What does Selle SMP have in common with the lead up to the 2013 Tour de France? Absolutely nothing, seeing as possibly no riders are on them in the Tour. It’s a long three weeks of Tour ahead, let’s think about our own asses for a brief moment. As a disclaimer: this is not a Reverence article, yet, maybe after a few centuries and pavé parties it could be. I paid retail from a LBS for this and have no connection to SMP. I’m not even advocating anyone should get one, like I do advocate everyone owning Speedplay pedals. I am just shedding a little light on these unconventional and messed-up looking saddles.
Two years back I stared at one of these saddles on a bike whose owner was a big fella. The saddle was a thin slip of a thing, more space than saddle and it looked unridable. He made a lasting impression when he said it was great. Great? That looks highly uncomfortable, it was nearly devoid of padding and there just wasn’t much to sit on.
We all have our own limit for what we will put on our steeds but eventually a 160 km ride will sort out if form follows function. Those shoes may be the same ones Boonen wears but if they are killing your feet at 80 km, every time, they have to go.
And speaking of Specialized, they have a gizmo for measuring sit bones so one can get a good fitting saddle. I’ve owned two of their saddles and like them enough. Upon restarting long rides after my haitus this winter I re-remembered how much my lower back would hurt, especially on long climbing rides. Also while on haitus, also known as: my position must be wrong, I’ll never ride again, do I need insoles, how high should my saddle be, do I need wedges under my cleats…hell. I read up on Steve Hogg, fitting master, looking for salvation. Steve is an advocate of SMP saddles and makes the point we don’t sit on our sit bones unless on, gasp, a recumbent or bigger gasp, a Harley. Maui’s aforementioned LBS has a nice selection of test saddles, many SMPs in the mix. I went right for the Dynamic model, for my fat ass. It took at least a week before I could even figure out where to sit on it, it’s that different a design.
There are two great things about these saddles: they have a massive cut-out section in the front so nothing gets mashed and the curved profile means one is sitting on the bones forward of the sit bones. That means your hips rotate forward, your lower back can straighten and relax. Do you want to ride the phantom aero bars while staring at your reflection in store front windows, it’s much easier with a relaxed, flatter back and uncrushed bits. I’m using that technical/medical English term to cover everything “down there”.
In summary, if your lower back is fine and you have never experienced torchmen’s taint, keep doing what you are doing. Shoes and saddles fit differently for every body. Comfort and weird looks don’t come cheap. Mine cost $230 US with steel rails but it is made in Italy, so that is a wash. They do come in celeste green if one wants to ruin the look of their Bianchi. Since one is sitting differently on it, the initial set up takes longer. It’s much harder to figure out the correct saddle height with this new position. I do think they have come up with a well researched design, especially for us riders who aim to be cyclists for the long haul.
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@TBONE
Never been to Portland? Well now you have. Awesome!!
@Gianni
Ya. One of the topics of discussion at the Festum Prophetae "after party" concerned this. Anyone remember the Campa 1st generation "self extracting cranks" and the crank bolt that was 7.5mm? Not 7, not fucking 8, 7.5. I've had to call in the sag wagon exactly 3 times ever: twice for those bolts "self extracting" (as far from home as possible), and once for the 1st PDX Cogal.
@frank
It's not mainly about the flat back, it's about the rotation of the hips/pelvis. Rotating the pelvis forward enables better employment of the hamstrings and glutes and eases the pressure on the sit bones by putting some of the weight on inferior pubic rami bones. It also makes the pelvis more stable since it's no longer resting on just two points.
As a side effect, this change in pelvis tilt also lets the glutes take over some of the work in keeping the torso suspended from the lower back, it extends and relaxes the whole spine and this in turn relaxes the shoulders and neck. Extension of the spine also means extension of the whole torso, so more room for the diaphragm to expand and thus easier breathing. And finally, rotating the pelvis forward enables one to get lower and more aero.
Of course, there can still be too much of a good thing, as rotating the pelvis also closes the hip angle. This can be somewhat alleviated by raising the saddle and moving it forward, but this disrupts the front-to-back balance on the bicycle and can also put more pressure on the knees for some people. So, like with all other things it's all about finding that perfect spot.
Now, rotating the pelvis doesn't necessarily mean there is no curve to the back whatsoever, and it also doesn't mean one has to use an extreme saddle shape such as the Selle SMP - I have been able to do it on Selle Italia Filante as well as on Selle San Marco Zoncolan Arrowhead and SSM Aspide.
Finally, here's an example of a cyclist who rides with the pelvis rotated quite far forward while obviously retaining some curvature to the back as well:
Compare and contrast to the one in front who has a more upright pelvis and a more drastic bend in the lower back (not sure who he is).
@Ron I'm having a mechanically hamfisted week. My Hope freehub body is notched to shit, and the threads for the lockring are crossthreaded. I made it 100% worse last night by starting off with the lockring by hand and not getting it totally straight, now the thread is chewed up to shit and needs replacing. Steel freehub is the way to go. I swapped the wheels on because another freehub had seized, and needs to be stripped and cleaned. Fixies FTW.
I've had a Cobb V-flow for several years. First saddle that didn't give me numbnuts. Don't care for the looks of it, but going with what works. I may have to give the SHC a try.
@seemunkee Looks like Cobb reduced their no-risk trial periods from 180 days to 90 days. Still a pretty good deal.
@scaler911 - I too fell victim to the Campy 7.5mm mumbleswerve. What sick deluded maniac uses a 7.5mm allen key? Took me bloody ages to find one. That said, I don't think mine ever self extracted.
@Steampunk
Right then. Wiggins and Froome are as 21st century as it gets, and look at their backs:
Point is rotated pelvis, not a flat back. Once you rotate your pelvis, you may find a flat back, or not. Doesn't matter.
And rotated pelvis doesn't require a nasty cutout saddle - it can be achieved with a proper-fitting regular saddle.
Now what do you make of this?
@tessar Not a good example, that's just a rider on the rivet. SInce they're on the nose of their (flat) tt saddles anyways, a curved saddle would have little to no affect on position re. rotating their hips forward.
And the cutout isn't responsible for enabling rotation, but it is much more cmfortable. Fizik make curved saddles (nose to tail) without cutouts that let you do the same thing.