Originally Posted by philbob57

Which SMP saddle do you use? They make seats with different levels of padding.

The SMP approach actually aims to have the pubic nerve and artery lie where the groove is and the soft bits (male or female) hang out over the nose. That prevents presure on the nerve, artery, and soft bits and thereby prevents numbness and other pain. (To confirm this, check the patent application, which contans an illustration of exactly this point.)

I don't understand why Brooks-type leather saddles work. When they're new, the rider sits on the leather. The bones keep the soft tissue above the seat, so there's little to no pressure. But as butt and saddle break in, the rider's bones and weight create depressions in the leather, so there's the potential for pressure to hit the soft tissues. And yet the Brooks-type seats clearly work well for a lot of people.

A Brooks Imperial (with a cutout), which was invented over 100 years ago, was the best saddle I tried, but it was not good. Even a Selle SMP TRK, which has lots of padding, is much better for me. I tried a harder SMP, but it was too long for me, so I wen back to the TRK.

With bike seats, I suspect current theory just doesn't match reality. We need better theories. Until we develop them, I think each of us needs to keep trying until we find what works for us.