these aren’t split nose or noseless saddles per se. not like an ISM or cobb 55. but they’re not standard saddles. my questions: who uses these? do you use one of these? or something like it? what led you to it? what did you like about this that you didn’t like about other saddles? and what are the saddles below similar enough to one another to group them into something we can hang a name onto?
i’m talking about the sitero, bontrager rxl hilo, selle italia ironflow, prologo t gale. and others i can’t think of. maybe the koobi saddles although they’ve been around a lot longer than these.
these aren’t split nose or noseless saddles per se. not like an ISM or cobb 55. but they’re not standard saddles. my questions: who uses these? do you use one of these? or something like it? what led you to it? what did you like about this that you didn’t like about other saddles? and what are the saddles below similar enough to one another to group them into something we can hang a name onto?
i’m talking about the sitero, bontrager rxl hilo, selle italia ironflow, prologo t gale. and others i can’t think of. maybe the koobi saddles although they’ve been around a lot longer than these.
I am on those 2 saddles. The Bonetrager Hilo is on my Computrainer Bike and the Sitero is on my P3 Tri bike. The Hilo is mounted with the nose around 4 cm further back from the Sitero relative to BB as it has a longer “nose”.
I found the Adamo prongs too “circular” for my bone structure and both these too saddles have a flat interface to the human body, more akin to sitting on a chair (flat) vs a baseball bat (round). Also both of these saddles gradually flare out which means you just end up sitting on the width of the saddle tuned to your bone geometry, not some preconceived notion of how wide “you” are. I think both saddles are brilliant and truly in the first time racing bikes for 30 years in the aero position (I got my first set of Scott DH bars in 1986 not that long after Andrew MacNaughton rode his at Desert Princess and Scott put them in production…I made my local Scott Ski dealer order me a pair from California to Montreal) I have been perfectly comfortable in the aero for long rides. Up till 2013 when I got the Hilo there was always something “not right”.
Would the Fizik Tritone fall into this hybrid group? They all have a ‘channel’ yet are connected underneath that channel more or less the length of the saddle. I went from a sitero, to an ism, to a tritone. Both the sitero and the tritone work. The sitero needed a little more padding for my liking. Switched to the ism PN 1.1 and liked the padding but didn’t like the pressure the unsupported prongs seems to put. Tried the Tritone as is had more padding and after riding for a year still like it. Just a preference, and anecdotal, but I think the saddles like the sitero and tritone feel more solid underneath and provide better support.
the thing with the tritone and the ISMs, and similar, you really aren’t riding on your taint. on these saddles, are these taint riders? or are you riding taint-commando?
i saw this saddle for the first time at the Athletes Lounge Road Show in Portland over the weekend. it’s a very popular seller up there at that store. it looked promising to me. i thought about putting it on my road bike, giving it a try. but is it a tri saddle for those hiked over into a decent position? or is it a road saddle only?
the thing with the tritone and the ISMs, and similar, you really aren’t riding on your taint. on these saddles, are these taint riders? or are you riding taint-commando?
Soft tissue is hanging off the front (even with the Hilo, not really sure how, but it is). Bone structure supported by these saddles.
The Specialized Power (Expert) is my go to saddle now - for my road bike(s). I think they bill it as a saddle for those who ride in an aggressive position and don’t move around much…which is my experience as well. That being said, I can’t rotate my hips like I would want to on a tri bike as it is not noseless like my ISM and Dash saddles, and you know, anatomically stuff gets in the way.
EDIT: And I’ve ridden a Hilo, which just didn’t work for me. I think the shorter length and ‘stubby nose’ of the Power is a better design than the normal length of the Hilo.
After trying all of the ones listed, I’m on a Dash, which is very similar to some of these. It’s the best feeling saddle I’ve ever used. Not a ton of padding, but the design is the first that allows me to actually have my “sit bones” where they’re supposed to be without discomfort. Their designs rock! I
I’ve had quite a few clients on the Power saddle, only one or two on the Hilo.
Acutally, same guy had the Hilo and changed to a Sitero, preferred Sitero as it has the little grippy dots and he didn’t slide. He was a very aggressiove tri position.
Their body type ranges from very fit to 230lbs. More roadies than triathletes, the 200+lbs ex-football linemen who both ride 61 Specialized frames love them. Can’t explain it, they say the saddle ‘disappears’ underneath them. Believe me, they got enough badonkadonk it really does disappear underneath them.
Used to sell the Koobi many years ago, we called them central channel saddles, or ‘full cutout’.
Also the SMP Tri/TT saddle are similar, central channel and flat on top. but they don’t flex under load like the others so they feel more ‘firm’.
I’ve been on a Sitero since it became available, its the first saddle that really worked for me. I think the only thing that bothers me about it is that the edges are just a little too square. I sit right up on the front, shape and width are about the same at that point as the ISM I had previously with the prongs zip-tied together. But the firmer padding and solid base give me a lot more support and stability than the ISM had…
I went from ISM Typhoon to Koobi 232T to Specialized Power Expert on my tri bike, and from ISM Typhoon to Selle SMP Evolution on my road bike. I like narrow split saddles.
I currently ride 2 of these. Have the Hilo RXL Speed dial (wanted to have the ability to adjust the width but ended up setting it all the way narrow) on my Tri bike and the standard RXL on my road bike.
Not sure why, but this saddle just works for me. Found it when I test rode a Speed Concept. Thought the bike was pretty standard but really liked the saddle. Bought a bike with a Adamo spec’d but could never get comfortable on it. Made the switch to the Hilo within a week. I like the length - allows me to get all the way up on it in aero or slide way back for seated climbs and - and the gradual taper - can find that perfect spot and stick there.
Ordered the Fabric Tri saddle but it was a no-go due to the position of the rails on the saddle. The rails on the Fabric are situated towards the front of the saddle, whereas on the Hilo they are at the back.
I use a Hilo (non dial) that came with my speed concept. I found it quite comfortable and I dumped my JOF 55 for it. I ride it just like a split nose with junk off the front. I’m thinking of getting the dial version and see that if I can still fine tune it.
I switched to a Power from an old arione a month or two ago on my road bike. Had the arione for years but recently had started to have a lot of chafing issues with it. Mostly tried the Power because I had been hearing a good amount of seemingly positive chatter about it.
So far I’m not sure how I feel about it, really haven’t gotten enough miles due to inconsistent spring weather. So far seems good but I can’t say it has been a revolutionary change.
Really might not be the ideal saddle for me anyway. I’d say my road position used to be very aggressive but since moving to CO I do a lot of seated climbing in a less aggressive position. Perhaps not as much benefit there, definitely doesn’t ‘disappear’ beneath me but I *think *I like it.
Ordered the Fabric Tri saddle but it was a no-go due to the position of the rails on the saddle. The rails on the Fabric are situated towards the front of the saddle, whereas on the Hilo they are at the back.
Since I will be testing one of these out, how did the position of the rails on the fabric become an issue? Do you not have much fore-aft adjustment on your bike’s seatpost? Was the saddle to go on a tri bike or road bike?
