My experience with three Selle SMP saddles.

Papote · #1 09-07.-2008

I have tried three Selle SMP models for road cycling with a race bike and an MTB bike, in rides between 80 and 120 km (with the road bike).

I’ll probably order a fourth one (the SMP Plus), this will make four saddles.

According to my experience, the SMP saddles will remove the pain in the perineal region almost completely, but if you don’t choose the right model, the pain in the ischial bones will be equally unbearable. The best saddle I’ve used so far is the SMP TRK MEN (very comfortable), the cheapest one of the range; but it’s too large, so I’ll soon order the SMP Plus, of similar width.

This is my experience so far:

I got to a point that I said to myself: if I don’t find a bearable saddle, I’ll stop cycling!.

It seems I need a broad saddle, my hip width is 109 mm, I’m tall (1,87 cm / 6 feet 2 inches). To know how you can measure your hip width, read below.

My pain with saddles appeared when my Sunday rides got beyond 60 km.

I’ve been cycling seriously for two years now, road race cycling for about 14 months and always was at a wit’s end with saddles, these are the ones I tried:

- San Marco Aspide (came with the Road race Carbon bike I have): Unbearable in perineal area and everywhere in my ass, probably too narrow for me.

- Duopower: One of those “noseless” saddles. Too narrow.

- Sillín Fizik Wing flex Nisene Sport: Good saddle, but too narrow.

- San Marco "Aero": similar feel to San Marco Aspide.

These saddles are supposed to be “anti-prostatic”, they’re so to an extent, but much less than the SMP’s.

- SMP Strike Glider (used in three rides of about 100 km each): My first SMP. No pain in perineal area, but the two spots where the ischial bones meet the saddle felt like sitting on two nails. The problem is that my sit bones (ischial bones) meet the saddle to far outside, near the edges (where it slants downwards) because I’m very wide hipped.

- SMP Strike PRO (used in six rides of about 100 Km each): Similar feel to the Glider. This saddle was still narrow for me. I noticed this when I transferred my SMP TRK saddle (cheap version, outer layer made of vulgar plastic) from the MTB to the road bike. It fit my wide hips very well. The padding in the PRO is hard, made of dense material, it’ll be hard to sink your finger two millimetres.

- SMP Strike TRK (used in the last six rides): This is the cheapest one, somewhat ugly, but wide enough for me. I’ll soon get the SMP Plus which is of similar width and better quality.

I think the problem is that I have a particularly sensitive perineal area and that I have wide hips. My cycling experience is not long.

I measured my hip bones width by filling a garbage bag with two kg of flour, placing it on the toilet and sitting naked. When you stand up, you’ll hardly distinguish the two hollow spots by touching with your fingertips; then used a tape-measure.

I also went to a bike shop and tried to measure my ass with an Specialized Ass-o-meter (this is the name, no joke) but it worked badly, probably because it was past its lifespan. This device is a simple band of a black rubber foam you sit on. I got the same measure as with the rubbish bag full of flour.

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