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I was looking at their site and some of their saddles looked like they might be nice... really deep grooves in the middle of the saddle that looked promising, and they're on the cheaper side, which makes it nice for trying out. Anyone have any experience with their road or mtb saddles?
No opinion to offer, but remember I get first dibs on that Avocet if you decide to sell! :p Probably should give you some kind of note to stick to the bottom of the saddle or add an amendment to your will or something. :rolleyes:
LOL! SK, if I get another saddle, it's yours for sure and for certain!! :)
Since posting this first message, I found this incredibly interesting looking saddle. May have to try this one, but it's rather pricey.
http://www.sellesmp.com/en/ready_to_strike.htm
Amazon has it for $199.00. Sheesh.
You'd have to have an incredible amount of self-confidence to show up for a group ride with that thing. Kind of reminds me of those anti-smoking commercials where the guys' cigarettes droop . . . that saddle needs Viagra.
[QUOTE slinkedog]LOL! SK, if I get another saddle, it's yours for sure and for certain!! :)
Since posting this first message, I found this incredibly interesting looking saddle. May have to try this one, but it's rather pricey.
Amazon has it for $199.00. Sheesh.
slinkedog - its looks very interesting - you could become the saddle test woman for this site. I agree it would cause a few looks but hey if it works for the nether regions I could cope with the looks.
Let us know which saddle you choose. Perhaps we will have to call you slinkedog trend setter. ;)
If I get that one I'll be known as the chick with the droopy saddle. :)
I wish I had the budget to test saddles. I'd have fun. I seem to be having some trouble finding the right one. I guess if I sell my Terry and my Avocet, I'll have something towards a new one!
I'm ditching my terry and trying out a Selle San Marco Atola - you'll see in on Saturday in Monterey - it's such a pain (literally) hunting for a good saddle!
bikerz - I have just ordered one of those so let me know what you think of it.
Trekhawk - I did a quick ride last night with it - 15 miles. It definitely felt better on the soft tissue, but I was really feeling my sit bones, more on one side than the other - I'll fuss with the adjustment tonight, and tomorrow's ride will be a good test. I'll let you know... It looks tiny compared to the Terry butterfly!
Sit bones will toughen. Soft tissue will not. So it sounds like this one might be a good fit for you!! :) Looking forward to checking it out tomorrow.
Hey bikerz - how is that saddle working out?Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerz
I received mine a few days ago and so far so good. I did notice that I can really feel my sit bones compared to my last saddle but no soft tissue pain at all.
Would love to know how yours is going (and those sit bones). :)
Hi TrekHawk - well I think the Atole is a keeper - so far... Sounds like yours is working out as well :)
Last weekend I did a 46 mile ride on it, and then 2 short, steep hill rides this week. The saddle is definitely harder, and my sit bones are taking notice! The first 15 minutes or so I'm pretty aware of it, and I find I shift around a bit. I think I still have some minor tilt adjustments to make - on the hill rides I feel a little pressure in front - but the cut-out is so much better than the Terry - it's probably 2-3x as wide. So the soft tissue has not been bothering me at all. Also, the saddle overall is quite a bit narrower than the Terry, and I guess that is working for me now.
I am really working on posture these days, and trying to build up my core strength - I think that has been part of my trouble.
(For some reason, the Terry I had had a super-narrow cutout, compared to the cutouts on my friends' Terry saddles - hardly seems worth having a cutout at all - kind of strange. But that saddle went back to REI for a full refund!)
Based on the recommendations here, I decided to order a Selle San Marco Atola Gelaround saddle (found it at Colorado Cyclist for $69.99, most other stores that carried it were in the UK). I have been riding Terry Butterflies for years but think the back is too wide; I get lots of chafing towards the back. Love the cutout and general feel of the saddle. I wanted to try a narrower saddle but one that was not too incredibly hard (I tried the Terry Damselfly and OWWWW....way too hard, and the cutout was too narrow and pinched!) I chose the Atola Gelaround over the regular Atola since it sounded like it would be a bit softer in the sitbone area. So I'll report back once it comes in and I can try it out!
Do those of you who have the Atola have the regular model or the Gelaround? If you don't know, the Gelaround model says "Gelaround" in the back in large letters, the regular does not. Except for the gel, they seem to be exactly the same (size, weight, styling).
Emily
Hey BikerZ... which Terry saddle did you have before?
[QUOTE emily_in_nc]
Do those of you who have the Atola have the regular model or the Gelaround? If you don't know, the Gelaround model says "Gelaround" in the back in large letters, the regular does not. Except for the gel, they seem to be exactly the same (size, weight, styling).
Hi Emily
I have the gelaround and so far it seems pretty good. I really can feel my sit bones but after a while on a ride I dont seem to notice it as much. I like the fact that the saddle seems a tad shorter than my old terry as I use to get myself snagged on the end of that all the time. This has not happened on the San Marco.
Let us know how you get on with yours.
:)
Mine is the regular Atola womens saddle. I ordered it from Cambria Bicycle Outfitters for $64.95Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
I had a Terry Women's Butterfly Titanium. I was just looking at the picture of it on the REI website, and my cutout looks like it was quite a bit narrower than the photo. Hmmm - maybe I had some sort of reject saddle... Oh well, I'm happy with the Atola and it was $40 cheaper!Quote:
Originally Posted by Slinkedog
Thanks for the info, Bikerz...
I was also interested to see that the Atola is ever so slightly lighter weight than the Terry Butterfly ti (254g vs 262g), I guess because it is a little smaller. So for it to be that much less expensive than the Butterfly ti is pretty cool. I have Butterfly ti models on three of my four bikes now, but I'm looking forward to trying out this Atola!
Emily
Hey Emily - How is the new saddle working out?Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
Yeah, I'm seriously considering having another look at that one... I got to see BikerZ's and it looked pretty nice!
slinkedog - Im pretty happy with mine the sit bones are still not quite use to the change from my terry but the rest of my sit area feels much happier.Quote:
Originally Posted by slinkedog
:)
If you go the Atola give us a review - always like to hear how stuff works for others.
Hi ~ It only arrived Tuesday via UPS (rather slow shipping since it had to come from Colorado to NC, and they didn't ship for several days after I ordered), I mounted it on my Aegis, but didn't go to the women's club ride last night b/c rain threatened, so I rode my older bike on the trainer indoors instead. So, it will be Saturday before I can try it out - but I'll report back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trekhawk
I love the way it looks, the shape, size and feel of the "gelaround", but I could tell immediately that it was heavier than my Butterfly ti saddles, even though per the weight on the Selle and Terry websites, it was supposed to be a few grams lighter! I weighed it on my super-duper-accurate postal scale, and it is exactly 2.1 oz heavier than the Butterfly ti, which really doesn't surprise me b/c of the gel and cro-moly rails, but someone isn't telling the truth - either Terry is under-reporting their weight or (more likely) Selle is off in the other direction. So, since I am sort of a weight weenie just on this particular bike, I was a bit disappointed, but I still plan to keep an open mind and try it. I'm down a couple lbs. in the bod since my accident, so I guess I can spare 2.1 oz. if the saddle is better for me, right? :p
More complete report soon!
Emily
Okay ladies, I tried the Atola Gelaround yesterday on a 40 mile ride (my first of that distance since my accident - yippee!!!) It's too early to say definitively, but I think I am going to like it. :)
When I sat on it right at first, it felt like the right shape and size, and I could feel my sit bones being well supported in back, even though it's quite a bit narrower than the Butterfly, so that confirms that I didn't really need the extra width of the B-fly. It also seemed like the areas in back that chafe on the B-fly weren't even hitting the saddle anymore, so it really might be an improvement there, as I'd hoped. The cutout is perfect, completely unnoticeable, the nose is comfy, the shorter length is fine, the only thing that was not perfect was that it definitely has a firmer feel in the sit-bone area (as I've read here), and as a result, I got a little sore by the end of the ride just on those two small areas, but I think this is something I can toughen up.
Riding the Atola was a very different sensation than my first couple of rides when I tried the Terry Damselfly (two years ago) and thought it felt like a 2 by 4, and it also pinched and rubbed me raw in the labial area b/c the cutout was very narrow and firm. After the first ride on that one, I wondered how anyone could ever find it comfortable! A few rides later, it came off the bike, never to be used again.
So far, I am happy with this purchase! A final verdict will come a bit later, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Emily
Emily - pleased to hear it might be a winner for you. Im still happy with mine but as you said time and distance will tell but its looking good so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
Enjoy your riding.
Leslie
I used it on a 50-mile ride today, and it felt great; my sit-bones have now completely adjusted, and it fits me just great. Sexy looking, too. I'm very happy with this saddle! SO glad to have read about it here. Thanks again!
Emily
I've been lurking for a long time gathering very valuable information from this site, so I felt compelled to finally register and post a reply where I've had some minimal experience since I'm a relatively new rider. I bought a San Marco Atola Gelaround saddle this spring and have since put almost 3000 miles on it (I'm a new rider, but I really like it). For the most part, the Atola is very comfortable--even during centuries. My only complaint is that there is little padding in the nose. So I find it a lot less comfortable when I'm riding in the drops. Now that I'm getting a little faster, I find I like to ride in that position more, so I'm looking for a similar saddle that might accomodate that better. If you don't spend much time in the drops, I believe you will be very pleased, though.
Hi Kim - welcome to Team E! This is a great place to hang out!Quote:
Originally Posted by kim
I found your experience with the Atola interesting, because I ride in the drops fairly frequently and find the nose extremely comfortable. I wear Performance Ultra shorts most often, which have a lot of padding in the front, which may be the difference. I just don't notice the nose of the saddle at all, one way or another, which is a good thing. Once again, just shows how different we all are!
Again, welcome, and now that you've registered, post on! :p
Emily
Well, on the last two 45 mile rides on my Selle San Marco Atola, I started thinking maybe it's NOT the saddle for me after all. I think it might be too narrow at the back. I've been getting some unpleasant chafing where the back of my thigh meets the rear-end itself after about 20 miles... ouch. Bu tthe cut-out is perfect. I may try to find another saddle with a similar cut-out but with a slightly wider back. Any ideas?
Maybe you could check out the San Marco Aero. Same cutout but different shape. Some of the girls here at TE recommended that one to me and a few preferred it to the Atola.Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerz
Sorry to hear the Atola might not be a winner for you - saddle searching is such a pain (literally as well).
Another thing I noticed is that very small adjustments in bike fit can make big differences. At first I had paid a lot of attention to articles I'd read about how to fit the bike. And that was a good starting point. But I've since found I'm more comfortable if I ignore some of the "rules." The seat post that came with my bike was not adjustable (could move the seat minimally forward or backward, but could not change the angle), but my husband bought me a Bontrager carbon fully-adjustable post a couple of weeks ago--just out of the blue, what a guy. I've been playing around with that a little. Perhaps I just haven't found the perfect angle yet to be comfortable in the drops.
Thanks for the shorts advice, though. That seems obvious, but I hadn't paid much attention to that--which is why I like this forum. There must be another thread for that, eh?
Hi Trekhawk -
Thanks for the suggestion - I might try out the Aero because it looks wider at the back. In the meantime I'm ordering a Koobi Classic saddle ($60 for a demo) which has a different cutout - more of a channel, but wider at the back. I'll try the Aero next, I guess.
I'm trying not to panic! I really need to get a saddle I can sit on day after day, mile after mile for the ALC! Of course, hopefully as I get stronger and develop better riding posture (and my own rear end gets narrower!), I'll find a setup that works.
BikerZ... are you going to get rid of that Atola? I might be interested in taking it off your hands. :)
Sometimes, the chamois/saddle combo isn't right. Do you have the same problem if you wear a different brand short and chamois?Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerz
yeah - that was my first hopeful thought, but I've had the same issues with three separate shorts - 2 terrys and 1 aerotech. Granted the terry chamois is not so great - seams and so on, but the trouble area does not seem to be associated with the camois seams, so I don't think that's it. And since the shorts and the saddles are all about the same price, it's $60+ no matter what! Wish me luck! I might just needto start experimenting with chamois butter, bag balm, etc. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
Hey Slinkedog - I was hoping that might be the case! I'll let you now after I've taken the new Koobi for a few rides...Quote:
Originally Posted by Slinkedog
Hey Z! How's that Koobi treating your, er, you? :)
Hi,
New to posting here, have read a bit off and on since back into cycling more regularly.
But BikerZ, do you still have the chaffing problem?
I've see a lot of women with their seats too high, and the leg is stick straight at the pedal bottom, and hips rock. So if you rock your hips at all during the pedal stroke, or you don't have any bend in your knee at the bottom position, during the stroke your hips are moving, and so your butt is rubbing more against the seat, which might be causing the chaffing... And it might add to the pressure on the nose of the seat when you're in the drops.