specialized toupe

[jjiam25]

I have purchased one of these bad boys, because of all the praise on this website. That being said, I weigh 250 lbs, im muscular, not fat, anyway, am I the only one who can not get comfortable on this thing? I had it fitted, I moved it up down, sideways, backwards(not really). No matter how I try it, it tears up my sit bones so bad. I am thinking that most of the riders on this site are under 200lbs, therefore maybe the little padding the toupe has may do, but let me tell you, I don't think the padding is enough for my fat(toned) ass. Am I the only one? So that being said, I think im gonna sell it and go back to my oldie but goody a Terrie fly saddle!

 

[abqhudson]

I'm 215 and it works very well for me.

I have found that it needs to be set back pretty far for me. I think I sit pretty far forward on it. Best I've found so far.

Jim

 

[rudycyclist]

I actually did the same thing you did. I got fitted and bought one because of what I have heard here. It hurts my sit bones the same way it's hurting yours, but my crotch has no more numbness which is very good. I'm going to try some better shorts and also am going to give it more time experimenting with moving it up, down, etc. Give it a little time.

 

[rickp]

I'm 75kilos (165 lbs) and got fitted for a Ti bike that was then custom made for me. I asked the bike shop to put the Toupe saddle on as it was one of the better saddles they had. I did the "sit check" where you plonk yourself down on a pad and it measures how wide your sit bones are.

So, I have the correct size bike and the correct size saddle. And it hurts like hell! Hence my visit here to find out what everyone is recommending. Looks like a Fizik next...

 

[tfstrum]

Everyone says Arione. I have the cheaper Fizik and I'm looking too...

 

[waxbytes]

No one saddle fits all riders. Cost does not equate with comfort except that really cheap really hurts.
I use a Specialized Avatar and it works for me. Others swear by Fizik or Selle Italia or....?
After all is said and done it's mostly trial and error until comfort is found.
Leastways that's how it has been for me.

 

[alienator]

Like it's been said, not all butts march to the pounding of the same drummer. If you can get an idea of how wide your sitbones are--maybe go to a shop that has a Specialized assometer--then you can try other saddles w/ the appropriate width. Still, even if you do that, choosing a saddle is still pretty much a **** shoot.

 

[rudycyclist]

I'm not sure if it's necessarily a crapshoot. I went ahead, without even test riding it and bought the toupe. It hurt for the first 2 weeks and now I love it. Not sure what I'd do without it. I think time helps solve problems and helps to alleviate some pain.

 

[alienator]

I'm not sure if it's necessarily a crapshoot. I went ahead, without even test riding it and bought the toupe. It hurt for the first 2 weeks and now I love it. Not sure what I'd do without it. I think time helps solve problems and helps to alleviate some pain.

No, it's pretty much a crapshoot. How do you predict which saddle, that hurts for the first 2 weeks, will feel better over time and which one will continue to be as comfy as an iron maiden? Well, you can't. A person can narrow the field of possible saddles by knowing or measuring the distance between sitbones and then looking at saddles that will accomodate that dimension, but that only narrows the field. If that were the perfect solution, then everyone would be comfy on the appropriately sized Specialized BG saddle, wouldn't they?

No, it's a trial and error process. Once a person finds what works, then they generally stick with that.....or at least saddles similarly shaped to what works.

 

[kleng]

I use both the Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio and the Fizik Arione Carbon Braided, both are super comfortable for me. The arione has a flatter top which means you sit on top of the saddle more, it is slightly wider and obviously longer, which "may" suit those with wider sit bones.
The SLR is slightly curved on top which means you sit more into it, it has a narrower profile and is shorter so you seem to sit in the same position all the time.

The width of the arione has caused my knicks to wear away around the wingflex area.

Here is a review

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/arione.shtml

 

[rickp]

Being English "crapshoot" conjures up all sorts of slightly weird images!

Anyway, having spent a bit more time on this site looking at all the different postings about saddles I'm going to try and persevere with the Toupe. For example I always thought I should have the saddle dead flat and spirit levelled - this is certainly how the bike shop set it up. I'm going to try dropping the nose down a bit. Then I'm going to move it slightly forwards so I'm a bit nearer the wider part for more of the time. Then I'll move it back a bit more. Then I'll sell it...

It's interesting that, despite having been properly fitted for the bike and having it made to the "correct" size , I'm still having to tinker here and there to get it exactly right for me. I guess no one fits the ideal bike size and no one's **** (ass for most of you!) is the right size for all saddles so we're all destined to have a bit of a hard time until we get to our own personal nirvana.

If I gain any enlightenment along my journey I'll post it.