Smorgasbord42

After trying many saddles (some for 2 minutes, some 2 hours, some a couple of 80 mile rides), I'm mostly liking the E3 Form Titanium, mostly due to its shape. The runner-up is the Terry Fly Carbon, which is more nicely padded.

There's a E3 Form Gel saddle, which weighs more than the Titanium version I have. Does anyone know if this is due solely to differences in the rails, or whether the padding is also different? At this point it'd be worth the extra weight to have a better padded E3 Form saddle.

TIA,

Bike enthusiast

I also have an E3 Form Ti saddle and couldn't be happier with it.

If you have good shorts/bibs, the hardness of the saddle shouldn't really matter, only the shape should, or we all would be having these....

atomship47

i bought the e3 form gel on sale at performance for $30 a while ago. took a while to get used to....not a saddle i would like if i based my opinion on the first couple of rides. if you're worried about weight, i can't imagine the extra gel is comfy enough to warrant the extra weight (i don't know what the difference is in weight tho).

i like the saddle now. my only complaint is that the sweet spot is tiny. my arione look-alike saddle has a much larger sweet-spot. i can make minor adjustments to the bike (e.g. move seatpost, remove spacers, etc.) without having to mess with the saddle. with the e3 form gel, once you get it adjusted how you like it, don't change anything.

Bike enthusiast

Yeah, I have to agree with you - but for $30, it's a great saddle IMO (got the sale too!!!!)

prendrefeu

I have the non-gel, Ti version. Best saddle I've ever used outside of the Toupe. Your chamois is the padding, if necessary at all.

ljrichar

+1, but my junk has not been numb since I got the E3 (Ti not gel). Very small and narrow spot for the sit bones but the drop off from the back to the nose allows for unimpeded pedaling.

Smorgasbord42

I got a hold of someone at my local Performance store, and she says the cushioning is different. So, for $40 and a no questions asked return policy, I'm going to give it a try. I'll report back here.

I've tried over a dozen saddles in two months, including some very pricey Italian models. Some didn't work even in a ride around the LBS's block. Some left me numb after 10 miles, some hurt after 75 miles. The Terry Fly Carbon has the best padding (firm but pressure reducing) - it's just too wide given where I need to sit on the thing. The E3's abrupt transistion to the nose really makes a world of difference to me. If I could get Terry's padding in the E3 Form's shape, I'd be golden.

I wear Castelli YPro bib shorts, btw.

prendrefeu

And have you gotten fit for a seat? Even if you don't buy the Specialized Toupe, getting fit for one using the a-s-s-o-meter will give you a much better indication of the width of seat you're looking for.
I recommend that.

(also, try the Toupe)