Looking for advice Spec Power Pro vs Romin Expert Gel

[camchris1]

Both saddles have been recommended to me recently for pretty much the same reasons (reduced pressure, improved blood flow, comfy for longer rides, etc).

Would love to hear any input from fellow forumites!

Thanks!

[batman1425]

Romin Evo Experts on all my bikes - road, cross, gravel, and commuter.

[camchris1]

Good to hear, thanks!

[rollingbarge]

I had Romin Evo Comps switched to Power Expert. Romin was great till my fitter put me on the Power.

I really love the power seat. Much more comfortable. However, you have to like the feeling of being locked into a position as I felt I could move around a bit more in the Romin. Worth the tradeoff for me.


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[camchris1]

Thank you!

[commonguy001]

Saddle choice is so personal and completely different for everyone.
I've put a lot of miles on the new Romin evo and like it ok, it's best for my butt on rides < 3 hours. I keep it on our tandem.

The Power is one I can ride as long as I ride and never think about it. It's just so good (for me), I've even done Zwift centuries on one and was never uncomfortable.

Both saddle models I own are the 129 dollar versions. They're light enough and look good. The new powers have black Ti rails so even better.

[quattro]

I was also looking at both the Power Pro and Romin Expert Gel. I purchased the Power Pro in a 155, rode it for two weeks and realized it was rubbing my inner thighs enough to cause discomfort. I measured the nose where it comes off the seat and found it is wider a the point then other saddles, and in particular the Romin. I returned it and purchased the Romin Expert Gel and have not looked back. The saddle is comfortable, the cut out does it's job, I have never had any numbness, and I can ride it for hours. But, as has been said above, everyone is different. Since Specialized allows a 30 day trial, why not give them bot a try if necessary. Good luck!

[Ti Designs]

Not enough information...

I know what a Power Pro saddle looks like, I know what a Romin Expert saddle looks like.

The question is about the interface between one of those saddles and the OP's ass. To answer this, we need far more information. Various companies in the bike industry have come up with data collection devices. I'm sorry, did I say bike industry? I meant bike marketing industry... Anyway, here's a short list:

The Specialized BG system (A.K.A. the Ass-O-Meter): A simple system where you sit on a memory foam pad, and as my father always said "try to make an impression". Then you measure where your sit bones hit and apply that number to their chart. This number is also collected digitally from the underside of the device and is stored in your Google profile for all to see...

Selle Italia Saddle ID: We have one of these kits at my shop, but I would rather kill chickens and pray to rain gods than do all of their steps. It's a long series of measurements that have little to do with how you interface with a saddle.

The Fizik Spine Concept: This is only a concept... They make the generalization that humans are like other animals based on flexibility, and then they look to the animal kingdom to see what kind of saddle that animal uses.

Geobiomized: This is a truly modern marketing method of selling saddles. There is a pad that goes over a saddle, pressure data is collected while the rider pedals the bike and a pressure map is displayed on the screen. I'll be the first to admit that there is real data there, but only based on what was tested. They did try using the system with a data logger (which could be your phone), but they found that riders move around on the road, so the data was inconsistent with what they were seeing on the trainer. One of their engineers actually told me this...


Saddle selection isn't an easy task, and I blame evolution. Quality control for humans is dismal. There's a lot going on down there, and there are no standards! There's probably more than you really understand. Just look at the pelvis and the hip joint. The ischial tuberosity (sit bone) is below the acetabula (hip socket) which the trochanter (end of the femur) rotates in. The trochanter is offset from the femur, so each time the pedal goes around there is torque applied, and the pelvis is moved around a bit. That torque is directly related to the angle of the pelvis - I'm not even going to try to explain this one, go get your own model pelvis if you must know. My point here is that hip angle comes into play, and it's always changing while you ride.

[alembical]

I am running the Romin Evo and loving it. I also have the Expert which I would be happy to pass on to someone. The expert has level 1 padding vs. the level 2 in the Evo and that little difference is significant to my butt.

[hobbanero]

I have transitioned from the Romin, to the Romin Evo, and now to the Power. I find the Power to be more comfortable if you have an aggressive position (I have 9cm of drop and ride the drops or hoods most of the time). It takes a bit of time to get used to not having as much nose. I used to slide way up on the noise when down low, but that was partly just to get comfortable. I can get that same comfort on the Power only sliding up a couple of cm. With the Romin Evo I would still get some numbness after 20 mins in the drops (eg. a crit), and have to adjust my position or get out of the saddle for a few seconds. The Power allows me to stay low for longer...but not forever. This still is not as comfortable as a noseless TT saddle for cranking out power with a flat back, but it is much more comfortable to me in cruising and climbing positions than a TT saddle, so overall my favorite for the road bike.

Get the width right. Moving from a 144 to a 155 eliminated my occasional saddle sores.