Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour??

[Mimosa]

Hey thanks. That's the information I was looking for. I'll start of with atola

[bluerider]

I currently ride the Aspide Glamour and it has been very good to me. I don't find the rear too wide even though I have small hips. I rode over 250km this past weekend with one ride covering 100km. No issues whatsover except a little bit of saddle sore which I attribute more to the distance than the saddle!

The saddle is firm but comfortable and I feel like I can generate more power from the saddle, if that makes any sense? The only other saddles I have ridden is a stock Bontrager and a Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow. If you like a firm saddle that has "racey" appeal, this is a great saddle. And as an ex-fan of cutouts, I love the narrow nose!!!

[Mimosa]

And as an ex-fan of cutouts, I love the narrow nose!!!

If I may ask, why ex-fan of cutouts.

I think a bit of saddle sore is not that bad, atleast you know you had good contact with the bike

Even though I said I would start with the Atola, I am doubting again. Because of the fact that I never rode a cut-out saddle, neither do I see them being used by women pro teams (look at this pic of saddles used by the buitenpoort-flexpoint team) and I also read this article. Up till now I only used 2 saddles, for years I used the good old Rolls and since the end of 2005 and this year I tried the SSM Era K. The saddle is oke, but I want to try out a more women specific saddle for the new bike I am going to buy. Just to see if I can reach a more comfortable position .

Like I said before I really like the brand SSM and their design, so I want to try their womens saddle first.

[emily_in_nc]

Is that team bike photo a women's team? I was surprised how long the saddles look, if so. They look like men's racing saddles to me, but maybe that is what women's pro teams use as well. I guess for a racer having the ultimate lightweight, "cool" saddle is paramount, but for me, comfort is #1.

Good luck!

Emily

[Mimosa]

Is that team bike photo a women's team?

Yes, the Buitenpoort-Flexpoint women's team (see here, here and here ) a dutch trade team doing the UCI Womens' Road World Cup

[bluerider]

If I may ask, why ex-fan of cutouts.

I think a bit of saddle sore is not that bad, atleast you know you had good contact with the bike

Even though I said I would start with the Atola, I am doubting again. Because of the fact that I never rode a cut-out saddle, neither do I see them being used by women pro teams (look at this pic of saddles used by the buitenpoort-flexpoint team) and I also read this article. Up till now I only used 2 saddles, for years I used the good old Rolls and since the end of 2005 and this year I tried the SSM Era K. The saddle is oke, but I want to try out a more women specific saddle for the new bike I am going to buy. Just to see if I can reach a more comfortable position .

Like I said before I really like the brand SSM and their design, so I want to try their womens saddle first.

The cutouts are designed to relieve pressure but I felt they actually greatly more friction than a full saddle. Plus the Selle Italia was way too padded for my liking. I love the Aspide Glamour. It's fantastic for both racing and long rides. And although it is very nice to look at it, if you have setup the saddle properly it is very comfortable as well.

The saddle sores were from a 4 hour ride so yup good contact with the bike for sure!

[bluerider]

The saddle looks like this now...

Very sleek!

[Mimosa]

When I first saw it I had to check again if it really was a womens saddle. To me it looks like it is shouting 'Race me!'

But only time will tell if me bum also feels the same

Just as a side step; when I started cycling again two years ago, I never would have thought how much the cycling material market had grown in the ten years that I didn't participate in it. All those new brands and even more types of materials and shapes to choose from. It was such a culture shock that I grabbed for the things that I did know and now my current bike is a mixture of materials and brands that I knew from way back the old days. And I have been spending this year looking into all the new stuff to find out what was good or bad, which things I did or didn't like or just about the why's of some stuff that is on the market. Like for instance the choice of saddle, wheels or the material of the bicycleframe. It took me a lot of reading into reviews, forum postings etc before I started to believe that there are good carbon frames out there and that it might even be nice to ride on ... and yes, my next frame will probably be made from carbon (big step for me).

[Mimosa]

By the way, I got the SSM 2007 catalogue on a bikeshow last friday.

The Atola Gelaround stays
The Aspide Glamour stays (but now in a black, white or pink version!)
The Aspide Glamour Gel is no longer in the catalogue

However there are additional types of womens sadles based on the aspide glamour:

New: Aspide Glamour FX (I guess the replacement for the racegel)
New: Aspide Glamour Triathgel (thriathlon specific)
New: Aspide Glamour Arrowhead Gelaround (cutout saddle based on the aspide glamour)
New: Aspide Glamour K Arrowhead Gelaround (cutout saddle based on the aspide glamour but smaller then the above)

The last 2 look very cool, if cutouts work for you.