I swapped out my Fizik Arione saddle for an ISM Podium with the hopes of keeping my boys happy. My ass hurt just sitting on the saddle. After 15 minutes my ass was killing me. At 45 minutes I had to throw in the towel. Is this typical for a first time user of an ISM saddle? How long should I expect it to take for my body to adapt to an ISM?
I think the install vid says it takes ~7 hours to get used to it.
I might just be making this up though.
It may kick your ass for a bit, but at least your man bits will be OK.
Thats how I’m looking at it.
Yeah, that is pretty normal (at least that was my experience). It took me about 2 weeks for it to feel totally pain/awkwardness free.
I swapped out my Fizik Arione saddle for an ISM Podium with the hopes of keeping my boys happy. My ass hurt just sitting on the saddle. After 15 minutes my ass was killing me. At 45 minutes I had to throw in the towel. Is this typical for a first time user of an ISM saddle? How long should I expect it to take for my body to adapt to an ISM?
…especially so if you’re coming from an Arione saddle, which is basically designed to spread the load over a wide, flat area (including your “squishy bits”.)
I take it you weren’t riding the Arione on the nose, right? As in, “pick a side and rest your sit bone on that side on the nose”?
I’ve had my ISM for a few months. it’s gets better with more saddle time, but not much. I still can only handle about an hour at a time. I’ll get up off the saddle every 30 minutes or so, and hammer for about 5 min, then back down. It’s seems to be the only way to ‘adjust’ for me.
My answer is the Cobb saddle:)
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Actually yes, I was a nose rider with the Arione saddle.
I hope that that will not be my experience. I just underwent nut surgery a few weeks back due to biking and am hoping to avoid a repeat of this in the future.
I went from arionne to Adamo Racing. First ride was weird. Second tide was great. At first I was uncomfortable when not aero but it was really just a matter of getting used to it. You’ll love it in short order but it is a new feeling that takes time.
I have spent almost 26 years looking for saddle nirvana. I put a VFlow Max on 2 years ago, rode it for 10 minutes, leveled it out and raised it a few mm’s and went out for 2 hours…the rest is history. May not be everyone’s cup of tea, but damn my bits and pieces loves me some Cobb saddle. I don’t even realize I’m sitting on a saddle, more like on the couch at home.
Actually yes, I was a nose rider with the Arione saddle.
Then you should have 2X as much “area” being supported then, no? At least that would be the case if you were a “pick a side” type of nose-rider…
What am I missing?
I thought you said "first ride on Imodium and my Ass is killing me…
I was just about to post a similar thread. But i’m on an Adamo Road, about 2weeks old now.
I don’t get numb nuts, but gee I’m tender on the sit bones. I have had to swap back to a 2nd bike with a traditional saddle every 2nd ride.
I have been wearing 3 pairs of shorts, just to counter the hardness of the Road saddle.
I have found that by taking an Allen key and adjusting seat height, seat tilt and horizontal position, during rides, I have almost found the sweet spot. For me the seat is tilted down a bit at the nose and not as far back or as high as what I was attempting.
I just bought some Assoss bib shorts and my last ride was my most comfortable yet - just in time because I was about to throw the seat in the bin! Swelling is going down in the sit bones and I’m expecting my next ride to be at least as comfortable as I was pre-Adamo
So for me, it was about 2 weeks, or 18 hours in the saddle, with lots of adjustment and an expensive pair of shorts.
Good luck with your experience
I’m not an ISM rider, but I though the theory is basically that this is a saddle with effectively 2 short noses with a the long part of the nose chopped off.
Now instead of “picking one side for a single sit bone”, you have “2 sides” to place each sit bone on and your boys hang off the front without any nose protruding in front. Tom, is this what is supposed to happen?
That’s exactly what happens if you’ve got it right.
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I also recently got the Adamo Road. Instant comfort for me, by far the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever ridden on. What a novelty to not have it whack my taint every time I go over a bump in the road (which you do pretty much constantly around here). First time I used it I output 22W more power than my previous best around a 1hr route I ride quite often, and I think a big part of that was being able to keep putting out the power over all the bumps in the road.
I just finished my second ride on the ISM - a measely 45 minutes. The discomfort may have been a bit less than I experienced yesterday. I have to stay in the aero position or else the discomfort is too high. Power is down, but that is probably because I have just started back on the bike after a 4 week layoff due to surgery. I am not planning on getting back on the bike until Thursday at which time I am hoping to be able to last 1 hour on the saddle.
I’m not an ISM rider, but I though the theory is basically that this is a saddle with effectively 2 short noses with a the long part of the nose chopped off.
Now instead of “picking one side for a single sit bone”, you have “2 sides” to place each sit bone on and your boys hang off the front without any nose protruding in front. Tom, is this what is supposed to happen?
Yup…that allows the avoidance of “crushing the junk” up front 
I just finished my second ride on the ISM - a measely 45 minutes. The discomfort may have been a bit less than I experienced yesterday. I have to stay in the aero position or else the discomfort is too high.
That’s a good thing, no? Anything to encourage staying in the aero position 
Power is down, but that is probably because I have just started back on the bike after a 4 week layoff due to surgery. I am not planning on getting back on the bike until Thursday at which time I am hoping to be able to last 1 hour on the saddle.
Aaah…now I think see what may be part of the problem…if you just recently had “nut surgery”, as you termed it earlier, you may still be a bit sensitive down there. I first started using an Adamo saddle after I went through a prostate infection last year. When I first started riding again, I tried a friend’s “Race” model Adamo and found it to be WAY too harsh at the time, so I ended up getting a “Road” model due to it’s extra gel padding on the prongs. That made a big difference for me. The thing is, I had a later experience where I needed to borrow the “Race” saddle again for a 40K TT and I didn’t have ANY issues with it a few months later. It was probably the result of both having “accommodated” to the style of saddle AND my sensitivity in the “nether regions” being lessened over time as I recovered.
IIRC, the “Podium” model is padded about the same as the “Race” model…you may want to consider swapping that for either a “Breakaway” or the “Road” model…at least temporarily.
Right now the ISM saddle is positioned so that the main flat portion is level with the ground. This is how I have my Arione saddles set on my road bikes as well as previously on my tri bike. Should I try angling the saddle nose down a couple of degrees? I also seem to be supporting more of my weight on my arms than before. I am thinking that I will also try moving the saddle back a few mms. The discomfort that I am feeling is on my sit bones, presumably because I am bearing weight in this area as opposed to the naughty bits which is how I have traditionally ridden my tri bike. The feeling is not dissimilar to that which I get when I ride one of my road bikes if I have not been using a road bike regularly - the only difference is that the discomfort is on a whole different level.