bigwoo

I hope you wont mind that I cross-posted this...

There is a huge discussion going on over in Classic & Vintage about a new "anatomical" Brooks leather saddle and it renewed my interest in slotted seats.

Now I'm not sure what to believe......I ride nearly every day of the year to work and take extended road touring rides in the Rocky Mountains several times per year. I have always used non-slotted saddles...

Several professional athletes who ride/train in Boulder,CO for several weeks per year in the area which I often ride, NCAR, have mentioned in passing that the important nerves between the male scrotum and anus do not run parallel with the cutout slot but rather, run across it.

This cutout supposedly takes away valuable surface area in the area between the scrotum and anus and increases pressure per sq mm on very delicate nerve fibers.....

I work in veterinary medicine but pulled out some of my old human anatomy charts and they appear to be correct...

What are the implications of this?? I guess now I'm unsure of which is better for the male body... Add to this the fact that I'm a Clydesdale at 200lbs and 6'

curiouskid55

I am much more comfortable on a Toupe than a Arione.

bigwoo

I'm sorry, I'm a C&V guy and all I've ever used is old Ideale or Brooks leather saddles and I'm not familiar with either of these. I do have one newer saddle on my MTB. It is a Selle Italia Gel "Flite" with no slot, but is very comfortable

Treefox

It suits some more than others. If you can, try both. See what works best for you.

AEO

well, if the saddle isn't killing your butt or you're not getting any after the ride pains or numbness after 3hr+, then I'd say just stick with what works.
brooks with no cut out and specialized BG with cutouts both work for me just fine.

Az B

Several orthos have mentioned that the slot is primarily for marketing purposes. Postioning and correct bike fit are far more important.

Az

michaelmc

I use the junk test. If my junk goes numb, the saddle either needs adjusting or discarding. I've definitely found saddles without cutouts on which my junk doesn't go numb.

Bob Dopolina 

It's funny. I was talking with the guys from ProNet (Selle Italia distributor in the US) about 2008 saddles and he referred to the benefit of the cut-out as allowing more flex in the middle of the saddle. The "male impotency" talk seems to not be so important anymore.

Having said that, SI, in cooperation with some sport docs in Italy, redesigned some of their products. If you look at some of the new saddle designs, the cutouts are even bigger.

Now I really don't know what the whole point is. I've used both and have never had a problem.

pseudobrit

A good, hard Flite or an approximation thereof should keep everything in order as long as saddle and pelvic angle are adjusted properly. Anything wider is going to smoosh your junk.

wanders

+1 on the flite

umd

I prefer my non-cutout Fizik saddles (Arione & Aliante) to the cutout Specialized saddles (Alias and Toupe). Fizik has their "wing flex" which allows for a lot of flex in the middle...

ericcox

Interesting observation in that the flexibility is nice from my anecdotal perspective. I like flites, and have one on my backup bike, and had one on my primary bike for years. The bike I bought last year came standard with a SI SLK (dramatic split/cut out) that I expected to switch out for a flite. However, my rear really likes the SLK. I could give a damn about the cut out as I never had numbness with a flite, but the SLK is quite comfortable. I was just thinking the other day that the minimal material on it makes it quite flexy (you can push down the middle of the saddly and feel the flex), almost like an old spring saddle. I hypothesized that was why I find it so comfy. Nice to know it is that way by design. I just hope flexier does not lead to less longevity.

GlassWolf

for what it's worth, I use the following saddles on my bikes:
Selle Italia Turbo (classic)
E3 gel form ergonomic (no slot)
WTB Rocket V

KidTruth

It kinda sounds to me that the cutouts were originally for flex but that other designers started copying it after it became popular and were only guessing at what the cutout is used for. Surely the brilliant designers with their ultra-high R&D budget at Specialized could have googled up a nerve map of the human body and saw that the cutout was in the wrong place to do any good for that.

GlassWolf

Well, they tried to place the gap from side to side, but after cutting a few hundred saddles in half with their $50,000 plasma torches, they discovered a fundamental flaw in their design there as well.

Az B

For many companies, the marketing department is far larger than the engineering department.

I like the additional airflow provided by the cutout though. Nothing like a cool crotch on a warm day!

Az

PipinFan

This is what I use,at the beginning was a bit uncomfortable but now is just fine.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...e.aspx?sc=FRGL