Feedback - Selle SMP Strike TRK saddle?

[liberty]

Ladies, I've been looking at the Selle Strike TRK saddle and have read the reviews on this forum, but the info seems to be from several years ago. Has anyone else used this saddle? How about the rest of you who posted a few years ago? Thoughts?

[alpinerabbit]

I will get one for testing next week. I'll let ya know.

[roadie gal]

I tried one last year. The problem was that the large opening made it so that the saddle put a lot of pressure on the area (hard to know what to call it) where the inside of my legs meet my body. It was like sitting on knife edges. I had to return it.

[Running Mommy]

Still going strong. I'm actually going to get an evolution, but I need to find a distributor. call me crazy but as a bike shop owner I refuse to pay retail! ha ha

[Thorn]

Pros: Relieves pressure on the girlie bits
Cons: Wide cutout == wide nose, causing chafing on inner thighs and at the panty line area.

Issues: "Level" for the SMP looks significantly nose-up. Level the sit-bone area, not the saddle as a whole.

For me, the SMP Lady Strike is the best saddle I've found. It isn't perfect--chafing and a little too soft, but it is wide enough and I love the wide cutout.

[alpinerabbit]

RM, does it work for tris/aero for you as well?

[alpinerabbit]

*bump*

I just laid my hands on the composite model. I have it till Tuesday. It is ROCK HARD. The guy (!) who lent it to me confirmed he rides it for 150K.

Boy oh boy.

[uforgot]

I have one that I'm not using right now. I really do like it, but not quite as much as my Brooks. You are certainly welcome to try it out and use it for awhile if you want. I don't know where you are located. I"m going to Jeff City Saturday, through Columbia and then to Warrenton. Maybe we can meet somewhere? Or I could just send it to you to try?

[liberty]

uforgot - I just sent you a PM.

[alpinerabbit]

I realized I have semi-hijacked the TRK thread with Composite. Sorry about that.

This is a whole new different feeling.

I was out 10 mins before I realized the saddle was not on tight enough, nor did I put enough air into the tire, so headed home for a total of 20 minutes of the "strike" experience.

There's promise of rideable weather on Sunday. Keep you posted.

[liberty]

alpinerabbit - please do keep me posted.

uforgot is going to let me try out her saddle. This is all very fascinating, and I am extremely grateful for all the help TE is giving me. I will post my thoughts about it. This will be my first new saddle testing for my road bike; I've been using my friend's old dead Serfas. Probably 10K+ worth of miles between her usage and mine... Think it is time?

[alpinerabbit]

So we did a 40K ride today.

it was amazing.

There was some pressure on the sitbones and on to the ischial bone (forward of the tuberosities). Other than that, no feeling of pressure, heat or numbness on any other part, particularly the girly bits.

I felt supported and stable like in a hammock or something, no chafing from the nose (never had that problem).

Really promising.

I am really torn between taking the plunge and go all the way for the nonpadded composite or a model with the slightest padding.

[KnottedYet]

I love my unpadded Brooks.

Do you have a link to your composite saddle?

For me, less padding/no padding is much better.

[alpinerabbit]

http://www.sellesmp.com/en/composit.htm

it's just that this is rock hard, not like a brooks which I assume softens up because it is "just" leather.

[KnottedYet]

http://www.sellesmp.com/en/composit.htm

it's just that this is rock hard, not like a brooks which I assume softens up because it is "just" leather.

cool looking saddle! (umm, a bit out of my price range, though) (wonder if I could get them to send me a sample for the clinic? )

I just pounded on each of my Brooks. The old one is pretty much as hard as my new one, it just has developed dents for my sit bones. My new one has no impression from me at all yet, but it's still incredibly comfortable. By the end of summer it should have sit-dimples.

Does the composite give or conform to the rider at all?

Edit to add: mind you, my "old" Brooks is only 3 years old. MimiTabby's oldest Brooks is something like 30 years old. They might get softer at that point!