hows this saddle work? SMP drakon

[fmradio516]

Hey there. I am trying out an SMP and am trying to figure out whats going on.

Where are the sit bones supposed to be? Is it supposed to be level? My nose is tilted up pretty high and i just did a ride and it was ok but I found myself moving around a lot. Could do sit bones closer to the back edge but then could also do sit bones way before the edge; though that would make me want to tilt the nose up even MORE!

Not sure how I feel about this thing yet but im sure i just need to figure out the setup first. Definitely doesnt feel "right" at the moment.

[makoti]

There are a few setup videos on Youtube & I think SMP has a setup guide on their site.

That's an all or nothing saddle. I tried a couple. Liked it except I couldn't get the edges of the cutout to "disappear". Dug into my soft areas no matter what I tried.
Just at a glance, I'd nose that down, but check out the guides

[semdoug]

I set mine up using a level and adjust about a half bubble width down at the nose. It took a while to get it adjusted and there is definitely a sweet spot. I believe Selle SMP recommends a few degrees downward at the nose of their saddles.

[Dave]

I use the smp stratos, that has the most narrow width for my small frame. I digital level placed from the tail to nose is nose down by 2.5 - 3 degrees. Yours looks very wrong.

The width should be selected based on sitbone width. Smp suggests that the larger your waist size, excluding excess fat, the wider the saddle you might need.

[mcteague]

Read this:

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ll-about-smps/

Tim

[fmradio516]

Ok another stupid question.

When we're talking about making it level, am i drawing am imaginary line between the two humps like so:

[RoosterCogset]

FWIW, one of my biggest gripes is that the saddle-making industry couldn't settle on the simple standard of their saddle being "level" (or at least how they intend you to start with fitting) if the rails are parallel to the seating surface in turn parallel to the ground. Instead, each maker puts their rails at different angles to the seating surfaces for some obscure reason.

[mcteague]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Ok another stupid question.

When we're talking about making it level, am i drawing am imaginary line between the two humps like so:

You want it 2-5 degrees downward tilt. Just a degree or two makes a big difference. I just put a clipboard on my saddle and use an iPhone app to measure the tilt. My SMP Dynamic works best at 2 degrees down.

Tim

[fmradio516]

thanks all. ive never had a saddle tilt down ever. if anything, slightly nose up works for me. So ill see how it feels with nose slightly down, of course starting with level first. thanks again

[Dave]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Ok another stupid question.

When we're talking about making it level, am i drawing am imaginary line between the two humps like so:

Yes. I have a piece of 2" wide aluminum flat bar that I rest on the saddle, place my digital level on the flat bar, then make the nose slightly tilting down.

[wc1934]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

thanks all. ive never had a saddle tilt down ever. if anything, slightly nose up works for me. So ill see how it feels with nose slightly down, of course starting with level first. thanks again

Agree - with all my standard saddles I had the nose slightly up to take pressure off my hands. So I set mine up accordingly - nope. This saddle is different - looks like on your setup the nose needs to come down much more.

[fried bake]

Others have nailed the nose down requirement. All I can add is that when you are sat correctly on that saddle there is almost no moving around at all( climbs, descents whatever. ) It’s definitely a Goldilocks pursuit, but well worth it IMO.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jischr]

I have two SMP Stratos and three SMP Gliders on my bikes. I pump the tires to the pressure I want, put a short level on the saddle, and set the saddle level with the garage floor. I never had a break-in or get use to the style issue. They felt great from the start. YMMV

[uber]

Check out the Steve Hogg website. SMP's never worked for me. The nose should be pointed up enough so that you are not sliding forward. Other than that, a lower nose allows the rider to be lower in the drops. The difference in the SMP line reflects the width and the amount of padding of each model. I have found more luck with the Selle San Marco Shortfit and the Bontrager Aeolus. All three allow the rider more forward flexion and perineal relief. Good luck.

[charliedid]

Start by running it level (front to back high points) and adjust as needed. Just because some people like it 2.5 degrees or whatever doesn't mean that will work in your case.