The Jett by Specialized

Like someone else here (Caligurl?) I really wanted to love the Jett. It didn't work for me.

WARNING: Long winding post with heart-wrenching conclusion (getting rid of a beautiful saddle).

I had a Fizik Pave that I liked, came stock on my bike. Not the fancy HP Pave model, the intermediate one. I rode 6000 km on it and was fine, but didn't feel comfortable in the drops position, and thought it gave me a quite unacceptable feeling in the girly parts after 3 hours sitting on it.

Very reluctantly, I entered the saddles market. I was looking for a saddle with a cutout. I saw the Jett and was attracted but I didn't want to go towards a white saddle and no LBS I knew stocked the black one. I was also interested in the Damselfly by Terry, but again saw only the pink one, no black. So I got a Terry Liberator TI Race. Rode 60 km on it, not too bad, then I rode another 60 km the next day - in three segments, not even in one shot - commuting to my home (I am currently living on Vancouver Island whereas my permanent "home" is on the continent in Vancouver) and decided there was no way I was going back to the Island on that saddle. It really pinched me.

So I walked into the LBS that sponsors my club - didn't have much time and needed to pick up new tires there anyway - and the only saddle that seemed fine with me was the Jett. White. I decided to give it a go.

Well it was pretty comfy on the ride back to the Island (there's a ferry in between - the bike doesn't swim) and I spend quite a bit of time in the drops facing a treacherous headwind, and all my precious parts were fine, which pleased me. Two days later, I rode 110 km with the boyfriend. At the 80 km mark or so I told him that I thought I sat on a bee, it felt like I had something stinging the upper part of my rear thigh. This is a part of my anatomy I have a hard time inspecting myself so when we came home he checked it out and didn't find a dart but did find some sort of a snake bite on my right side. I later found a splinter in my shorts (in a different area) so I thought maybe I had been sitting on one.

Well yesterday during a very casual ride to the bike store I got "stung" on the other side, exactly symmetrically. I inspected the saddle cover and didn't see anything. Then I looked under the saddle (something I should have done earlier) and realized that it held together with staples!! That's not very pretty for a 150$ CDN saddle.

So I am not sure but it seems reasonable to think that I am in fact "stung" by the end of the staples, through the padding. The sting marks correspond to where my butt rests on the edges of the saddle. EDITED AFTER TAKING THE SADDLE OFF MY BIKE: It's actually not the staples but the BG logo on the wings (see picture: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=16169) that corresponds very precisely to the "sting" marks. When I press on the logos I indeed feel something hard but not a staple.

I'm really mad at this because the saddle was rather comfy, and I'll have to find a new saddle again. Plus, the white leather of course is not perfectly white after 250 km sitting and sweating on it. Hopefully a bit of soapy water will make it sparkling again. But I'm not sitting on that thing anymore, and back to the store it goes.

The Pave will be back on the bike until further notice. I just sat on it, it is less comfy than the Jett, but it doesn't bite me after 50 km. If anyone has an idea of another saddle similar to the Jett and available in narrow width (maybe in Selle Italia?) let me know... :(

Maybe the Selle Italia SLR? There is a new model in the Carbonio series that is a flow-through (ie, cut-out), and the Carbonios are very plain, no stitching, no seams. I would steer clear of the Gel Flow model.

Are you really sure you want to go through this again? During my saddle search I tried 14, most of which had cut-outs, and the experience was horredous. I also ride a Fizik saddle, which does not have a cut-out. It is not terribly comfortable in the drops either. But I will sacrifice that for overall riding comfort far superior than anything in the cut-out world.

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Originally Posted by Squirrel 2

Maybe the Selle Italia SLR? There is a new model in the Carbonio series that is a flow-through (ie, cut-out), and the Carbonios are very plain, no stitching, no seams. I would steer clear of the Gel Flow model.

Are you really sure you want to go through this again? During my saddle search I tried 14, most of which had cut-outs, and the experience was horredous. I also ride a Fizik saddle, which does not have a cut-out. It is not terribly comfortable in the drops either. But I will sacrifice that for overall riding comfort far superior than anything in the cut-out world.

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Thanks Squirrel for your recommendations. I have started going through Selle Italia's web site and the SLR does look interesting...

I actually like the cut-out, it made me feel instantly better (even on the Terry). The Terry, however, was too wide for me in all places, not much so, but I couldn't adjust to the added bulk. I'd go for the Damselfly if it wasn't so extremely pink.

I'll try again if only because my Pave felt pretty... well, like pavement when I sat on it this morning!! But I'll preciously keep the Pave handy. :)

Thanks a lot!!

Try the Avatar or the Alias in the same width you had on the Jett. My Avatar has the logo, but it's not raised in any way; it's printed on the cover itself. I don't know about the Alias, but I've never had any problems with my Avatar. The "BG" on the Jett looks raised, is it? And you said it was hard underneath? It's not hard under the "BG" on my Avatar...

Avatar:
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=16166
(BTW, the Avatar 155 is EXACTLY the same as the 2005 Jett)

Alias:
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=16164
(Actually, the "BG" symbols look a little raised on the Alias...don't they?)

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Originally Posted by Fuji Girl

Try the Avatar or the Alias in the same width you had on the Jett. My Avatar has the logo, but it's not raised in any way; it's printed on the cover itself. I don't know about the Alias, but I've never had any problems with my Avatar. The "BG" on the Jett looks raised, is it? And you said it was hard underneath? It's not hard under the "BG" on my Avatar...

(Actually, the "BG" symbols look a little raised on the Alias...don't they?)

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If I was not looking for something different, I probably wouldn't find it. But when I press (hard) on the logo on each side it definitely has a different feeling than when I press (just as hard) right beside it, where it's cushier somewhat.

The cause could also be the logo itself, which is indeed raised, but oh so slightly. I think I remember that it was the exact same on the Alias. These two saddles are really really similar, I'm not sure what's "women specific" about the Jett... (But I'll admit, under torture, that the white made my bike look happy and light.)

I'll check out the Avatar. However, I now admit to being reluctant to buy a Specialized saddle because I find the design a bit cheap for the price......

Thanks a lot Fujigirl!

You're welcome! If the logo is raised, even slightly, that could easily be the culprit. I can imagine that it would be horribly uncomfortable if there were the smallest little bump on the saddle. Try the Avatar, though, I really really like it. The Specialized stuff in general is pricey, but I stick with what works for me. If you like the Avatar, try looking on eBay for it.

Good luck! Let us know how things work out for you.

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Originally Posted by Grog

If I was not looking for something different, I probably wouldn't find it. But when I press (hard) on the logo on each side it definitely has a different feeling than when I press (just as hard) right beside it, where it's cushier somewhat.

The cause could also be the logo itself, which is indeed raised, but oh so slightly. I think I remember that it was the exact same on the Alias. These two saddles are really really similar, I'm not sure what's "women specific" about the Jett... (But I'll admit, under torture, that the white made my bike look happy and light.)

I'll check out the Avatar. However, I now admit to being reluctant to buy a Specialized saddle because I find the design a bit cheap for the price......

Thanks a lot Fujigirl!

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I've had both the Avatar Gel and the Jett. The Jett is supposedly the WSD versions of the Alias - slightly wider and deeper cutout is the only difference that the sales rep could figure out. I love both the Avatar and the Jett. The Avatar is certainly more comfy, but it's heavier. However, you might love it - I loved it for a year, but I'm trying the Jett to save some weight, and loving it so far (rode it for 5 of the 6 days of my tour last week - probably 350 miles on back to back days, and it was fine!)

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Originally Posted by Grog

If I was not looking for something different, I probably wouldn't find it. But when I press (hard) on the logo on each side it definitely has a different feeling than when I press (just as hard) right beside it, where it's cushier somewhat.

The cause could also be the logo itself, which is indeed raised, but oh so slightly. I think I remember that it was the exact same on the Alias. These two saddles are really really similar, I'm not sure what's "women specific" about the Jett... (But I'll admit, under torture, that the white made my bike look happy and light.)

I'll check out the Avatar. However, I now admit to being reluctant to buy a Specialized saddle because I find the design a bit cheap for the price......

Thanks a lot Fujigirl!

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I'm trying to get some info from a Specialized dealer here via email, so far no reply, so thought you ladies with experience with the Jett saddle might be able to supply more info. (Slack of them isn't it)....

Anyway, I've seen it mentioned in another thread before that the Avatar appears to be the same as the Jett. On the Specialized website, they mention gel inserts/padding on the specs describing the Avatar, but they don't mention gel in the specs re the Jett.

Also, with photoshop help, I overlayed the 'enlarged' piccy of both of these saddles from their website and found that the Avatar is _minimally_ different in shape in that the curve running from the nose towards the widest section of the rear, that curve is a _little_ straighter on the Jett.

So, differences in shape and being entirely almost non-existent, it looks like the only difference is this possibility of lack of gel in the Jett model as well as the Avatar being heavier. Would any of you ladies who have tried both models be able to confirm whether there is in fact any difference in gel inserts between the 2?

Also, I can't get any info from them on recommended sizing for my sit-bone measurement of approx. 130mm - (5 inches). Would anyone be willing to offer advice as to whether I should go for the 130mm, 143mm or 150mm? How much additional (if any) width should be added to allow for downward sloping sides which might mean your sit-bones missing the padded bits altogether?

Appreciate any advice...

My experience with saddle measurements has been that the width = the absolute widest part, which includes sloping sides. I have been able to line up a ruler underneath a saddle & edge of bottom to edge of bottom measured out to the advertised width. If your sit bones truly measure out to be 130 mm, then a 130 width would probably not be adequate to support you -- your sit bones would end up on the very edge of the downward slope. But you don't want to go too wide or you are apt to get rubbing friction. Sounds like 143 would be a place to start for you, but only if you are absolutely sure about the 130 measurement.

Mags,

The Jett is the same as the Alias, NOT the Avatar. The Avatar is heavier, has the gel inserts and slightly more padding. The Alias is the men's version (how about calling THEIR stuff MSD!) of the Jett. The only differences between the Jett and the Alias is the depth and width of the cutout. Otherwise, close to identical.

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Originally Posted by Mags...

Anyway, I've seen it mentioned in another thread before that the Avatar appears to be the same as the Jett. On the Specialized website, they mention gel inserts/padding on the specs describing the Avatar, but they don't mention gel in the specs re the Jett.

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My LBS told me the Alias is the "male" version of the Jett.

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So, differences in shape and being entirely almost non-existent, it looks like the only difference is this possibility of lack of gel in the Jett model as well as the Avatar being heavier. Would any of you ladies who have tried both models be able to confirm whether there is in fact any difference in gel inserts between the 2?

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I think there is gel in the Jett, but I'm not 100% certain. I have the saddle here and it is indeed cushier there. The packaging is at my other place though, so I can't read the specs.

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Also, I can't get any info from them on recommended sizing for my sit-bone measurement of approx. 130mm - (5 inches). Would anyone be willing to offer advice as to whether I should go for the 130mm, 143mm or 150mm? How much additional (if any) width should be added to allow for downward sloping sides which might mean your sit-bones missing the padded bits altogether?

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I would go for the 130 I think. I measured up at 127 or so and the store guy was pretty certain of the 130 mm choice. I really feel awkward on a wider saddle.

No no...I should've clarified.

Specialized has updated the Jett for 2006, and now they say it's the female version of the Alias. The 06 version has Ti rails and some other features that the old 2005 one didn't have.

The 2005 Jett is different from the 2006 version, and it (the 2005 one) is identical to the current Specialized Avatar 155 (except the Jett is blue/black/white and the Avatar is black/white/gray). Also, the 2005 Jett did not have Ti rails and came only in one width (155).

Does that help?

Thanks FG!

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Originally Posted by Grog

Like someone else here (Caligurl?) I really wanted to love the Jett. It didn't work for me.

(

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UGH! yes... me! and it still breaks my heart the ruby can't "wear" the jett! but alas... my tukis is more important than ruby looking purdy (did i really type that???????)

i know saddles are oh so personal... and others may love it... but oh how i HATED that saddle! as much as i tried to love it! (it pains me just thinking of the pain i went through trying to love that saddle!)

I almost went with the Alias. But I needed a 155 and I couldn't find a 155 Alias to try. The Jett is not as comfy as I hoped, but it was by far the best of the worst. The way the stupid seatpost is set up, I have to have a cutout saddle, which may not be really what I need. But the 06 Avatar that came on my bike....omg, I wanted to burn it. I gave it to the LBS when I took home the Jett. OWWWWW. I hear the 07 Alias is pretty nice.

I recently got refitted and the guy commented on how much crazy flex there is in the seatpost and in the Jett saddle. He said it looked like the nose was bouncing all over the place when I spun gently on the trainer.

May have to keep looking. I got in my English saddle yesterday on a horse after not riding much in many many months (buttery soft French leather)...and my sit bones thanked me. And I don't like any overstuffed grandma saddles. :p

What I have found, is that Specialized BG's tend to be my favorite because (and I've tried a few other saddles) they seem to be the only saddle that elevates me off the girly parts, and is designed specifically to do so. Which of course leads to the only place left to support you and that is the sit bones. All other saddles I tried mushed and numbed me in the girl parts and we can't have that. I had the Jett (143 mm) that came with my '07 Ruby Comp and I loved the "clearance". However the sit bone part was too hard for me and also I also got the feeling that my sit bones veered closer to the edge. It got to the point where it was painful to even go 5 miles. I tried other saddles with cutouts and realized that I can't have cutouts because the saddle around the cutouts hurt. The BGs sort of separate the middle of the saddle more so it's not really a cutout like some of the others. Then I was in a bike shop and they had one that looked just like the Jett but with gel pads - this one was the Avatar. This same bike shop sold alot of other Specialized saddles and had their foam sit bone measurement system. I tried that and found I was on the line between a 143 and 155. So, wanting a little more real estate I got the Avatar 155 and it is significantly more comfortable, still no problems in front and the gel helped. Any logo on my Avatar is way far from any contact my butt might make, compared to the Jett which is indeed raised a bit more and closer to the top of the saddle. I wished the gel pads were a little thicker. Right now I can only go about 42 miles and my sit bones still start to get sore a little, probably because the gel compresses. I didn't get many long rides on it as I got it later in the season. So far it's the best for me and we'll see how next season goes.