Originally Posted by
hueyhoolihan
tri, road, mtb saddle? it's all marketing. i believe they would push it as a "toddler's only" saddle if they thought they could sell a million of 'em.
The difference between a road saddle and a tri saddle is more than marketing. Good number of triathletes, (and time trialers that aren't concerned about UCI regs) like to use a very forward position, sitting on the nose of the saddle. Tri saddles are thus designed for sitting on the nose of the saddle.
That position allows a more open hip angle for a given drop from seat to aerobars.
And I can tell you from personal experience it is noticably more comfortable (and protective of your reproductive anatomy) to sit in that position on a saddle with a padded nose.