Since this thread has recently been bumped, I thought I would read through it and this statement got my attention.Yeah, I agree, and I’m trying to figure out exactly how to do just that. On the other hand, I have found one saddle dominates my fits more than any other over the last 10 months. Man or woman, doesn’t matter, they almost all choose the same saddle, the ISM PN 3.0.
Now, what we all believe is we’re looking for anterior pelvic rotation, and I don’t think I’d fool anyone if I tried to argue otherwise. However, if we agree with Slowman that we should observe and model those who are most successful, then I would be remiss if I didn’t take note that every male World Time Trial Champion since, well, forever, had posteriorly rotated pelvises. There was one exception, but only one. Many of those who are considered the uber bikers of triathlon also posteriorly rotated. Should we, therefore, ask ourselves if anterior rotation is what we should all be trying to achieve? Is it really the epitome of fit it’s made out to be? Sure, athlete’s look great when anteriorly rotated, but what evidence is out there that tells us it’s best?
I think we should also look at the history of the aero position, and understand when athletes began trying to achieve anteriorly rotated pelvises. It’s a fairly recent phenomenon, actually. I would argue there was one specific athlete who looked so good in aero, that he became the “P3” of aero positions - Dave Zabriske. Everyone wants to look like Dave and, while Dave was certainly a good Time Trialist, I would argue he was never great when compared to his peers at their best. Many would be surprised to know DZ never even sniffed a World’s TT podium. The very best don’t actually look all that great in aero, but that doesn’t keep them from being the best.
I only mention all of this because saddle comfort really became a big issue when athlete’s began trying to achieve anterior rotated positions. Posterior rotated, not as much. I’m just trying to play Devil’s Advocate a bit; I know why pro cyclists prefer posterior rotated TT positions. One only take a brief look at my “portfolio” to know I’m all about anterior rotation. That doesn’t keep me from asking if it’s really what’s best, though, because history might be telling us the most powerful position is just the opposite.
Also, men have no idea what women feel on saddles. If we did, we wouldn’t ride bikes.
Unfortunately, I’ll be unable to continue this discussion over the next 36 hours or so, but I do believe your premise is correct that performance is likely restricted more by poor saddle choice than any other piece of equipment. And, yeah, even I went to sleep on the aero wheel thread, though some of the topics could be interesting if it didn’t devolve into a “my PhD is bigger than yours” contest.I can’t speak for other women but a lot of people are surprised at my saddle position. I’ve never been fitted, and I really need a good fit. But where I’ve landed through my own experiment is I tend to ride with the nose up approximately 10*. Whether road bike with clamp on aero bars or my tri bikes, I tend to ride down in an aero position. Not so much for the aero, but to reduce arm fatigue. Aero, if any, is just a side benefit.
But the reason I’ve taken to riding nose up is because when I am down in that aero position, I rest my pubic bone on the nose of the saddle. Of course, for “soft tissue” injury prevention, I really very strongly prefer a saddle with a cut out. But since I don’t have any dangly bits to squish, I find it more comfortable to support my weight on the pubic bone more than the ischial tuberocities.
I was gifted an ISM PL1.0 some time back and found it to be genuinely horrible for me. To the point that I can ride no more than five miles before it quite literally becomes intolerable.
For the last several years, I’ve been on a shoestring budget (no hyperbole) that has prevented me from investing in a good quality saddle. But since I finished my degree and I am once again gainfully employed, I would really like to get a good, quality saddle. Budget is still something of a factor just because I am at best a middle-of-the-pack age grouper and have an exceptionally difficult time justifying investing several hundred dollars in a saddle. Might be a little different if a fitter made a recommendation.
My goal is to complete IMAZ this year, and I expect to be on the bike for a solid 7 hours, so comfort is going to be key to completing that and still have legs left for the run. I’ve done a 70.3 and it wasn’t too bad, but by the time I got to T2 I was pretty happy to be off the bike. I have no delusions about any kind of podium finish, even in age group. My goal is only to finish before 11:59pm. To that end, I don’t really care about how much power I’m putting out. I figure as long as I can still be relatively comfortable at 100 miles, the power will follow.