GipsyKing

I'm in same boat. Looking at SMP Hybrid, Extra and TRK. That and the Terry Liberator Race, Fly Ti Gel and Falcon Y. All seem to get good reviews. And not so good. Extremely frustrating and none of my local shops carry these brands from what I've been able to tell. Guess I'll just have to pull the trigger.

Scooper

Albabici is the U.S. distributor.

To find a local dealer, click on your state on the map.

HERE is a list of Selle SMP test centers where you can test the various models.

Not a shill; just a happy customer.

dickg99

Bought a Selle SMP Evolution...very easy to get used to and solved the nerve issue!

GipsyKing

Thank you, Scooper...bummer, closest to me is 4 hours either way. I'm pulling the trigger on an SMP in a few minutes here sight unseen. Fingers crossed that it works out!

Scooper

Do yourself a favor; before you pull the trigger, there are a couple of things that might help with your decision about which model to buy.

Measure your sit bone distance. You can use several layers of corrugated cardboard to get an impression of your sit bones, then measure the distance between them.



Look at the saddle widths and rolloff to the edge to make sure the model you're looking at is wide enough to accommodate your sit bones.





Finally, use this table to narrow down your choices.

GipsyKing

Thanks for posting all that good stuff, Scooper. A great help to myself and I'm sure others as well. I haven't ordered my saddle yet, think I found an outfit that'll let me test it mail-order. I'll post back when I've got it all sorted. Lots of variables!

johnyguy

Hi did you get the Smp saddle?

dalava

Soundslike you already had a BOOM BAM with your current saddle, so why wonder?

Voodoo76

Really happy with a change from a Romin (143mm) to Dynamic. Took me 3 to 4 rides to get it dialed in and now it is invisible. I'm a little more stable and incrementally more comfortable. The SMP shape seemed to be sensitive to tilt. I ended up with the saddle nose down 3.5 degrees (from back to front). At that tilt the front of the saddle curves up about 1.5 degrees which coincidentally was the same tilt as my Romin.

My experience was that tilt requires a little more attention when fitting the SMP design than flatter/wider saddles. The fit was entirely different with a degree or two change.

There are a couple of really good writeups on line by Steve Hogg and Colby Pearce on the SMP saddles.

Sojodave

I recently got a new bike that came with a Fizik Aliante saddle that was putting my lower region to sleep on rides. I bought a SMP TRK saddle off of Amazon because I thought there was a high chance I was going to have to return it. It solved my numb problem, my lower region likes it and it is super comfy. It is an acquired look, but if is comfy, who cares. If I was racing, I would probably pick a lighter and narrower saddle. But for endurance rides, it's great.

on the path

I had the "Extra". Hated it, sent it back.

bianchi10

Yeah the SMP was almost 2 years ago. LOVE my power saddle. Not one day of chaffing or sit bone tenderness since I have had it.

Dean V

Tried an SMP for a few weeks. Comfort was ok but due to curve in the top found that I was locked in one position only. I prefer to be able to slide back a little for climbing and forward a bit on the flats sometimes.

dwing

I found this page to be very helpful in choosing my SMP. It helps to read it in sections.. Jump around a bit. You should be able to narrow down the choices..then pay attention to the detail with nose up/down angle listed. This guy put a lot of work into the article. As somebody mentioned above your sitbone measurement and saddle width is going to be the initial key.

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ll-about-smps/

I narrowed to 2 choices, and was lucky to find a shop that had them within reasonable dist from where im located. They spent almost 2 hrs fitting me on my own bike going between my choices and one other suggestion. The SMP is expensive so i wouldnt buy without trying and im sure there are other saddles less expensive that would work. But im happy with mine and they didnt charge me for the fitting time which was really nice.

TCR Rider

I've been sitting on the Glider Carbon Rail for a couple of weeks now. I had a Selle Italia Flite on my Dogma for about a year I started having issues in the taint area. The Flite has a cutout but it didn't extend far enough towards the nose of the saddle to provide relief.
I purchased mine from Bike Tires Direct as the local LBS didn't carry them and BTD has a no questions asked return policy. I measured my sit bones by sitting on a piece of corrugated cardboard and measuring the distance between them. Then I went to the SMP website and compared the dimensions of their saddles with the one I was on. When it came and I took it out of the box I have to say I had my doubts but even on the first ride I was pleasantly surprised. Absolutely no pressure on the perineum. As far as the Eagle beak at the nose I find that when I'm in the drops it actually puts me in a position to get more power to the pedals. So far I have about 250 miles on it and I've stopped thinking about it while I'm riding.
Last week due to miserable weather I had my TCR on the trainer and man I really noticed the difference sitting on the Arione that's on the TCR. Looks like I'll be buying one for that bike as well. All I can say is it works for me.

Slackerprince

OP, are you having issues with your current saddle?
I was having numbness on an, otherwise, very comfortable Toupe, so I started looking for other cutout saddles.
I tried the SMP Dynamic, based on the Steve Hogg blog, but sent it back to Nashbar.
I did several rides with a multi-tool and did MANY adjustments, but decided it wasn't for me.
I am now on a Selle Italia SLR Max Gel Flow. It has a massive cutout, firm, but comfortable padding, and it's a flat design, which I like.
A little spendy at $170, but it's been great and I never think about it, which is the purpose of any saddle.
Good luck.

S

GipsyKing

I did not end up buying the SMP. It's been a while since I tested it...but I recall that it was decent if not comfortable. I think I was just waiting for a sale to come along. Still watching - I guess I should watch a little closer!

rdtindsm

I have particular trouble with tender skin in the crease of my crotch due to many years of the minor abrasion that can occur in that area. Excessive milage creates an open wound. It turns out that the area looks like it has been burned; a superficial abrasion is essentially a burn.

Over the last two or three years I've tried a number of saddles including most of the ones mentioned here, including SMP 209, Koobi, ADM Prologue, as well as Selle Anatomica, Brooks B17 Imperial (narrow) and a Gilles Berthoud.

I settled on the SMP for a while, but still found problems and had to sag on the last day of RAGBRAI because I couldn't sit in the saddle. I spent a ton of money on the leather saddles and will probably remain with them.

The relief of the SMP solved any penile problems and the overall shape was fine. I think one problem was that the saddle in the area of the cutout puts a lot of pressure in the area that causes me problems.

Of the leather saddles, the Giles Berthet seems to be the overall best, in some part because it is by far the highest quality, although you can get it on the auction site for less than the MSRP of the synthitics saddles. Even though non of the leather products are really broken in, they are reasonably comfortable. I suspect this is because there is still enough conformity to eliminate any sharp edges and the flex helps to eliminate rubbing friction. The ADM saddles caused problems because the nose seemed to have a distinct corner on the outside. But the Berthet is not readily available to touch and hold, let along use for a trial period which is useless on a leather saddle. When I was researching them, the consensus among endurance riders that they were the best option. I was finally converted; you just need a little faith.

The effects of the extra weight will be minimal for the average recreational ridee, even if you spend a lot of time going uphill, If you are riding at the highest UCI levels, you even need that extra pound to reach the minimum weight.

johnyguy

So what saddle did you end up with?

johnyguy

Hi did you have to get use to the glider or it was comfy from first day? Thanks

rdtindsm

johnnyguy:
I use the Berthet on a 1999 Litespeed Ultima, the Brooks B17 Imperial on my Kestral, and the Selle Anatomia replaces the saddle on the Precor Exercycle at the gym. The Berthet probably wins out because it is higher quality and esthetically cooler, a bit like the Brooks Swallow. Molded frame, 2 layer 7 mm leather v. 1 layer 5 mm on Brooks, and the cover is held on using allen keyed screws finished off with a finishing washer. Easily replaceable and attractive. Mea culpa: Gilles Berthoud

I don't anticipate going back to the SMP or Adamo.

TCR Rider

Surprisingly I felt an improvement from the first ride. As I said I had my doubts when I took it out of the box since it was a big change from what I had been riding, Selle Italia Flite. The first thing I noticed was there was no pressure on the area I had been having problems with. I tend on gravitating to the front of the saddle and the extended cutout took care of that issue. It did take a bit of adaptation but the more I ride it the more I like it. Seems I got lucky and found a saddle that works for me.
Keep in mind that I'm not a mega distance rider but I do put in about 200 miles a week in 10+ hours. Longest ride to date on it is 55 miles.

inspclouseau

Mrs. Inspclouseau has a Selle SMP that she has been testing for two weeks now. She went from agony, groin area falling a sleep and becoming very numb on her old saddle, to a new found love for riding.

Her only issue is that the saddle is tilted forward slightly. Any degree higher and the former pain starts again. So this has her leaning a bit too much weight forward, but we are still dialing in her fit.

johnyguy

I purchased the smp drakon couple days ago and it is more comfortable than the stock saddle came with my bike ,today I toke a 35 miles ride and while it was comfortable at the end of the ride I felt my sit bones a little I guess I still need to play with the tilting but I was wondering if I should exchange it for the glider since that's a little wider with more padding my sitbones are around 102 mm apart I wear a pants size 32-34 would you mind to share you sitbone size "if you know" and pants size so I can compare I know its more complicated than that but I guess it would give me an idea. Other than I feel my sitbones a little no numbness or any other discomfort.

I appreciate your respond.

inspclouseau

Personally, I think most saddles take a couple of weeks to get "used" to.