I’m guessing since you’re on a SC you’ve already tried the Bontrager Hilo saddle? I went from ISM Road > ISM Prologoue > Cobb Max > JOF 55 > Hilo. Basically went to a narrower saddle every time until I found the Hilo which I’ve been riding on for the last 3 seasons. Initially I dismissed it because it came with my SC and we all know the default saddle is usually shit but I rode it for a couple of days and realized I was no longer focusing on ass discomfort and numbness was gone.
ISM for sure. Try as many as you can. I use an ISM mountain bike saddle on my road bike ans ISM TT sadle on my TT bike, and I have a pretty aggressive position on it. Try as many as you can and don’t let the name of the saddle dissuade you. IT’s all about the shape. What works for some won’t work for others. I personally hate the Helo btw. Used it for a year. Way too narrow.
I was in a similar situation, tried most stub nose saddles, settled on a Fizik Arione K5. Only one I didn’t try was a Dash. Tried a few ISM, your Cobb, and the Fizik Mistica. There’s nothing glamorous about the K5, I really wanted to make a stub nose work but for me it just wasn’t happenening.
I actually haven’t tried the hilo. I’ve always been interested in trying it. I know there a lot of people who like that saddle. The non noseless design has me a bit cautious but it can’t hurt to try.
I went from ISM Attack / PN 1.1 to Fabric Tri, wasn’t getting numbness on the Attack but I was looking for something narrower. You could try the Hilo, looks similar to the Fabric tri.
Tangental thought. I played saddle games early this year. Bought 3 on ebay and found that I clearly like one of them best. So I’ll unload the other 2 back on ebay. Saddles have become too expensive to buy new unless you’re absolutely sure it’s going to work well for you.
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I wish mfg’s would post their saddle widths at each section where it changes as this would be very beneficial.
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Is this what you’re after?
Hi, Steve
Bike positioning does play a role in getting these saddles just right. Cobb can help with that! I happen to be sitting by John Cobb, and had him look at this video. He recommended moving your saddle forward. You are too stretched out. Moving you saddle forward will straighten your arms more to a 90 degree angle and relieve that pressure out of the crotch. You can also email info@cobbcycling.com for further assistance if you want!
I followed almost the same progression as you, went from an ISM Attack to a JOF55 and found both too wide. I rode a Bontrager Hilo for about a year and it was OK but still a bit wide. A few months ago switched to a Spec. Power Saddle and works great for me, no more numbness or chaffing on inner thighs.
I went from ISM Attack / PN 1.1 to Fabric Tri, wasn’t getting numbness on the Attack but I was looking for something narrower. You could try the Hilo, looks similar to the Fabric tri.
Could you speak about the Fabric a little bit more? How does it compare to other saddles, specifically ISM? Have you tried any ISM other than the Attack? I’ve been very intrigued by this saddle but have yet to try it. I currently have ISM Road, PL 1.1, PN 2.1, and PR 2.0 and none seem to be doing the trick.
My experience is that a very large percentage of saddle issues are actually fit issues. John Cobb actually fit me 20 some years ago and I think I could sit on a brick and still be comfortable.
I went from ISM Attack / PN 1.1 to Fabric Tri, wasn’t getting numbness on the Attack but I was looking for something narrower. You could try the Hilo, looks similar to the Fabric tri.
Could you speak about the Fabric a little bit more? How does it compare to other saddles, specifically ISM? Have you tried any ISM other than the Attack? I’ve been very intrigued by this saddle but have yet to try it. I currently have ISM Road, PL 1.1, PN 2.1, and PR 2.0 and none seem to be doing the trick.
Before the PN 1.1 I had an Attack and Prologue. I’m not sure what the equivalent of the Prologue is called now, but basically I kept going to a narrower and narrower saddle. Compared to the PN 1.1 the front portion of the Fabric Tri is narrower, less padding overall, it weighs less. The cut out seems to do the job as long as I wear a thinner chamois. I thought the saddle was too firm at first but I’m getting used to it… also learning how to sit on a “regular saddle” again. My main problem with the PN 1.1 was in order to get it narrower I was sitting way too far forward on it, even for an ISM.
The bottle attachment is nice on the Fabric too, got to take off the xlab wing on my p2c. It comes in some pretty fun colors too if you are into that.
Agreed! A simple change can make a big difference.
Hi, Steve
Bike positioning does play a role in getting these saddles just right. Cobb can help with that! I happen to be sitting by John Cobb, and had him look at this video. He recommended moving your saddle forward. You are too stretched out. Moving you saddle forward will straighten your arms more to a 90 degree angle and relieve that pressure out of the crotch. You can also email info@cobbcycling.com for further assistance if you want!
Interesting. When I look at the picture (I didn’t run the video) it looks like he has very little hip rotation, which makes me think that there is some pressure on the soft tissue and the curvature of the back is to relieve the pressure. Flattening the back would change the arm angle for the same reason moving the seat forward would. While I am not the fit master that Cobb is, you might try moving the seat down and back a bit and see what that does to your hip rotation.
I have owned just about every saddle on the planet and the Hilo is my favorite. I also tried the Power for a bit and liked it, but I didn’t ride it enough to make a solid assessment. The one thing about the Power is that there really is only one position on the saddle.
Yes thank you.
I went from ISM Attack / PN 1.1 to Fabric Tri, wasn’t getting numbness on the Attack but I was looking for something narrower. You could try the Hilo, looks similar to the Fabric tri.
Could you speak about the Fabric a little bit more? How does it compare to other saddles, specifically ISM? Have you tried any ISM other than the Attack? I’ve been very intrigued by this saddle but have yet to try it. I currently have ISM Road, PL 1.1, PN 2.1, and PR 2.0 and none seem to be doing the trick.
Before the PN 1.1 I had an Attack and Prologue. I’m not sure what the equivalent of the Prologue is called now, but basically I kept going to a narrower and narrower saddle. Compared to the PN 1.1 the front portion of the Fabric Tri is narrower, less padding overall, it weighs less. The cut out seems to do the job as long as I wear a thinner chamois. I thought the saddle was too firm at first but I’m getting used to it… also learning how to sit on a “regular saddle” again. My main problem with the PN 1.1 was in order to get it narrower I was sitting way too far forward on it, even for an ISM.
The bottle attachment is nice on the Fabric too, got to take off the xlab wing on my p2c. It comes in some pretty fun colors too if you are into that.
You’re saying the Fabric is more like a regular saddle? How far forward do you sit on it?
I guess I should have worded that more carefully, the Fabric Tri isn’t a full length “roadie” saddle but it’s closer to one vs ISM. The Fabric Tri is a little shorter/stubbier than a traditional saddle but I would say it has a nose (definitely not like a noseless ISM). I’m not sure exactly where I end up on the saddle but I know I can see a small bit of the front sticking out beneath my shorts.
I guess I should have worded that more carefully, the Fabric Tri isn’t a full length “roadie” saddle but it’s closer to one vs ISM. The Fabric Tri is a little shorter/stubbier than a traditional saddle but I would say it has a nose (definitely not like a noseless ISM). I’m not sure exactly where I end up on the saddle but I know I can see a small bit of the front sticking out beneath my shorts.
Okay, thanks for the insight.
Been riding a Cobb JOF 55 for a little over a year and a half. I’ve been getting numbness when riding in the aero position for an extended period of time. I was previously on an ISM attack and did not have this issue. I switched to the Cobb based on the recommendation of my fitter and I felt more stable (hips rocked less). I rode the attack for several years and always wished the saddle was a bit narrower. Other than the numbness, I like the Cobb saddle. I’ve tried tilting it down some and it has not alleviated the issue. I’m sitting on the saddle correctly for those of you are going to ask the question.
My fitter is 3000 miles away so it’s not like I can easily go get fit again. Figured I would ask what other saddles might work for me and then experiment.
So based on the above, what saddle would you recommend me trying? One of the ISM saddles? Dash? Any others? I wish mfg’s would post their saddle widths at each section where it changes as this would be very beneficial.
cyclenutz posted a saddle width database spreadsheet here on ST a while back, but I can’t find the link with a search. He may end up posting it here for you or perhaps drop him a note requesting it.
I rode a series of ISM saddles for several years before ending up on the Bonty Hilo for a few years. This year I ended up trying the Dash with some fit refinements in an effort to get more pelvic rotation for a more aggressive position. It has been working great so far.
Thanks for that. I’ll ping him.
How did you figure out what Dash to go with? I know I want a narrow width but I’m still having a hard time figuring out which one I would want to try. I’m looking at the stage 9, tri 7, and tt 9. Then there is different layers of padding. Talk about confusing and there isn’t much info on their website.