Tio

In the recent past there was a rather interesting thread regarding the correlation research considering ED and cycling. This was somewhat prophetic for me, as that I was in the midst of some serious issues with the ole' t'aint (t'aint nutin' you wanna play around with).

I am not typically the gullible impulsive buyer who pulls out the credit card whenever some new marketing gimmick hits or some salesperson is pushing snake oil, but given my issues and my ongoing search for a serviceable saddle - I decided to give this technology a spin.

For reference, I previously had a Fizik Arione on my full carbon steed that now carries the E3 Form Saddle (the Ti version & not the gel version; I wanted the weight to be as commensurate with my old saddle... its not that I am an uber weight wiener , but I am just enough of a scientist in that I wanted the comparison to be as congruent as possible). I have a Specialized Alias on my '02 Cervelo Prodigy and I have had a diversity of other saddles (e.g., a Trans Am, a San Marco, Italia).

I am just returning from a modestly hilly, 40-mile, fast-paced run with my riding buddies. This was my neophyte voyage with the new E3 and I can report that I am pleasantly surprised. The E3 seemingly worked, albeit in one mere ride, as advertised. I felt my sit bones placed strategically in the sweet spot with little-to-no deviation (truth be told, I could really sit in the wrong place unless I made a conscious effort to do so). At no point did I have any other fatigue or pain issues often associated with saddles in this range. Bottom line, given this sustains, i will be a complete zealot to the E3.

Also, I did not have any of the mounting issues with the seat post as described by another BF user. Precise fit on all fronts...

I have no affiliation with Performance or the designer; instead, I simply wanted to offer my recent experiences. Now I have to find a buyer for my Arione!!!

Cheers,
tio

goldfish

i think you should post a picture of this prodigy you speak of...

daytonian

Tio
I would be interested to know what it feels like after 75 miles. At 50-55 miles my Arione caused numbness and is also for sale. What bike shorts are you wearing?

Corsaire

It's been praised also in today's newsletter from roadbikerider.com

I just wonder how good it really is or just them trying to boost Performance sales. Specialized has a good one too.

Corsaire

antiquebiker

Have any women tried this saddle? I'm thinking of purchasing one for me and one for my wife.

Tio

Today's ride was with some Performance Ultras... decent, but certainly nothing special like Assos, PI, or the like. I vary in the shorts I wear; and given this particular ride was a somewhat shorter distance, then I used some lower end shorts (that said, I have experienced less variance in shorts than I have in saddles - but that's me).

I plan on putting in 50 tomorrow and 65 or more on Sunday, so I will get back with a somewhat more accurate report then... but at this point, I am stoked to be on the saddle again!!!

Tio

Give me a week or so... on vaca and then I will be at a conference... but I will snap a couple of shots soon.

SesameCrunch

I had the same experience as Tio. I read the link referencing the NYTimes article. I saw the post on the E3 Form saddle written by the designer and the engineering made sense to me. So, I went to Performance and bought the gel saddle two weeks ago.

I have done rides of 50, 45, 33 and 20 miles so far on it. Plan to do a long ride tomorrow. I gotta say, the seat has me very enthusiastic (BTW, it replaced an Italia). The particular trait that impresses me the most is pronounced drop between the nose and rear. This drop relieves pressure from the 'taint area. Also, as Tio said, the rear saddle is nice an wide and very comfy for me.

I am not affiliated with the company in any way, just an enthusiastic user.

Here's the link for the titanium version referred to in the OP (not the cheapie gel one I bought):

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/....cfm?SKU=20853

nesdog

Now this is gonna get interesting. I've had a Brooks B-17 on my Giant OCR for over a year. By and large, it's been okay but in the past three months I've had issues with it. I've changed all of the various parameters but still finding some comfort problems. Nuts. Now what? Even tightened the adjusting screw...

So, while considering various options, and after reading this and other threads on saddles, decided to take the plunge for the E3. Now that saddle is listed around $99 but is on sale currently. We have both Supergo and Performance shops here in Socal. The Supergo ended up being a few bucks cheaper and ultimately cost me about $69. I was told I can return it if I don't like it.

I haven't mounted it yet but will do so tomorrow and report back on my rides this week. It may very well turn out that I can simply tweak the Brooks and be fine but what the heck.

Sheldon

nesdog

This is just an update. I purchased the E3 and mounted it on the bike today. I haven't really done a ride on it yet so in a sense these impressions are probably not worth much but I thought I would pass them along anyway.

I did a series of rides up and down the street. After each ride, I swapped saddles, returning to my 1-1/2 year old Brooks B-17. I rode each one multiple times.

The E3 felt very solid (mind you, it's not broken in at all). The quick narrow transition from seat to nose felt clean. When I rode the Brooks, I could feel a bit more leather in the same areas that I never noticed before.
Each time on the new one, I kept trying to find the "sweet spot" but never did. I did not register any difference in the "taint" area. The amount of pressure on both saddles was similar. I occasionally get some numbing when climbing hills and will be interested in seeing if this is gone.

Every time I got on the B-17 I had the same thought...."Man, this feels like a hammock!" It conformed to my butt and felt really nice! Round one to the Brooks.

Again, in all fairness, I need to put some time on the E3. I think if it was a bit wider, it would have a better feel.

Further updates to follow.

Sheldon

SesameCrunch

It took some experimenting for me to find the "sweet spot" too. For me, it ended up being towards the end of the saddle, pretty far back. Then, everything clicked into place, sit bones were comfortable and less pressure in the right places.

nesdog

A note to add: I e-mailed the inventor, Joshua, who has posted here, and asked a few questions about the saddle. He responded very quickly and also requested feedback. He did mention that there is some talk about coming out with a slightly wider model, which I think would be a good thing.

Sheldon

Michigan

I ordered the Ti model from performance, it should come this week and I'll post my 2 cents. Glad to see someone else likes them.

mloywhite

I have been using the E3 for a week now, for just over 150 miles, with a long ride Saturday of 60 miles. I am very impressed. Seat height was the main problem I had dialing in, it seemed to make more of a difference in comfort with this saddle than others I have tried. I think a little wider version would be a good idea. I was used to a Specialized Alias 143, and this seems narrower, but not uncomfortably so. All in all, I give it an A, especially for the price. I think Performance dropped the price to $68 and change.

DXchulo

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...&estore_ID=480

$70 and there's a 20% off coupon out right now. It sure is tempting. I wonder what kind of resale value this thing would have on eBay if it didn't work out.

I'm riding a Selle San Marco ASPide and I've been happy with it for the most part, but I have been thinking I need something a little wider. Funny, because I'm 5'7'', 140- one of those skinny little bastards who can supposedly ride the smaller saddles.

It seems like most of the wider saddles out there have too much padding. How much padding is there on the E3? Doesn't look like much, but it's hard to tell.

I definitely think a century is the real test. I look forward to someone posting a review after a century.

mloywhite

Not much padding on the non-gel version. It is definitely harder than my Specialized.

antiquebiker

Bought the non-gel version for my wife and myself. Actually I thought they were a bit on the soft side. Have only 40 miles on them so far. But both of us like them.

I'll feed back as time goes by. They look quite wicked. And they are a respectable light weight as well.

What I like about them is that they are quite weather proof and these are our country bikes we use when we go to the beach, may have bathing suits on instead of bike shorts, ride in the rain etc.

Our old Ideale seats from '88 or so really bottomed out (stretched and pulled to a formless triangle of collapsed leather) so we really needed something that would hold its shape.

Dave719

Would you happen to know your sit bone width? I've thought about the E3, but its 135mm at its widest point and my sitbones are 122mm, so I'm not sure if its wide enough. I'm trying a 143 Avatar right now. Width seems ok, still needs some break in.

Dave

meme

How did they measure the blood flow to the genitals? The chart they have seems to be in the unit of pressure (mmHg).

Of all the different types of saddles I have sat on, the most comfortable are usually the cheaper MTB saddles that have wide wings and have enough foam to comform to the shape of your sit area. Of course these seats are probably not for the weight weenies; because they typically weigh more than a pound. The trend of super light seats is probably what's causing these problems with not having enough blood to the genitals?

DXchulo

The thing about those big padded saddles is that they seem comfortable at first, but on longer rides they become torture. This is because all of that padding sort of conforms to your butt, fills in spaces to press against areas it shouldn't press against, and eventually cuts of a lot of blood flow, resulting in lower back pain. I used to ride on a Selle Italia XO and it gave me that problem. After about 50 miles my back would start killing me. I switched to something without soft padding and the back pain went away.

I think the bigger problem is that most of the saddles are too narrow, which puts more pressure on the taint than the sit bones.

antiquebiker

Why you simple insert an arterial catheter of course. Push a needle into the artery supplying the 'nad and yer done!

You also won't volunteer for those medical experiments on campus for extra spending money any longer either.

nesdog

I've got to say I haven't gone back to the E3 yet after my initial attempt. That Brooks is just too good. Funny, I didn't realize how nice it was until I was off it! Mind you, the Brooks has over 2000 miles on it so it's well broken in. Now an E3 in a wider version might capture my interest as it would be lighter than the B-17. And yes, the E3 is pretty hard to start. I had a hard time dialing it in to the correct position.

Sheldon

mloywhite

I sat on one of the Specialized butt-measurers, and the 143 was the size that was best. It always felt a little wide to me. The more I ride the E3, the better I like it.

SesameCrunch

I second that motion. I've had mine for almost a month now. Many rides later, it is my saddle of choice.

bung

I just posted some pics of the E3 in another thread about saddles. Click here.