - What an incredibly well made and well thought out saddle. The build quality is perfect. Im going to give it a good long ride tomorrow, but im not sure how its going to work out. I think I may have mismeasured my sit bones, because theyre hanging on the edge of the saddle. I think I may need something wider.

After the ride depending on how things go I may drop by my LBS and get measured. Theyre a Speccy dealer so I may come out with a Power or a Romin.

Does anyone else carry wider saddles?

Wheever

Er, you did get the 145mm, didn't you? They come in two sizes. When you say your sit bones are hanging on the edge, do you mean the widest part? I found I had maybe 6mm on either side on the widest part.

Yes, it's a beautifully made saddle. The MAX SLR FLOW whatever was even nicer with the black leather. SMP saddles are also amazing, just not the lesser series like the SMP extra.

nick779

Yeah the extra was pretty shoddy.

I measured it to be a 145, and at the widest part I could comfortably sit on, my sit bones were riding the edge of the saddle. Im going to take it for a decent 15-25 mile ride tonight and we will see how it feels then.

Im getting measured at the shop on Saturday and seeing what they have to say, maybe I just need a wider saddle. I wish Selle made the extra in a wider size like a 158 because the cutout is perfect and overall I think its a winner.

Wheever

The selle SMP Avant and plus are wider. The SMP Plus is 159mm, and the Avant 154mm.

It's unfortunate the Max SLR gel flow is too narrow for you. The more I ride it, the more impressed I am with it. It really just hits nothing that become chafed or sore. It basically disappears under me. I did a quick 15 miler today and totally forgot to think about the saddle entirely. Always a good sign.

rbk_3

After about a month I can say the Power is awesome. Very glad I discovered it!

Wheever

Excellent news! So that's two of us ending our saddle search!

nick779

Got measured at the LBS, I averaged at around 130mm for my sit bones (or so they say) Ended up taking home a Romin Evo Comp 155mm. Gonna try that today.
If that doesnt work Im going to order a 155 Toupe Sport, and a 155 Power comp from Speccys website since my LBS doesnt carry those saddles yet.

I just dont understand how if my sit bones are that close, how am I sitting on the very edge of the 146mm selle and the 143mm toupe?

JohnJ80

It's not like this is some precision and exact measurement. Go look at a a skeleton sometime. And, on top of that, it all depends on where the LBS measured them. It's not like your average sales person in an LBS is an expert on anatomy. They probably had a total of 10 minutes of training on the whole process (on a good day).

In general, it's better to be wider than narrower on a saddle. There is no harm in going wide until you get to the point where it interferes with the muscles on the back of your leg or the nose of the saddle is too wide for you. If the saddle is wider than the spacing of your sit bones and it isn't interferring with your leg on the downstroke, then it's just exra saddle sitting out there in space and doesn't matter. If the wider saddle works for you - then you're done.

Does seem odd that you are "on the edge" on those wider saddles. Supposedly a huge percentage of the population fits within that range. It's probable that you didn't have the saddle far enough forward and were actually sitting on the narrower part of the saddle. IIRC, I seem to remember just such a caution in (I think) some of the documentation with the last Selle Italia saddle I purchased.

J.

Wheever

That is an interesting question. Do you have the saddle far enough forward? Are you actually sitting on the widest part? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then the only other possible answer is you are very hard to measure accurately, and should probably try doing home measurements while actually sitting on the saddle. (A piece of stiff paper or thin corrugated cardboard taped to the saddle.) My thought being that perhaps, for whatever reason, you measure narrower sitting on the ass-o-meter than you do on the bike.

Just humor me: where on the rails is the clamp? And what happens when you push the saddle all the way forward? I discuss problems of rail placement in https://www.bikeforums.net/fitting-yo...iscussion.html. Even have a Romin in the first comparo pic. Is it possible you just don't have the saddle far enough forward?

nick779

Its 6mm from the furthest position forward. Never tried moving it up that last 6mm. I may try that shortly.

Wheever

Ah. That might explain much. Can you tell me how tall you are and what size your bike is? (If you already have, I've forgotten.) the problem I had was that, though the saddles I was trying were "wide enough", I couldn't get them far enough forward to get the wide part under my butt without having to go to a zero-offset post. (Which would also crowd the cockpit with the saddle so far forward.) it took me a little while to figure this out, and to really hone in on it using photoshop. I can now tell at a glance at the underside of a saddle whether it's a candidate at all. Probably there are a lot more saddles that could work for me if I was willing to deal with having my shorts hooked every time I mounted the bike or sat back down from standing.

nick779

I'm 6'2 with a 32.5" inseam. 170lb. I have a 58cm bike with a shorter than stock 110mm stem. The stock seatpost has a slight setback

Romin comp 155mm is a no go. 20 miles in, I had to stop. The stock Toupe Sport was better. I think I need something flatter.
Im going to hit up my LBS next weekend and see if they have a Toupe Sport, Toupe comp and possibly an Avatar in a 155 to try. Im also going to talk to their bike fit specialist and see if he can make any suggestions as im having a few other minor issues.

Wheever

Hmm. The only thing I note about your measurements is that your inseam is actually shorter than mine, even though I'm 5'9". Is it possible that, since you're running a short stem, you also need the saddle further forward than you're getting it? Part of my exploration involved putting my bike in the trainer and both actively feeling where my sit bones landed on the saddle, and also (as I suggested above) taping a piece of paper to the saddle then marking where my sit bones actually landed.

What about the Romin was so wrong? It actually worked for me but for the fact that I couldn't get it forward enough.

You really are a mystery, Nick! But we'll figure it out! It's becoming a mission!

nick779

My mistake, im actually a 34" inseam. Had a brain fart there.

I couldnt get my sit bones onto the widest part of the Romin unless I tilted it up a few degrees, and then at that point I felt like the stock Toupe sport was more comfortable.

As far as moving the seat forward and back goes, I tried a variety of positions this weekend. did 2 30 milers and a 10. Even on the 10 the lack of comfort was noticeable.

Wheever

I'm really having trouble visualizing how tilting the saddle up helps you reach the wide part. That just doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe you're doing something weird with your pelvis? Like tucking too much?

Do you still have the Selle Italia Max Gel? If so, can you put it on the bike and ride it slammed all the way forward? I really think that if you're 130mm, it should be able to work for you. (The more I ride this saddle , the more I love it. I did 50 miles on it, and though by the end everything was getting achy, that was just about my needing to HTFU. When I got off the bike I had no soreness anywhere. Nor the next day, when I rode it in a bathing suit to the beach and back, about 23 miles. It really touches NOTHING but my sit bones, even when in the drops. Okay, that's not really possible, but that's what it feels like.)

nick779

I tried the SLR MAX all the way forward, and Im not sure what really happened, but I was aching off that 30 mile ride for days.

when you point the nose of the romin up, it makes the "wings" or the rear part of the saddle closer to level.

For giggles I ordered a 135 Toupe comp, 155 avatar, 155 power, and a 155 toupe sport.

Let the games begin!

If this rain ever stops...

nitewing117

Which padding level did you go with? I first tried the S-works Power and it felt perfect for the first 30-40 miles, but the padding seemed a bit lacking. I'm considering swapping it out for the Power Expert.

Wheever

That's quite the smorgasbord of Saddles! Ah, I understand about the Romin. That makes me think you probably actually would prefer a flat saddle, rather than a flared one. I don't understand about the Max Gel, however. Do you have a tail or something you're not telling us about? Can you tell me about how it felt, what you experienced, while you were on the ride? I know I'm partial to this saddle, but between the fact that it should be the right size for you, and the fact that you seem to actually prefer a flatter saddle, I'm just mystified that it was so bad for you. (And aching after 30 miles might be partly just getting used to a new saddle. That's a pretty good chunk of time to be hitting new butt-parts.) So that's why I'm interested in you experience on the ride itself.

nick779

It coulda been the saddle just breaking in, but im not sure. All I know is that I was hurting on my inner sit bones for a few days after.

I got my order from Spesh in 1 day and went right at it doing short prelim test rides without bike shorts on. The power by far was the most immediately comfortable.

The Avatar just didnt feel right, but I obviously need more saddle time on each.

Im wondering if theres a chance that Im for some reason im approaching this the wrong way, and instead of trying to find support for the edge of my sit bones I should be looking to support the rami, which would indicate a 143mm or potentially something even thinner.