MrTuner1970

How do the Avatar Team and Romin saddles by Specialized compare to the Toupe Team saddle?

I've test ridden the Toupe Team and liked it (a lot), but Specialized.com is out of stock (alas) in the 143mm width. Looking for an alternative while checking eBay. If my local Specialized dealer has an Avatar to test, I'll try that one too, but wanted to check here to get some weekend wisdom.

Does the Toupe hold up well?

Now don't be afraid to butt in to this conversation....

alpha_bravo

Rode my Toupe for a year before a crash claimed its life. It's a great saddle which is very durable. I had no issues at all with it.

If I'm not mistaken the Avatar Team stands a little taller and has a bit more padding than the Toupe which is flatter and has less padding. If the Toupe fits right, you should have no regrets riding one for years.

blamire

avatar on my winter bike - great for looong rides, too heavy to go on my best bike. did have a toupe on said best bike. loved it at first, then started to disagree with it considerably. not entirely sure why. got rid of that and now have a romin. the romin is awesome. i've put more miles on it than i did on the toupe, with no problems whatsoever. i'd get a romin.

chasm54

Me, too. Liked the toupe at first, but then it began to cut me up. Abandoned it after it gave me saddlesores on one long, wet ride. Only saddle ever to give me sores...and yes, I'd had it fitted and it was the right size.

Loose Chain

I occasionally am startled that I learn something new now that I am 56yo, thought I knew everything. Then I learned that the Conti GP4000 is the fastest, smoothest tire I have ever been on and the Avatar BG is the most comfortable saddle I have ever sat on.

jsmonet

the romin wider than the toupe. it kinda sorta looks like a toupe for tri....homers. the toupe is the skinniest of these saddles, right?

davesax36

NO. The romin actually feels narrower than a toupe at the same width. All of them come in 130, 143, 155mm sizes. The toupe is flatter than the Romin, but has sharper points on it's "wings." The Romin has a slightly turned up back edge to provide support for sitbones of riders who rotate the pelvis when in the drops or pushing hard.

I don't know anything about the avatar except that it has padding.

calamarichris

Instead of relying on the impressions of strangers on the internet, I'd go to a Specialized dealership with a saddle exchange program and swap them out until you find the one least hostile to your junk.
I started out on the Toupe (not bad... let's try another), then the Avatar (getting warmer... can we get even comfier than this?), then the Romin (meh... not so much) then the Alias...(PERFECT! But I think I like the Avatar better, come to think of it), then the Avatar in the fatboy-155mm size.
My junk has never been happier--so much better than the well-worn Brooks I'd been riding for the last 6-7 years (and I thought that seat was the pinnacle of comfort.) For example: there were a lot of bikinis on the beach on Memorial Day and I caught myself getting a b0n3r while 70 miles into a solo century.
Our @$$es are as unique as our faces, so everyone has a different idea about the perfect seat. Try before you buy! (What a time to be alive.)

urbanknight

My first one lasted only a couple months before I noticed one of the rails had come loose. Specialized sent me a replacement immediately and it has lasted over two years now, including 2 crashes.

MrTuner1970

Thanks to everyone for the input. I'll be near the Specialized dealer tomorrow and will try a couple more saddles (they only have three to test -- small store).

4cmd3

Some dealers may carry dedicated range of Specialized demo saddles ... similar to other brands such as Fizik, Selle San Marco, etc.

I saw the Specialized demo lineup at my shop yesterday and looked like quite a range of options for testing...

The demo saddles were a 50/50% red/white combo that is nothing like those for sale... they looked kind of cool actually.

calamarichris

It would be worth your while to make a trip (or even 5 trips) to a larger dealership. I can't believe how much more comfortable this rinky-dink little $70 saddle is compared with my Brooks Titanium B17.
Life is good when your junk doesn't hurt.

MrTuner1970

I hear ya, calamarichris ... a larger store would be the one to visit. Unfortunately, they are about 65+ miles from me one way.

Today I picked up a Romin to test. The store has a couple more that I didn't see the other day. Will be testing them all while looking on eBay for any that might sell fairly cheap.

hansel

just got a toupe today, with some s works bar tape. It looks good, and it feels even better. and for my employee discount you cant beat the price of 60 bucks.

acaurora

My Tarmac came with the Toupe, which I thought that I liked. However after several months I switched it out for a Romin, which works better for me.