Campag4life

Wanted to poll the collective that been on that never ending quest for saddle nirvana...seeking that unobtainable perfect saddle who may have found it with the Specialized Toupe...or at least for a while. I found one on ebay I will be trying shortly when the weather clears. I like the idea of a hard saddle like a Brooks with a flexible shell that offers forgiveness...very different than a padded saddle that has never worked for me. I understand there maybe a bit of acclimation for this saddle in terms of sit bones toughening up...but have read many have liked this saddle so figured worth a try.
Anybody found a saddle they like better? Opinions?

patentcad

I've been riding Toupe 143s pretty much exclusively for years. I like them.

jdon

I rode Toupe saddles and liked them until I bought an MTB with the Phenom. That is now my favorite. I am not a weight weenie so don't care about a few more grams.

rogerstg

I have a 143 on one of my road bike that works fine - but frankly, that should be irrelevant to you. Your saddle should be based on your physiology and cycling style, not mine or anyone else.

rbart4506

started with a 143 and hated it....Then tried a bunch of saddle, hated them all...Tried a 130 Toupe and I found butt love...

Been riding them ever since, about 3 years I think...

Never really had a big issue with sore sitbones...The saddle just seemed to work!

deepakvrao

Only tried a few saddles but the 143 is bliss 'for me'. Wife tried it too and fell in love with it. Just ordered hers.

rkwaki

Have two of them and they are great - the only thing I would question is their durability - I don't find that they stand up as well as a Selle Italia.

BagMan

I switched to a 143 Toupe from a Selle Italia and after a 2 month acclimation period, really enjoy it.

thesmoothdome

I rode my Toupe Team 143 for about 3500 miles. It was very comfortable, but because of the way it flares out by the sit bones, I was prone to saddle sores where the crease between my butt and my leg rubbed the saddle. I recently tried a 130 version, but noticed the same thing right away. YMMV.

badhat

i swore by toupes for a number of years but since i started racing and doing long base miles last season i found it wasnt cutting it after a while. dunno if the padding broke down or if a the pro fit i got last year changed my center of gravity enough to affect the saddle comfort, but either way i bought a selle SMP composit this year and its perfect for me. its only been a couple of months but they've been big mile, 20hr/wk months and its unbelievably comfy.

tagaproject6

Tried the Romin before settling on the Toupe 143. Very comfy.

MrTuner1970

I can only comment on my experience ... having correct saddle height, tilt, and fore-aft positions seems to make as much difference as a "better" saddle. Here's what I've experienced.

2008: Rode 1000 or so miles on a Fizik Arione WingFlex. No problems.

2009: Rode 2000 miles on the same bike/saddle (no problems), then got a new bike with a the same but new Arione WingFlex. Things were fine until I started fiddling with positions: experimenting with height, fore-aft, and flipping the stem. And I was "eyeballing" the tilt rather than using a level on top of a flat board. Started getting saddle sores after several hundred miles, which I never had much problem with before. (I should have realized that it probably wasn't the saddle that was causing the sores; rather, it was the change in position(s). Didn't realize it at the time, but with hindsight it's easy to see.)

2010: Struggled with fairly frequent saddle sores until getting a Toupe 143 (sometime in March). It was actually comfortable, and fixed the sore problems. However, in hindsight, I think it really must have been the different fore-aft position that resulted when I changed saddles. I've ridden about 4000 miles on the Toupe, and the only problems with soreness have resulted from fiddling with saddle height and fore-aft. Too far up and too far back = problems ... so I've found out by experience.

The last part of October I did a century on my first road bike and the Arione WingFlex that was supposed to be the "wrong" saddle for me. But I had no problems other than the inevitable soreness that comes from being on any saddle for 90+ miles. I think with my experience in changing saddle positions, I could very likely be quite comfortable with the Arione on the newer bike.

Long story to say that you might need to work on your fit and saddle tilt before making the jump to another saddle.

Having said that, though, I do like the cut-out channels in saddles like the Toupe. I can tell there is less pressure on the Toupe than on the Arione, although the Arione has never been uncomfortable to me. Probably a good idea to have the cut-out channel to relieve pressure on sensitive nerves. For that reason, I'll probably stick with the Toupe.

Jeepnut22 

+1 on that. Ride 143 Phenoms on my MTBs. 143 Avatar on my commuter...

Of them all, the Phenom is the most comfy, but since the Toupe Team I have also feels fantastic, the more important factor is probably the 143 size. Sit bones settle in perfectly.

BarryJo

I was riding a Toupe, which I absolutely loved, before going with a Romin for one of my other bikes.
I kept the Romin, but it's not as comfortable as the Toupe.

I should mention I demo'ed an SMP Evolution before buying the Romin. For whatever reason it just didn't work for me.

But saddles are like women.

eippo1

I love this saddle, but the flare at the back was too wide for my hammies, which rubbed. Otherwise it was a perfect saddle. I'm currently using an SLK which feels almost exactly the same as the Toupe but w/o the flare.

jdon

You mean you have to put up with a lot of torture before finding comfort?

MPress

Everybody is different... the Toupe 143 was an ass hatchet for my rear. Pain and numbness no matter how I adjusted the saddle. The SMP Lite 209 works worlds better for me. YMMV.

ReLLiK75

I rode a 143 for a few years. Did a century and a few metrics on it, but I was always very uncomfortable on it past that 60 mile mark. I had an Arione lying around that I picked up at a good price, so I decided to try it and rode it with no real problems until I did a metric on it. Nothing on the bike changed, but I was on fire once I got past the 50 mile mark, which is strange because I had done mile 50+ mile rides on it previously with no issues.

So the Arione came off and I replaced it with a Romin. To me, it felt like the Toupe. When I first rode it, I thought it'd be the magic saddle to end all my problems, but after getting some miles in on it, that turned out to be not the case. So now I'm on a San Marco Mantra Carbon FX. Unfortunately, the only experience I've got with it right now is on my trainer, but I do plan on putting it on my other bike today and hitting the road. On the trainer it's felt great. Fingers crossed that it's even better on the road.

So if anyone is interested, I've got a Romin, a Toupe, and an Arione available at really great prices!

coasting 

fizik arione

calamarichris

I went from a Brooks Ti B17 to a Toupe, then exchanged it with a bunch of other Specialized saddles in varying widths, (a variety of Toupes, Avatar, Alias, Romin, etc.) before returning to the Avatar-155, which is unquestionably the apple of my ass' eye.
I vote you find a shop with a 30-day exchange program and try them all.

Campag4life

Fantastic responses everybody. Much appreciated. Whole lot of saddle experimentin' going on...
A few years ago I tried the Alias in 143mm width and it gave me a sore butt. Coming off of a Brooks, maybe the ticket is a bit wider saddle so opted for the 155mm Toupe. Will update this thread to let you know how it works out and please keep the comments coming....
Thanks Cal...if the Toupe is close but not quite right...may try the Avatar in 155mm per your success.

HAMMER MAN

I recently bought for both of my bikes a toupe 143 saddle, great saddles. My only concerns is the longevity of the saddles.

crhilton

I like my Toupe (143 as well). It's a very good saddle for an aggressive position. It's very hard, harder than a Brooks, and frankly I hate being on it without a chamois.


If I'm on a bike with a relaxed position I love a B17. And a B17, in the right position, is a great saddle to use with no chamois.

coasting 

hey campag, are you only looking at 140 width because you are not comfortable with 130? if 130 works for you, there is a cheap saddle by pro-lite called "cles" which works very nicely for me. i got it because it was cheap and i thought if it doesn't work no big deal and it turned out to be very good for me. i have it on one bike and the arione on the other bike and both are good for me.

hammy56

get out of here with your common sense.