Selle SMP Strike

[tendy]

I bought a Selle Italia SMP TRK from bikemania.biz beginning of August for around $80 including shipping. It took some days until the product shipped, but they always kept me up to date via email on the process. After shipment left their site, it took about 10 days for the saddle to arrive at my place.

I mounted the saddle, as described on their website, with laying a level on top to achieve perfect sitting angle for the sitbones and the soft tissue.

I am 5'8" and my sitbones are wide. The saddle I was using before caused me pain in the lower back, sitbones, and soft tissue, plus some chafing. At that time I had only ridden 40 miles (64km), and thus the problems were not caused by too many hours in the saddle. Also I am using pearl izumi 3d pants, so the problems were also not caused by uncomfortable pants.

At first I believed it was just me, because I started cycling this year after not having ridden in 16 years, but when I tried my new Selle SMP TRK the first time, I experienced the difference immediately: only very little lower back pain because my back muscles were not trained enough, and neither tissue pain nor sitbone pain, and no chafing.

Now, after 4 weeks and 450 miles (720km) with the new saddle, I am now up to riding 45 miles (72km) of "rolling landscape" (up and down and up and down). Because I am a beginner with no leg muscles, it means that I am in the saddle for many hours, but I do not experience any problems at all.

At first I believed the large amount of padding on the saddle could cause problems, but it does not for me. My sitbones have the support they need when going up hills, my soft tissue is perfectly "cradled", and my lower back has no problems either.

Ok, the saddle is cheaply made, and weighs almost a US pound (around 420 grams), but it is the best saddle I ever used in my whole life. I can shift my weight around on the saddle forward and backwards without chafing or other problems. I can even slide a little to the right or left, if necessary, without losing sitbone support and hurting my soft tissue.

The only "problem" the saddle has is: the writing and artwork on the side where my legs move up and down when pedaling start to wear off. But that just gives the saddle its "broken in" look.

If at sometime I find another Selle SMP for my sitbone width that is lighter and nicer manufactured, I might try it. Others than that I will definitely not change my saddle.