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Saddle Advice

by nsmithson2010
Mon, Apr 24, 2017 18:27
11

Hi All

 

I borrowed a Charge Spoon from a colleague as i'm suffering at the moment with the saddle that came with my Boardman.

On the whole the Spoon fits me pretty well but i found myself wanting for a pressure release channel for my nether regions.

 

I also found that despite the good looks of the stitching there was a little rub from it.

 

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

Thanks 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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11 comments

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bob_c | 7 years ago
2 likes

I have a Selle SMP Well which is great for me. No numbness or discomfort etc for me and feels like you sit "in" the saddle rather than on it.

I got it based on the recommendation from Steve Hogg's bikefitting site: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/09/all-about-smps/

 

 

Avatar
TypeVertigo replied to bob_c | 7 years ago
0 likes

bob_c wrote:

I have a Selle SMP Well which is great for me. No numbness or discomfort etc for me and feels like you sit "in" the saddle rather than on it.

I got it based on the recommendation from Steve Hogg's bikefitting site: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/09/all-about-smps/

I had the older version, the Hell. Great saddle. Rather pricey though, and for what you're paying, its longevity isn't great. Mine lasted around two years and 10,000 km, at which point its top cover started cracking. The only time I can remember having had numb nuts on it was at the end of a 210 km audax.

Replaced it with a Fabric Line, which is 1/3 the price, but not quite as good at fighting off genital numbness as the Hell/Well. More of a "criterium" saddle than an "audax" one.

Once the Line goes kaput I might replace it with a base-spec Specialized Power. That might be more in keeping with the Hell/Well's design philosophy, albeit with a shorter length and stubbier nose. It's also 2/3 the price of the Hell/Well.

Avatar
rjfrussell | 7 years ago
0 likes

Just swapped two Fabric Scoops (the new name for Charge Spoons) for two Fabric Lines- same as Scoop but with pressure relief channel.

Brilliant, in my book.  Always found the Scoops super comfortable, save for occasional numbness-  the Line is just as comfortable and does away with the numbness entirely.  Just back from Amstel Gold sportive- 145miles in total comfort.  If you like the Spoon, I'd recommend you have a crack on a Fabric Line without hesitation.  I am pretty sure they do a 6 month ride and return option anyway, so nothing to lose.

Avatar
newtonk | 7 years ago
0 likes

I tried the following saddles:

Prologo Nago Evo - Owwwwww

Fizik Antares - Owwww

Charge Spoon - Owww

Brooks C17 - Owww

Selle Italia Q-Bik - Aha!!

Cube Active 1.1 - BINGO!

...in the process of finding the correct shape for me.  

My advice would be to buy a cheapo saddle in a specific shape (the Q-bik is a v cheap almost completely flat saddle - the cube came on my hybrid and is perfect so bought another for my road bike) until you find the right one for you - throwing money at expensive saddles is a complete waste imo.  Resale values on the ones you discard are poor - trust me, I've sold them all on and the market is flooded!

Avatar
multimodal | 7 years ago
0 likes

These things are very personal but I've just purchased specialized toupe and it's brilliant. I was reasonably confident buying it because it's not dissimilar in shape to a very comfy (for me) 10 year old specialized saddle I have on an older bike. 

Avatar
beezus fufoon replied to multimodal | 7 years ago
3 likes

multimodal wrote:

These things are very personal but I've just purchased specialized toupe and it's brilliant. I was reasonably confident buying it because it's not dissimilar in shape to a very comfy (for me) 10 year old specialized saddle I have on an older bike. 

not to be confused with a specialized toupée

Avatar
The Gavalier | 7 years ago
0 likes

Fabric (who now make Spoon saddles) offer test saddles at their dealers which you can sign out for a week. They do one very similar to the spoon but with a pressure relief channel. 

Avatar
nsmithson2010 replied to The Gavalier | 7 years ago
0 likes

The Gavalier wrote:

Fabric (who now make Spoon saddles) offer test saddles at their dealers which you can sign out for a week. They do one very similar to the spoon but with a pressure relief channel. 

 

Is the Fabric one with the pressure relief channel the Fabric Line?

Thanks

Avatar
The Gavalier replied to nsmithson2010 | 7 years ago
0 likes

nsmithson2010 wrote:

The Gavalier wrote:

Fabric (who now make Spoon saddles) offer test saddles at their dealers which you can sign out for a week. They do one very similar to the spoon but with a pressure relief channel. 

 

Is the Fabric one with the pressure relief channel the Fabric Line?

Thanks

 

think so yeah, have a look on their website. Great saddles for reasonable price. 

Avatar
TypeVertigo replied to The Gavalier | 7 years ago
0 likes

The Gavalier wrote:

Fabric (who now make Spoon saddles) offer test saddles at their dealers which you can sign out for a week. They do one very similar to the spoon but with a pressure relief channel. 

Actually, Charge still makes the Spoon. Charge and Fabric are sister brands as far as saddles are concerned - the same guy, Nick Larsen, manages them.

https://rouleur.cc/editorial/design-stories-chargefabric-2/

The Spoon is the only model common to both brands, and even then both brands make them slightly differently.

Avatar
Johnnyvee | 7 years ago
0 likes

I had saddle issues last year and settled on a Specialized Toupe after much trying at my local Evans and LBS. The LBS was actually better than Evans for trying as they had quite a collection of test saddles they had built up over the years.

Saddles are very personal things to get right - try as many as you can. 

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