I see what you mean. But if you look at the two saddles from the rear, they have a very similar profile with the exception of the channel carved out down the center of the Toupe. Both sitbone surfaces are quite flat, as opposed to many saddles that have a rounded profile.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2p83d.jpg

And yes, I do have too much time on my hands.

Both saddles work for me, but I have Phenoms most of my bikes for two reasons: Cost & Durability. The $75 Phenom I bought has lasted 2 years, I never had a Toupe survive 12 months. The thing about the Phenom though is that they discontinued it. When I heard that I was able to stock up on them at really good prices.

The toupe gave me saddle sores right on my sit bones, I'm still trying to find a comfortable saddle. I have Cobb now. The saddle sores have gone away but it isn't quite right. I get pain on the inside of my thighs that goes away after 30mins of riding. I tried an adamo road saddle that was painful. I'm thinking of trying an aliante next.

Thanks for all the feedback. I know saddles are a personal thing, I went through several finding my current Selle Italia gel flite max, which is 150mm wide. I might be able to go with one a bit narrower, but I couldnt afford to just keep buying saddles.

Same for me. The romin and Toupe both caused no numbness, but made by sitbones raw and very, very sore.

Well that doesn't sound too good!

Love mine, it's the gel version. Seemed a little hard at first but now it's great and I moved it over to my new bike.

I have the 143 that came on my 2010 Tarmac Elite and it's fine now that I'm used to it.

I use Garneau cycling shorts and don't have issues.

Also, I'm unsure which level of saddle I have, but it weighs 265 grams or so. Definitely not the 150 I've seen posted here. Specs on the bike just say "Body Geometry Toupe w/ hollow Cr-Mo rails"

I had one that was supposedly the right size based on the specialized AMD (ass measurement device) and for whatever reason it just didn't work for me (the wings dug into my inner thighs - no I'm not fat). Got an arione instead and it's much better. My advice to someone considering one or the other is to buy both if possible because it sounds like most people like one or the other. Also something to consider is a brooks team pro, it's more comfortable than either it just weighs a lot.

Toupe 143 is obligatory for me. Have a gel version with hollow Ti rails on one bike and a team version with solid rails on another. I can't discern a difference between gel and non-gel.

Is there a shop that has "test" saddles? There is a LBS close to where I live that allows tests of Fizik saddles. Of course the saddles are color coded to indicate they are test models.

I wish there were here, but not one that has test toupe saddles, only the fizik. Looks like another BF member is going to loan me one extra he has to see if I like it. If so, with a trial, then I'll know what to get, or stay with what I have now.

The Fizik Vitesse is really just a wide version of the Aliante. If you can get past riding a "womans saddle" its a good option for people with wide sit bones. I put them side by side in the shop, and couldn't tell what made one a "mens" saddle and which one a "womans" saddle other than the sticker.

Great!, I hope it works out for you. If not, keep searching! A friend of mine says REI and Performance Bike will let you return just about anything. Just a thought! Good luck

I have a Toupe Team, 130mm and really like it. I don't prefer much padding in a saddle so it agrees with me. YMMV.

Flipping saddles on ebay is a good way to experiment. Otherwise you end up living at the bike shop. :)

Weather has been awful and really the first decent afternoon to get out on my road bike with new Toupe 155. I picked it up on Ebay...like new condition with Ti rails and believe it is a couple of years old and not the gel, carbon or other versions....probably the equivalent of the Elite.

I have to say this is best plastic saddle I have ridden to date. Did 30 miles with my buddies and after a bit of adjustment...also had new PI bibs on, the saddle was excellent. No soreness today....at least in my butt. :) I could feel sit bone pressure as expected but when out on the road, the saddle pretty much disappeared. Most of us know early on if a saddle is going to work out or not. You can ride it back for widest support or a bit more forward for less leg restraint and the flex of the saddle with relatively hard surface is a great combination. The cutout allows riding in the drops without any notable perineal pressure. Maybe there is a better saddle out there...haven't tried them all yet :) but this one is the best so far. No idea what kind of century saddle it is but I rarely ride over 40 miles or so and believe it will fit the bill. I also understand that the Toupe will break in a bit...shell will deform a bit over time....not unlike a Brooks...in combination with butt toughening up. Considering my lack of conditioning this early into the season, I couldn't really ask for more. Not sure if a 143mm would work better but believe part the problem I've had riding minimalist racing saddles is...too much padding and inflexible shell and too narrow for my wider spaced sit bones. This is why Brooks saddles have always been more comfortable for me...excepting they aren't very good for riding in the drops compared to a cutout.

Specialized has finally come up I believe with a formula of a firm but flexible saddle with cutout and width sizing to take racing saddles to another level in my opinion. I would like to try the Romin at some point because some like the Romin because of its shape even more than the Toupe.

My initial impressions of the Toupe...195# rider.

thanks for the review campag4life. I think I'll be able to borrow one from a buddy soon and give it a shot. Flipping on ebay isnt a bad idea either.

+1 I've got 130 mm Toupes on 4 of my road bikes. They work great for me.

Quite a bit of people like the Toupe, so I'm gonna order one from a dealer this weekend to try it. Have to get my bum measured, though. Seems the most reasonably priced "mid-high" level saddle out there.

Had the 143 and hated it. I gave it so many tries, but it just didnt work for me.

Saddles are such a personal choice, you just have to keep on trying until you find one that works. Also, be careful to measure correctly, since you might get the "right" saddle, but in the wrong size.

I have a toupe 143 and my butt is very happy. I frequently do 50-60 mile rides on the weekends and an occasional century with no discomfort. I don't go cheap on the bibs, but also do buy the most expensive either. A fizik arione came with a bike a bought a few years ago, so I tried it and immediately took the toupe off the old bike. I have a brand new arione if someone wants to swap for a new toupe - 143.

Good luck and wish you a happy butt in the near future.

Have ridden a Toupe the past 4 years. My Toupe's have lost their shape after around 5K miles. Needed a new one this spring so I decided to try the Romin. I have 1000 miles on it and believe I prefer it to the Toupe.

I had Ariones last year but they were uncomfortable after a while. I switched to Toupe 143 this year, Team version on one bike and gel version on the other.

I like their fit when I sit on it. But after a while it give me saddle on my left side.

I don't know what to try next. Maybe Selle Italia Flite...or Fizik Aliante. Maybe I will try Romin as well.

I have been curious about the Toupe also. 2 years back there were more "Toupe" posts than Carters pills. How many who vowed that the Toupe was the best thing since sliced bread are still riding the saddle now?

FWIW the Toupe is best for people with more flexability, while the roman is better for less flexible people, since the kicked up rear helps you rotate your pelvis. Fizik is really good about mentioning this with their "spine concept" marketing , but Specialized doesen't really explain that much.