Anybody tried the Toupe Specialized saddle, does it really make a difference? Sounds convincing for regular road biking but not sure how well it would work for being in full tri aero position?
Jon
Haven’t tried the toupe, but it does look and sound appealing. I would still go for the Fizik Arione Tri for the tri setup though. Check out all3sports.com. It is on sale.
I don’t have any connections to all3sports.com
Currently using the Fizik Arione Tri, pretty happy with it. Was just wondering if the Specialized body geometry saddle for your private parts were something serious to consider. However, kind of curious if the Toupe saddle will offer any benefits for steep aero riding since you’ll tend to be more on the nose anyway. Sounds logical for a more relaxed position but if you ride further out on the nose it seams like there must be much less of a benefit?
Thanks
i was looking at one a couple weeks back at the local bike shop. very nice looking saddle. not much padding at all, which is actually good, as the cut out part does not “cave in” when you put weight on the saddle. i’m thinking of putting one on the road bike i’m putting together.
doesn’t look very good at all for a dedicated tri bike though. like i said, virtually no padding, and if you look at the nose, it has a carbon tip on the end of it that could be kind on uncomfortable rubbing against your soft parts if you tend to ride the nose of your saddle in the tri position.
It’s the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever used. I have one on my road and TT bikes. That being said, saddle preference is an incredibly individual thing. So much so I’d say making a saddle choice based on others opinions is probably completely worthless.
In regards to riding on the nose of the saddle, I still think that if you do that, you’re set up wrong (you’re too low in front). Pro cyclists do it because the rules dictate how far forward their saddles can go. No US cyclist (except those that ride UCI events), or any triathlete is so encumbered. Riding on the tip means your body wants a more open hip angle. Move the seat forward, or raise the bars!
Scott
I talked with someone who attended this year’s Interbike show (rep from Hi-Tech Bikes) and they had some cyclists “wired” up and showed blood flow differences between the body geometry cutout saddles and those without.
He informed me that the saddles without cutouts maintained a level of 80 (good flow) for a short while then dipped down to low 20’s.
The body geometry saddles with cutouts maintained the 80’s reading throughout the test.
Specialized also offered reviewers/writers to get wired up themselves to get first hand experience.
Hope this helps.
I’m also interested in this saddle and will be test riding it soon. I want the white one!
NOTE: Specialized has a foam pad device that will measure your sit bones width make sure you get their right saddle size. I found out I have a puny ass and I need the 130mm width.