my quest for the right saddle.
as far as saddles i've tried this has been my progression. just wanted to make a list for all those who don't think they can find one. it really is a matter of personal preference. keep high stndards and dont give up!
-stock saddle Felt branded (absolute torture)
-Specialized avatar (comfortable but occasional numbness)
-Selle italia SLK (no numbness but caused saddle sores on high effort rides)
-Bontrager Inform rxl (instant unbearable pressure on the goods)
-Fizik arione (couldn't sit on for more than 1 minute)
-Fizik aliante (couldn't sit on for more than 1 minute)
-Prologo choice (great fit when upright but minimal padding and leaning into the drops caused discomfort/numbness)
-Specialized toupe (almost identical in feel to the SLK)
-Specialized Romin (MAGIC!!!!!!!)
-Fizik Arione Versus (magic with more positions!!!)
the Romin for me has truly been a revelation. i don't even think about my saddle on the bike anymore. another plus is i can hang out in the drops without any discomfort now. so nice in fact that i've been able to lower my handlebars 2cm with no adverse affects.
033011 ::UPDATE::
so my Romin has been great to me so far. the only issue has been it is very finicky when it comes to positioning. like most curved saddles you really had to get the angle and fore/aft dialed in just right (which i had accomplished) for it to work well, but even then you were essentially stuck in that one position. I'd heard good things about mulitple seating positions of the Fizik Arione but, as stated above, couldn't bear sitting on one for more than a minute. when the Versus edition came out (with the center channel) i was skeptical .. ... Fizik has gone for so long saying there's no need for a cutout so this just seems like a market placement product for them. but i decided to give it a shot since they addressed my complaint with it. lo and behold it worked! when dialing in the position (note it sits lower than the Romin so raise your seat ~1cm) i realized i was jumping on and off the bike without even noticing any discomfort. On the Romin i had to consciously sit at a certain spot to be comfortable but the Arione Versus is just hop on and ride type of deal. i will report more if anything comes up!
feel free to share your stories, maybe this will be a good resource to those having trouble finding the right saddle.
Last edited by max power; 03-30-11 at 10:11 PM.
Reason: new saddle