[bt]

Been on it for 1500 miles and not digging it no more.

Makes my flesh hurt between the sit bones and the saddle.

It's a Toupe Gel 155.

thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Padre]

Get the 143mm.

 

[namrita]

I've got the 143mm (non-gel) version on my road bike and love it. It didn't really stand up as a mtb saddle for me, though. I guess that's why they came out with the Phenom.

 

[shishku]

You would need pretty wide sit bones to run a 155.

 

[mvi]

Got the mtb version on my roadbike : good , but not great.
Carbon shelled Aliante: the best saddle ever!

 

[Guest]

i have a couple of Phenom saddles (similar to toupe) and a Toupe on my road bike. i didn't like the gel version of the Toupe when i tried it.

i figure you probably already did this... try adjusting the seat angle slightly? i find that if i change the seat angle a smidge every so often it helps a little. when we cranked up our volume to over 500 miles a month i was pretty sore no matter what i did...

edit: i have tried selle italia and a felt saddle on the road bike and various wtb saddles as well as other specialized saddles and probably a few others i have forgotten about. i do remember a while back wtb was giving yellow trial saddles to dealers for people to try out. it just gets damn expensive buying different saddles only to find they don't work for you.

 

[GreenLightGo]

check out the Bontrager InForm R or RL - they come in widths as well - but have a tad more padding than the Phenom. Not familiar with the Toupe...

I like Bontrager's sit bone measurer better than Specy's - less margin for error. I've got a 154 on the Sultan.

 

[kosmo]

Toupe and Phenom too hard for my tastes on the mtb. OTOH, the Rival is hands down my favorite mtb saddle ever. Just enough padding, and not much more weight.

I also tried the Bonty Inform saddle, and found it right between the Phenom and Alias in terms of padding, but still firmer than I prefer for the mtb.

(caveat -- near 50-year old butt!)

 

[Euro Trash]

Like Padre wrote, get the 143 or even the 130. A real Specialized dealer has this thing you sit on, that leaves marks from your sit bones on it. This way you can determine which width to get. I ride my 29er Hardtail with the Toupé Gel 143 and have no problems whatsoever. I also have one on my road bike.
But remember, the choice of saddle is very individual. All butts are different...

 

[banks]

That saddle works better on a bike with 26" wheels.

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I agree that most adult males will feel better on the 143.

I run Rival SL 143 on my MTBs

Toupe gel 143 on the roadie

I tried the Phenom on the MTB but it didn't work for me. It was comfortable enough and I liked the gel in the nose for up-on-the-saddle steep climbing, but my baggies kept snagging on the hard back plastic portion of the saddle when I went behind the saddle for tech. Wasn't good. Tried 2 different Phenoms on 2 different MTBs with several different shorts and same result. No problem if wearing lycra.

 

[chequamagon]

Try the Phenom as others have said. I ran a Toupe for awhile too, but found the Phenom to have a slight bit more padding, and the nose is a MUCH better shape for off road.

I went and switched all 4 bikes to Phenoms this year, all 143s for me. Like others have said, 155 is a large saddle, I am 6' 250lb and 143 is great.

 

[banks]

check out the Bontrager InForm R or RL - they come in widths as well - but have a tad more padding than the Phenom. Not familiar with the Toupe...

I've been on the 14ish Bonty saddle InForm and it's totally horrible.

The Phenom is awesome coming from the Avocet O2 40/R40 saddles.

 

[GreenLightGo]

A real Specialized dealer has this thing you sit on, that leaves marks from your sit bones on it. This way you can determine which width to get.

But remember, the choice of saddle is very individual. All butts are different...

Your last statement is so true :thumbsup:

I think the Bontrager butt-o-meter is a bit better than Specy's. Bonty has a color coded panel that corresponds to sit-bone width so when you sit on the gel plate and your sit-bones displace the gel, it reveals the color stripes. The predominant color corresponds to your optimal saddle width. I'm a 154 guy - wide bones I guess. The Specy tester is only as good as the person extrapolating bone width from the measurement. I got a different measurement from the Specy than I did on Bonty's measurer. I went with Bonty's measurement, much less speculation in that one.

 

[kosmo]

Oops!

I meant to say the Rival is the best mtb saddle I've ever ridden, not the Alias (my fave road saddle). Sorry for any confusion, and I've edited my earlier post.

 

[Guitar Ted]

I think that in the end, Specialized and Bontrager are going to help revolutionize how you pick out a saddle. It used to be a total crap shoot. Now at least we have a way to zero in on proper support.

I find that the Bontrager Inform RL's are awesome. But really, the big deal here was that I had no clue my sit bones were so wide. I am just beyond the medium, so Bontrager recommends the 153mm size. I have had four other guys I know get Informs, all coming off 130-135mm wide saddles. Two were 143mm and the other two were measured at 153mm.

Think we're on to something here folks.

 

[iliketoridebikes]

wow
different opinions on saddles
who would have thought

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

wow
different opinions on saddles
who would have thought

LOL

Tomorrow's topic: Which ice cream flavor is best ?

 

[Wish I Were Riding]

I really like my Phenom, but I'm going to have to send it back for warranty. The rails came loose at the rear of the saddle. Now it make a LOT of noise when I'm riding on it. (not what you expect from a seat)

 

[ia_ss157]

I have been riding Classic Flight saddles for the past 7 years. They have treated me great all that time. I even went the Ebay route to score some really nice condition ones cheaply and always worked well. The Toupe saddles always rubbed me as an Aspide with options in width. Meaning it felt like a plank. Maybe I am thinking the Phenom, but one of those two options is seriously a joke to me. If people like them I am all for it.

I recently purchased an Inform RL and was blown away with it. The curvature as well as the width fell right into place for me. Also the higher end saddles have a higher density foam that is a little lighter but just the right combo of supportive/abosorbant. I couldn't be happier. Plus it comes with a comfort guarantee. Not that I am going to try and return a saddle I purchase but it is a valid option.

I still ride classic Flights on my road machines/ Monstercross commuter but am thinking about picking up another Inform or two.