I have a question for you racers, a lot of you ride the all carbon saddles and some of the models that have only a leather cover over the base. What length rides can you do and still be comfortable. Can you ride on aero bars for 2-3 hrs. at a time with these minimum padded seats. I’m very aware of all the variables but I have been working on a new saddle and wondering about seat hardness.
Thanks
Selle Italia SLR, no problems riding as long as my legs can hold.
I have ridden several HIM and one IM in this without any problems staying on the aero bars.
San Marco Aspide…like it a lot, but i suppose like anything else once you get used to something its fine…however I notice how ridiculously hard and uncomfortable minimalist saddles are when I test ride friends bikes with the type of saddle you are referring to… awful!!! I have no idea how anyone can ride aero on one of those for any duration of time over an hour… After that the coolness factor is gone!!!
SLR, Toupe - awesome! Road race unlimited time. Tri or TT up to a 1/2. Put a neoprene cover on for IM. So, for a new seat I’d definitely recommend a THIN nose (not those bulbous monstrosities like the Azoto) and on the tinner side for padding (like an SLR with a DeSoto neoprene/Nylone cover only). That would be about perfect.
I tolerate the harder saddles much better than soft ones. Toupe is #1
I have the Sella SMP Evolution (which is one of their harder saddles), and would/will have the carbon version when I scrape enough pennies together. For me the harder the saddle the better- especially riding aero- as long as there is a cut out in the saddle. I have found that softer saddles with cut outs tend to mush down- and thus the saddle feels a bit different every ride- sometimes during the same ride- if it is a long one. This “changing” never lets your posterior develope the “toughness” needed over time to handle long rides in aero. It takes putting in plenty of hours on the bike to build that “toughness”, and if you are in effect riding a slightly different saddle each time (due to the slight shifting or mushing of the thick padding) you won’t be able to adapt as quickly, if at all. Mind you, I use the DeSoto 400 Mile bike shorts, which have a nice cushy pad- but that pad doesn’t change shape over time- so it doesn’t change the feel of the saddle over time- just makes the hard saddle more comfy (along with plenty of Assos every time). It’s just what works for me.
I was previously using an SLR, which was great, except that the wings dug into my hamstrings when in aero, thus my switch to the ‘FLOW,’ which has solved that problem. (But I’m thinking about the Adamo racing, since I still get some numbness on long rides in aero.
Toupe 130 for all distances - up to 320km road enduro or IM bike leg (with 20cm drop aero position). It’s not perfect but I’ve not found anything significantly better (will be trying Adamo though)
I just spent the weekend riding the Fizik Arione k:1. On sight, I thought it would be horribly uncomfortable since it’s basically just a carbon shell. No leather. It was surprizingly comfortable on two back to back 2 plus hour rides. What I noticed is that I felt the majority of the pressure on my sit bones which is where the pressure should be. By doing so, it relieves the pressure on the nerves and vasculature around the “junk”. Therefor no numbness. I’m interested to see how I feel after a 5+ hour ride. I expect I’ll feel fine. As a point of reference, I rode the Fizik Aliante which is also very comfortable.
Another vote for the Toupe. Use them on the road and TT bikes, both. Been on the road bike for six hours with no issues and up to three so far on the TT bike and the Toupe has been head and shoulders better than anything else I’ve ever used … including an Adamo. That having been said, I just minutes ago ordered another Adamo so I’ll have a saddle I can achieve UCI compliance on for the Masters Natz TT Championships. I had one previously and found it to be too harsh and hard. But I was relatively new to time trialing and riding aero at that time. I’m hoping maybe I can make it work for me now.
.
John,
I, too, like the Toupe but I think it has to do more with the flex in the shell than the padding or hardness. The Toupe, although thin and minimalist, provides a pretty flexible shell that is really comfortable on long rides and in the aero position.
What ShawnF said… I’ve gone 6 hours on both my road and tri bike. The flex on the Toupe is awesome.
Adamo on my Tri bike. (love it/hate it)
Toupe on my Road bike.
Selle Italia SLR here. Comfy for a 1/2 IM, gets a bit hard for a full but not enough to bother switching saddles.