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Arione-like road saddle recommendation
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el gato
Oct 19, 17 21:24
Post #1 of 13 (4050 views)
I've been riding a Fizik Arione on my road bike for 10+ years. Generally, I like the shape of the saddle a lot, but it has a few drawbacks, most notable among them being the numbness that it causes me lately. I recently had a bike fit, and the fitter recommended the Specialized Power Pro saddle. It felt fine in the fitting, so I purchased it, but after riding it now for 5-6 rides it's OK but not great. The cutout has eliminated most of the numbness I was getting with the Arione, but it's a shorter saddle so I can't move fore/aft on it like I did on the Arione and if I don't sit on it exactly right fore/aft the width and shape of the wings start to irritate my hamstrings after an hour or so of riding. So, I'm looking for a saddle that's shaped like an Arione but has a cutout.

The obvious choice would be the Fizik Arione R1 Open Regular:

http://www.fizik.com/...r1-open-regular.html

I know that this is a new saddle but I figured I'd ask... does anyone here have any experience with this saddle?


Is there a saddle in the Specialized line up that folks like that has a shape similar to the Arione? From photos, the Romin Evo Pro looks like it might have a similar width and wing shape to the Arione:

https://www.specialized.com/...n/rominevopro/130722

Anyone have any feedback on this saddle?

Also open to suggestions for other saddles with an Arione-like shape but with a cutout.

Thanks.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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kjmcawesome
Oct 19, 17 21:41
Post #2 of 13 (4036 views)
 I also like the shape of the Airone but like a cutout. Specialized saddles work for me.

Power
Toupe
Romin (not evo)
Phenom

While the Power is my favorite I would recommend the Toupe if you want something more traditional.

I feel like the Romin is pushed. But the Toupe is a great saddle.
/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Shambolic
Oct 20, 17 2:48
Post #3 of 13 (3991 views)
I loved the Arione CX but now ride a Prologo Scratch 2 that has a slightly more rounded shade that helps with numbness. There is also the Arione Versus with a cut out but I tried them and was not a fan compared to a standard Arione.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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rijndael
Oct 20, 17 3:19
Post #4 of 13 (3980 views)
IMO, the Fizik VSX edition saddles, with the deep channel rather than a cutout, are just as effective.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [kjmcawesome] [ In reply to ]
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el gato
Oct 20, 17 7:54
Post #5 of 13 (3924 views)
Thanks everyone.


kjmcawesome wrote:
While the Power is my favorite I would recommend the Toupe if you want something more traditional.

I checked out the Toupe, and it looks very close to what I have in mind. Then I realized that it's discontinued. Doh!
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Ron_Burgundy
Oct 20, 17 8:26
Post #6 of 13 (3916 views)
jkatsoudas wrote:
Thanks everyone.


kjmcawesome wrote:

While the Power is my favorite I would recommend the Toupe if you want something more traditional.


I checked out the Toupe, and it looks very close to what I have in mind. Then I realized that it's discontinued. Doh!


The power saddle has one big drawback, you cannot move around at all and occasionally for some the sides would be too wide. The "Arc" model appears to address this with a more rounded shape on the sides. As a long time Arione user the power saddle was a no go after a few weeks of use. I do not know why specialized is no longer listing the Toupe, possibly they are launching a revamped model in the new few months?

Two non saddle related options for reducing numbness include a slight drop in saddle height and 1-2 degrees more tilt. Of course a high end pair of bib shorts will also help reduce some issues as well, i would strongly suggest giving Assos a try.
Last edited by: Ron_Burgundy: Oct 20, 17 8:35
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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kjmcawesome
Oct 20, 17 9:57
Post #7 of 13 (3893 views)
I'm sure you can find a Toupe - maybe even discounted.

Even though it is marketed as a mtb saddle, give the Phenom a shot. To me, the Power seems like a chopped version of that saddle (with a bigger cutout).
/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [kjmcawesome] [ In reply to ]
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el gato
Oct 20, 17 16:10
Post #8 of 13 (3857 views)
I e-mailed Specialized customer support to ask if the Toupe had been discontinued, or if there was a new model coming and this was the reply I received:


"These are still available and we have IT working on adding them to the Saddle page. If you click on the magnifying glass in the upper right hand corner and type in "Toupe" the models will pop up for you."


So it seems that the Toupe is still available and it was just a website error.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [kjmcawesome] [ In reply to ]
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el gato
Oct 25, 17 12:50
Post #9 of 13 (3778 views)
I tracked down a Toupe Expert (143) at one of the LBS, and have ridden it a couple of times now on the trainer. It's too early to declare victory but so far it's a VAST improvement over the Power saddle.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [rijndael] [ In reply to ]
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Slunnie
Oct 25, 17 17:30
Post #10 of 13 (3736 views)
rijndael wrote:
IMO, the Fizik VSX edition saddles, with the deep channel rather than a cutout, are just as effective.
I agree. The great thing with this is that it also retains the narrow nose, where the saddles with cutouts (eg JOF, Adamo etc) that I have seen have all been too wide for me.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [Slunnie] [ In reply to ]
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el gato
Oct 25, 17 18:56
Post #11 of 13 (3709 views)
Slunnie wrote:
rijndael wrote:
IMO, the Fizik VSX edition saddles, with the deep channel rather than a cutout, are just as effective.

I agree. The great thing with this is that it also retains the narrow nose, where the saddles with cutouts (eg JOF, Adamo etc) that I have seen have all been too wide for me.

I just bought a new road bike, and it came with an Antares VS on it. It's actually a much better saddle than I expected it to be. Not sure I like it as much as the Toupe but I don't have enough time on either saddle yet to make a definitive decision.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Avago
Oct 25, 17 22:29
Post #12 of 13 (3690 views)
jkatsoudas wrote:
Slunnie wrote:
rijndael wrote:
IMO, the Fizik VSX edition saddles, with the deep channel rather than a cutout, are just as effective.

I agree. The great thing with this is that it also retains the narrow nose, where the saddles with cutouts (eg JOF, Adamo etc) that I have seen have all been too wide for me.


I just bought a new road bike, and it came with an Antares VS on it. It's actually a much better saddle than I expected it to be. Not sure I like it as much as the Toupe but I don't have enough time on either saddle yet to make a definitive decision.

About ten years ago I got a new mountain bike and it came with a Fizik Gobi, instant saddle heaven and they're been on all of my bikes bar the tri bike for a decade.
this year I've returned to daily cycle commuting about a 2 hr round trip, and got a new Scott Solace 10 to and switched out the Syncros saddle to one of my Gobi.
After 6 months of daily commuting,suddenly,I can't stand it... I must change it's killing me.
Why after all this time? who knows! but suddenly I feel I want a flatter support under my sit bones
Fizik dealer also recommended the Antares, but a local Scott & Specilised bike shop has recommended the Ronin Evo, so what the heck, a Scott with a Specialzed saddle.
Who cares as long as it works.
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Re: Arione-like road saddle recommendation [Avago] [ In reply to ]
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Sun Wu Kong
Oct 26, 17 2:54
Post #13 of 13 (3660 views)
I tried the Toupe a few years ago, loved it. Then I rode it for more than 4 hours and felt bruised for weeks. It really was a great saddle for anything up to 3 hours or so, now have an Arione on both of my road bikes and have no problems even on really long rides.
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