Ruby vs Toupe?

[vness]

Me, me, me!!! Bought my new Cervelo Carbon Soloist last May, and knew immediately that the stock saddle on it (a San Marco something-or-another) would have to go. The LBS that I bought the bike from, carried the much-talked about Cobb saddles that I had heard rave reviews on the triathlon forums that I frequented. I decided to give the Cobb V-Flow Plus a try...boy, was that a big mistake! 300 miserable miles later, and I was begging my hubby to take that torture device off of my bike and put on my old, Terry Tri-Gel until I could find something more suitable.

This fall, I went to a local Specialized dealer looking for a Jett or Ruby...my dealer had neither one in stock and actually stated that he probably would no longer be carrying the Jett. I noticed an interesting looking saddle in the display case, and asked to take a closer look. It was the Phenom...which I ended up buying. The owner of the LBS raved about this saddle...said it was the very saddle that he, himself, used on his road bike. He said he liked it much better than the Toupe...and said many of his customers echoed the same feelings. I figured I didn't have much to lose, since he offered me the opportunity to return it and try any other Specialized saddle if I didn't like it. I've been riding it ever since and it's been working fairly well for me. IMO, it is a very minimalist saddle...firm, not much padding, and it flexes in the sitbone area, so it "moves" with the rider. I haven't yet decided if I'll keep this saddle on my bike for the upcoming season or not...as I got a Selle Italia Prolink Light Gel Flow for Christmas, so will probably give that a trial run to see how it compares to the Phenom.

Linda

Hi Linda...thanks for replying. Which Phenom did you get? There are so many variations - the nose looks much more pronounced in some than in others. The SL is the lightest and looks best, I think. What size do you ride? What are your sitbones and riding style? I hope I'm not asking too many questions... I'm trying to get a feel for which way to go. I'm just not ready to give up on Specialized yet LOL need to try a 130 first, though I'm not sure about that Butt-o-meter thingy

thanks again
namaste,
vness

[nscrbug]

Hi Linda...thanks for replying. Which Phenom did you get? There are so many variations - the nose looks much more pronounced in some than in others. The SL is the lightest and looks best, I think. What size do you ride? What are your sitbones and riding style? I hope I'm not asking too many questions... I'm trying to get a feel for which way to go. I'm just not ready to give up on Specialized yet LOL need to try a 130 first, though I'm not sure about that Butt-o-meter thingy

thanks again
namaste,
vness

I have just the regular, basic Phenom saddle. But I've been lusting over the Phenom Team version...in black, that baby would match my bike perfectly. Although, that Romin saddle has now caught my attention, as well. I like the "split" design of it...something I was contemplating on testing out with the SI SLK Lady Gel Flow. My Phenom is the 143 size. Did the whole butt-o-meter thing at the dealer, and that is the size I was told to go with. I also did the Bontrager version of the butt-o-meter, and was basically told the same thing...that I fell "in the middle" sizing category. The Selle Italia Prolink Gel Flow that I got for Christmas is a 144, so only a negligible difference. My riding style...hmmm, that one is hard to pinpoint. I'm kind of "all over the place" with my riding style...LOL I have some clipon aerobars on my bike, so I can vary my positions more. I would say I spend about 3/4 of the time upright...and the rest in either aero or drops. Hope that helps!

Linda

[kermit]

Take a look at Neuvation saddles, like the S10. I was thinking about one for my mountain bike, you can't beat the price.

[vness]

Take a look at Neuvation saddles, like the S10. I was thinking about one for my mountain bike, you can't beat the price.

hi Kermit... thanks for the tip. They do look interesting. I need to check their return policy.

Well I got murdered yesterday afternoon by my saddle so I put John's SI Prolink without a cutout on for the morning. It was better at first but the last 10 miles were hell. Mind you, I'm so badly chafed and swollen I doubt anything would feel good... and no cutout... oh my... felt like there was a 'bump' in the saddle when I first got on it LOL

LBS was less than helpful. Said if I could find something on the floor, I could try it.. well, I actually found a 130 Jett. I just want to see if a 130's too narrow before buying one, as I know I'd be able to tell pretty quickly!!!! But some moron tells me "Oh, that's a new saddle too. Just because it's loose, it only means it's been taken off a bike". Well that damn Jett was at least 2 years old! You can tell by the style as they've changed them so much. Plus the saddle didn't even 'look' nice and new. It looked exactly like what it was... an old saddle that was laying around. I did see a Phenom which looked interesting but they didn't have the Romin to look at. Someone did mention that Specialized saddles had hard edges which can chafe, so that could be the problem considering my anatomy :)

I may look at Terry since I know they have a 30 day return policy. And will also look more at the SI saddles. And that Neuvation... uh oh I just saw that the back of the saddle has their name in RED... doesn't match my good n' plenty girl! LOL

in the meantime, I hurt!!!! wish I were tall enough to climb on someone's bike :)

Thanks again
namaste,
vness

[kermit]

I googled mapped and it's like a 3.5 hour drive, but Racer's Edge in Boca Raton does great fits and has a 65 saddle collection to try during the fit. Take a look at their website, they are the sh** for racers and tri folks. ROAD TRIP?????

[OakLeaf]

Wow, my inlaws are in Boca. Something to do next time we go there....

[vness]

I googled mapped and it's like a 3.5 hour drive, but Racer's Edge in Boca Raton does great fits and has a 65 saddle collection to try during the fit. Take a look at their website, they are the sh** for racers and tri folks. ROAD TRIP?????

oooh... that place looks great! Unfortunately I can't afford it right now :( I've always wanted to do 3-D Morion capture too. But I need some level of fitness back as well. I'm still coming from behind from being ill.. I lost a LOT of performance!

btw, is that where you had your fit done?

I did spend some time looking at the saddle models they offer (selle italia, fi'zi:k, and san marco) and realize I really need to find out if a 130 is too narrow or what... so many of the saddles I liked were about that narrow.

So to that end I went back to LBS with the intention of actually purchasing something to try... but after getting into an argument with the guy about that Jett not being new, just unused LOL I left. They didn't have the new Toupe, any Ruby's or the Phenom that I wanted anyway.

And I am NEVER going back into that shop! They're not helpful... as well as quite overpriced! That I always knew.. the other part I just had a first hand encounter with. I guess they don't see me as worth their trouble... too bad for them.

my friend who rides the 130 Toupe's is bringing me an old 130 Alias to try... at least it'll tell me if the width works and if it does, I may just order something directly from Specialized. In the meantime, I'll put the Ruby back on to get me through the time gap. The Prolink I tried is just too much like all my other saddles. If a narrow saddle is doable, it opens up a whole new world for me :)

with the cold, I'll get a couple of days to heal. I'm a mess right now. Anything would probably hurt... grrrr.... I am SO angry right now

thanks for letting me rant!

namaste,
vness

[vness]

I have just the regular, basic Phenom saddle. But I've been lusting over the Phenom Team version...in black, that baby would match my bike perfectly. :D Although, that Romin saddle has now caught my attention, as well. I like the "split" design of it...something I was contemplating on testing out with the SI SLK Lady Gel Flow. My Phenom is the 143 size. Did the whole butt-o-meter thing at the dealer, and that is the size I was told to go with. I also did the Bontrager version of the butt-o-meter, and was basically told the same thing...that I fell "in the middle" sizing category. The Selle Italia Prolink Gel Flow that I got for Christmas is a 144, so only a negligible difference. My riding style...hmmm, that one is hard to pinpoint. I'm kind of "all over the place" with my riding style...LOL I have some clipon aerobars on my bike, so I can vary my positions more. I would say I spend about 3/4 of the time upright...and the rest in either aero or drops. Hope that helps!

Linda

Hi Linda.. thank you so much for the info. Seems I was falling for the 'visual difference' I saw online.... doubt there's as much of a difference as I thought. I did see a regular Phenom and an SL yesterday... identical looking!

LBS was less than helpful, as usual. Didn't have anything I could 'try'. I'm honestly not all that sure about a 130, which is why I didn't want to just buy one. I suspect I'd know pretty quickly if it's too small LOL

I like the Romin as well... wish I could see one for real as I do worry about the edges of the channel. They look pretty sharp and I've been bitten before. Haven't seen any reviews by women either, though it's all so subjective. I did read that one should consider ordering the next size up than usual but again, I'm sure it's individual

sigh... saddle hell... too, too familiar!

did you ever try that SI SLK Lady Gel Flow? how did you like the Prolink Gel Flow?

thanks again
namaste,
vness

[OakLeaf]

FWIW... I think I know who your LBS is, and I'm not impressed with them either, but the next nearest Specialized dealer, Orange Cycle in Orlando, is huge and well-stocked and known for catering to women, and they still don't stock a large selection of the higher-end saddles. No one really sells enough of any one model to justify a large stock. But it might be worth calling them to see what they do have, if you have a trip planned to the "big city" any time soon.

[nscrbug]

Hi Linda.. thank you so much for the info. Seems I was falling for the 'visual difference' I saw online.... doubt there's as much of a difference as I thought. I did see a regular Phenom and an SL yesterday... identical looking!

LBS was less than helpful, as usual. Didn't have anything I could 'try'. I'm honestly not all that sure about a 130, which is why I didn't want to just buy one. I suspect I'd know pretty quickly if it's too small LOL

I like the Romin as well... wish I could see one for real as I do worry about the edges of the channel. They look pretty sharp and I've been bitten before. Haven't seen any reviews by women either, though it's all so subjective. I did read that one should consider ordering the next size up than usual but again, I'm sure it's individual

sigh... saddle hell... too, too familiar!

did you ever try that SI SLK Lady Gel Flow? how did you like the Prolink Gel Flow?

thanks again
namaste,
vness

Have not tried the SLK Lady Gel Flow just yet. But it is on my "prospective" list, if the Prolink or Phenom don't work out. The Prolink is actually mounted on my bike now...but I haven't gotten a chance to ride it yet (too snowy/icy/cold here). I'm hoping by March, the days will start getting a bit milder. If I recall from last year, my first ride was on March 30th...so hoping to get out sooner this year. Although, I may just have my hubby throw my bike on the trainer this weekend so I can get a feel for it now.

[vness]

Have not tried the SLK Lady Gel Flow just yet. But it is on my "prospective" list, if the Prolink or Phenom don't work out. The Prolink is actually mounted on my bike now...but I haven't gotten a chance to ride it yet (too snowy/icy/cold here). I'm hoping by March, the days will start getting a bit milder. If I recall from last year, my first ride was on March 30th...so hoping to get out sooner this year. Although, I may just have my hubby throw my bike on the trainer this weekend so I can get a feel for it now.

keep us posted! :)
namaste,
vness

[kermit]

I had planned on going there, but am lucky to have a local guy who does alot of fits for a tri trainer. He tweaked my height and took a riser out of the stem. Once I installed the wedges I found nirvana. I just went to my LBS looking for a cheap mountain bike saddle, looked at the romin. Uhhh, REALLY HARD, harder than the ruby and toupe. I might get an alias for the bike, maybe...