A huge shout out to Dave of SMP, aka C50

[Climb01742]

I've been in saddle hell for a long, long time. Tried so many saddles. Some saddles more than once in my desperation.

Lately, the SMP Composit has been working. I figured out that the middle third of the Composit, seen from front to back, is wider and flatter than many other SMPs and that really seemed to support me well while riding.

Thing is, our roads are crap. And the Composit is hard. Not the best combo.

So yesterday I PM'd Dave (our own C50 who works for SMP). And explained what I liked and didn't like about the Composit. Late on a Friday afternoon. At 7:30pm Dave got back to me with great info. I had one more question. I wrote back to Dave last night. At 9:14am on a Saturday, Dave got back to me with more great info. He's really helped me zero in on two other SMPs that are built on the Composit shell but add padding in different widths.

That's customer service that's above and beyond, to me anyway. When you're in saddle hell, that kind of help and speed is, well, heavenly.

Maybe give Dave/C50 a shout if you need help. He's a good dude. Thank you, Dave!

[rnhood]

i generally ride saddles that are a little wider in the mid section, since my hips roll due to poor lower back flexibility. I would be interested in knowing the two saddles with a little more padding that he recommended you consider.

I also pick shorts with a pad that is a little wider in the mid section. This has worked well for me.

[semdoug]

Evolution and Stratos are the other padded saddles in the Composit Family.

[William]

Awesome, and stay tuned! ;)






William

[Climb01742]

Comparing SMP saddles can be challenging. There are lots of variables. That's where I think Steve Hogg is invaluable. His SMP info is detailed and great.

For me the key to the Composit is narrow maximum width at the tail (128) but a wide effective width (relative) in the middle third of the saddle (111). And this middle third is flat side to side.

The Evolution is quite different. Same max width (128) but very narrow effective width (89). This didn't feel supportive to me at all.

Same with the Stratos (128/93). Even a Dynamic, while it had nice padding, felt too narrow through the middle third (139/96).

As you can see, all those effective widths are much less than the Composit's 111mm. And they all slope away from the centerline quickly vs how the Composit is pretty flattish side to side.

Dave suggested two saddle as having both a wide middle effective width and more padding. And both are new saddles. One a year old, one brand new:

The Blaster, which is pretty much just a padded Composit:

http://www.albabici.com/selle/saddles/blaster/blaster.htm

And the Nymber, which is both a more padded and slightly wider Composit:

http://www.albabici.com/selle/saddles/nymber/nymber.htm

What makes SMP saddles so good, to my mind, is that they have lots of variations in width (both max and effective), the curve of the profile and the degree of padding. But all these options also make sorting through what might work best for you a bit challenging. The paradox of choice, eh?

Bottomline, Dave walked me through all this in great detail on his 'weekend'. Many, many thanks.

[oldpotatoe]

Plus lots. I’m a big fan of SMP and Albabici..c50 rescued me as well. Epitome of ‘customer service’, my oh my, a lot of bike stuff resellers could learn a lot from the SMP crew. Huzzah!

[m4rk540]

i generally ride saddles that are a little wider in the mid section, since my hips roll due to poor lower back flexibility. I would be interested in knowing the two saddles with a little more padding that he recommended you consider.

I also pick shorts with a pad that is a little wider in the mid section. This has worked well for me.

I generally ride wearing a turban. Do you think I should go with a wider saddle?

[C50]

Thanks for all the kind words, it is my pleasure to be able to help and to give back to this community. William made a reference to it, I have been in communication with him (and from him to others in charge) and we are working on something that I hope will be a resource and benefit for more people. More details once everything is in place but in the meantime I am more than happy to answer questions/PM and do whatever I can to assist.

Dave

[oldpotatoe]

I generally ride wearing a turban. Do you think I should go with a wider saddle?

You ought to wear a helmet..

[sailorboy]

I've been 'SMP curious' for a while now since I rode with a urologist friend who has sworn by them for years. Having several bikes in the quiver tho, I think I need to do a good test period before switching.

Any way to get a list of places that might have test saddles to borrow, or can we have one sent for demo?

[AngryScientist]

good to hear.

i've found this chart a helpful place to start with SMP choosing...

http://www.albabici.com/selle/tech-info/choose-saddle-images/choose-pro-saddles.png

[Climb01742]

This helps too, I think:

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/09/all-about-smps/

Information is a great place to start, but saddle time really tells the story. Which is both good and bad. Finding a demo shop isn't easy and them having the right array of saddles_for your needs_to try can be a challenge.

You just sit differently on a SMP (better I'm coming to believe) but it does take ride time to figure out what parameters of SMP saddles fit the different part of your body you're sitting on.

It's worth it in the end (pun intended). But it can be pricey.

[oldpotatoe]

I've been 'SMP curious' for a while now since I rode with a urologist friend who has sworn by them for years. Having several bikes in the quiver tho, I think I need to do a good test period before switching.

Any way to get a list of places that might have test saddles to borrow, or can we have one sent for demo?

One in Philadelphia but here for stores that carry it.

http://www.albabici.com/info/albabici-smp-dealers.htm

http://blog.bellsbikeshop.com/

[rnhood]

Comparing SMP saddles can be challenging. There are lots of variables. That's where I think Steve Hogg is invaluable. His SMP info is detailed and great.

For me the key to the Composit is narrow maximum width at the tail (128) but a wide effective width (relative) in the middle third of the saddle (111). And this middle third is flat side to side.

The Evolution is quite different. Same max width (128) but very narrow effective width (89). This didn't feel supportive to me at all.

Same with the Stratos (128/93). Even a Dynamic, while it had nice padding, felt too narrow through the middle third (139/96).

As you can see, all those effective widths are much less than the Composit's 111mm. And they all slope away from the centerline quickly vs how the Composit is pretty flattish side to side.

Dave suggested two saddle as having both a wide middle effective width and more padding. And both are new saddles. One a year old, one brand new:

The Blaster, which is pretty much just a padded Composit:

http://www.albabici.com/selle/saddles/blaster/blaster.htm

And the Nymber, which is both a more padded and slightly wider Composit:

http://www.albabici.com/selle/saddles/nymber/nymber.htm

What makes SMP saddles so good, to my mind, is that they have lots of variations in width (both max and effective), the curve of the profile and the degree of padding. But all these options also make sorting through what might work best for you a bit challenging. The paradox of choice, eh?

Bottomline, Dave walked me through all this in great detail on his 'weekend'. Many, many thanks.


Good info and thx for posting. It's too bad there are not at least some regional centers that provide models for test riding, or at least allow a 30-trial like Specialized and Trek (probably some others too). That might be the best option since no long drives would be required. Just a lot of money at risk, since any given saddle might not be "the one".

[sailorboy]

One in Philadelphia but here for stores that carry it.

http://www.albabici.com/info/albabici-smp-dealers.htm

http://blog.bellsbikeshop.com/

Thanks Pete. Yea, I called a couple today that are listed as 'dealers' but neither guy who answered even sounded like they even knew what I was talking about. The one that is listed as a demo dealer is closed til Tuesday so I'll try them. Bell's is actually not a bad shop for high-end stuff, just totally disorganized inside and it is a hump to get down there, but I'll give them a shot next time I'm in town.

[Climb01742]

Good info and thx for posting. It's too bad there are not at least some regional centers that provide models for test riding, or at least allow a 30-trial like Specialized and Trek (probably some others too). That might be the best option since no long drives would be required. Just a lot of money at risk, since any given saddle might not be "the one".

+1

I know figuring out the logistics wouldn’t be easy, but some kind of test ride program sure would be helpful to lots of riders. I’m in that boat now. I’d love to try both saddles that Dave recommended and my choice of which one to try is being driven by which one is cheaper to buy (one is dramatically less than the other.) I can imagine any sort of demo program is both a huge time and money commitment by a company. But given SMP’s price points and wide range of saddles, if they ever could do a feasible demo program, the benefits could be great. I’d guess there’s a pretty good pent up interest that can’t see a way over the price hurdle right now. Saddle hell is what got me over the hurdle.;):)

[mcteague]

good to hear.

i've found this chart a helpful place to start with SMP choosing...

http://www.albabici.com/selle/tech-info/choose-saddle-images/choose-pro-saddles.png

That SMP chart does not really help much. As I have a 32" waist is says nearly all the saddles would work for me. I found a local fitter who offered the line but really did not have any of the narrower Composit based line. I was able to try the Glider, Drakon, Dynamic and Lite 209 on his trainer. He had a cool quick release mount that allowed for rapid saddle swap. As the Dynamic felt best I put that on my bike to try out for a week.

While it felt okay right off, although much more firmly planted on my pelvic bones than I was used to, it took a LOT of tweaking before I thought I had the best position. Still, 30+ miles rides had be feeling a bit sore. I ended up taking a chance on the Dynamic and bought one. Two months on and it feels like a keeper. Those who like to move about on a saddle won't like the ones with a pronounced curve. Luckily, I think keeping your pelvis in one position works best for me and always prefer saddles that promote that posture.

http://www.colbypearce.com/smp-primer/
Whenever I am on a group ride or just past the finish line of a race, and I hear the statement “we were going so fast in that tailwind section, I was way up on the tip of my saddle” or “I pushed way back in the seat to get more power on the climb” I cringe. Even though riders have done this for years, this is not optimal cycling. A well-trained, functional rider has a very narrow optimal range for saddle height, setback and angle. The closer the shape of the saddle matches the skeletal elements of the rider, the more important the exact position of the saddle becomes. The curved profile of the saddle is a key element to this. When the rider scoots forward or pushes back, they leave this optimal range and sacrifice mechanical leverage or efficiency, or both. Its not that this model cannot work to win races, it has for many years. Just as with the anteriorly rotated pelvis, we know now that this model is not optimal.

Tim

[M_D_S]

I am also a recent SMP convert. I am now running a Dynamic on both my road and gravel bikes. Before SMP, I would only ride a Power or Power Arc, but the Dynamic is much better. I would also consider the Forma at some point in the future.

Steve Hogg's excellent writeup got me started, but working with Colby Pearce in Boulder sealed the deal for me. (For a small fee, Colby will send you a SMP to try. If you like it, he can sell you a new saddle.) Colby's website is also full of good information. https://www.colbypearce.com

I have not tried any other SMP other than the Dynamic, but it suits me well. I also did not find the setup to be particularly difficult, given Colby's instructions. (I am running the saddles around 5 degrees down at the front.)

I am 6'1'' 160-165 lbs, FWIW.

-Mike