Anyone tried one of these shorty nosed saddles ?

Flaccus

Currently have a Fabric Scoop and while it's ok, I do find the nose can hurt the gooch sometimes (usually after sitting back down when butt is off the saddle for bit) despite me bringing the saddle forward and also playing with the angle.

I have seen that short nose saddles with an area cut out for the delicate bits are getting common.

Thinking about giving the Prologo Dimension a go. Either the wide space 153 or perhaps the thinner 143 as I don't seem to have any issues with my sit bones on current saddle which is 143.
https://www.prologotouch.com/prologoTouch/products/dimension-space-t4-0-153/

Anyone tried these kind of saddles ? Also wondering are these saddles more suited to just one position. I like to move around a bit. I just ride for fitness on decent to crap roads (have a gravel bike), mainly on hoods and @ 100KG+, this type of saddle might not even be suitable. Any thoughts ?

Thanks

Miklos

I have a Pro Stealth, which is similar to the Prologo I think, stubby nose and pressure relief channels. It took me a little while to get used to but I really like it now, I've used it for long days in the mountains as well as racing and found it good for both. I think it's particularly suited to racing as it allows you to get into a fairly aggressive position.

Flaccus

Miklos wrote: »

I have a Pro Stealth, which is similar to the Prologo I think, stubby nose and pressure relief channels. It took me a little while to get used to but I really like it now, I've used it for long days in the mountains as well as racing and found it good for both. I think it's particularly suited to racing as it allows you to get into a fairly aggressive position.

Thanks. Yes, I saw the pro stealth too and read on a couple of reviews that you can sit on the nose as its pretty wide compared to the prologo. Given my issues I would say a narrow nose would be preferable on the prologo. Guess i will have to try it and see.

No interest in carbon version, so thinking the basic T4.0 or perhaps the slightly lighter tirox which is just a slightly lighter alloy it seems.

Grassey

I've been using an adamo attack on my roadbike, physik tritone on my commuter, the missus has adamo prologue on her roadbike, adamo TT on her TTbike.

Neither of us could go back to a long nose saddle again. Been using these for years for up to 200k spins. I move about a bit and find there are more options with these.

Flaccus

Grassey wrote: »

I've been using an adamo attack on my roadbike, physik tritone on my commuter, the missus has adamo prologue on her roadbike, adamo TT on her TTbike.

Neither of us could go back to a long nose saddle again. Been using these for years for up to 200k spins. I move about a bit and find there are more options with these.

The adamo is definitely an option for me. Any issues with the the nose flexing over time, specifically one prong being higher than the other ?

Grassey

not that I've noticed across the 3 we have

manwithaplan

Flaccus wrote: »

Thinking about giving the Prologo Dimension a go. Either the wide space 153 or perhaps the thinner 143 as I don't seem to have any issues with my sit bones on current saddle which is 143.

Don't have any experience of those saddles but I wouldn't vary your saddle size. If 143 suits you, it should be your size regardless of saddle. My issue was always that I need a flat saddle rather than those curved jobs. The latter always gave me problems with pressure in certain areas.

Flaccus

manwithaplan wrote: »

Don't have any experience of those saddles but I wouldn't vary your saddle size. If 143 suits you, it should be your size regardless of saddle. My issue was always that I need a flat saddle rather than those curved jobs. The latter always gave me problems with pressure in certain areas.

Yeah, that sounds like good advice. Probably try the Prologo Dimension 142.

nak

Have been using a Specialized Power saddle for a few years on road, CX and MTB wouldn't go back to a traditional saddle after trying about 10 others. My husband has them on his bikes too.

Flaccus

It's probably worth a shot so giving one of these shorty nose cutout saddles a chance. The nose is a definite problem for me so at the very least a new saddle will resolve that problem.

Cee-Jay-Cee

For years I was using Prologo Kappa PAS’s on both my road bikes. I initially found them very comfortable but after a few years I found myself getting numb on longer rides. I don’t know if that’s because the padding in the saddle softened or started to degrade or whatever or if my physique changed but whatever the reason, the Kappa fell out of favour with me and I started looking for alternatives.

I started researching and reading various reviews on several different saddles and came across the Dimension. I always liked Prologo products and have had numerous of them over the years (Kappa, Zero, Nago and Scratch) so I was lucky when a cheeky €30 ebay bid got me a Prologo Dimension 143 (Tirox rails) last Christmas. I fitted it to my winter trainer and loved it from the start. It doesn’t have as much padding as the Kappa but is still very comfortable and more importantly no more numbness regardless of how long I’m on the bike. I do find that I have to get out of the saddle every now and then just to give my sit bones a break but literally for only 5 seconds and when I sit back down again I’m instantly comfortable again.

I bought a second one (also Tirox tails) (paid €50 for it from seller on WW) for my good bike.

I fitted it with nose 30mm further away from the bars than the Kappa as they’re 30mm shorter than a standard saddle and haven’t had to make any further adjustments to it since.

Like any saddle, what one person finds comfortable, another may find agonising to sit on but the shorter nose saddle most definitely works for me!!

doozerie

Flaccus wrote: »

The adamo is definitely an option for me. Any issues with the the nose flexing over time, specifically one prong being higher than the other ?

I had exactly this problem with my Adamo Attack. I fitted it to my winter/training bike in 2014, and I liked it from the start as it seemed to eliminate the numbness that was causing me problems with the previous saddle.

However, the Adamo started to cause me intermittent issues after a couple of years of use, and eventually more persistent problems, particularly during turbo sessions on that bike (spending anything more than an hour on a turbo seems to consistently highlight any saddle issues for me). I spotted the asymmetry in the prongs after the discomfort problems became persistent, I've no idea whether the prong misalignment was a source of the problems as I don't know when the saddle actually "bent". I could bend the prongs back to level again but they wouldn't stay that way for long.

I have a lower back issue that probably wouldn't have been helped by one of the prongs being higher than the other, and that finally clinched it for me, I replaced the Adamo with a conventional(-ish) saddle. I fitted a Selle Italia Superflow 5 months ago and so far that has been working well. I chose the Superflow on the basis that the Selle Italia Flite Kit Carbonio on my race bike has mostly worked well with the occasional race where it didn't - I basically stuck with a reasonably successful (for me) brand, but a cutout version to see if that would be the magical fix for all of my ills.

Incidentally, from what I've read before I believe that saddle cutouts are mainly there to allow the saddle to flex more and in a more specific manner too. Prior to that I assumed the cutout was entirely to eliminate saddle material which might cause pressure in specific areas, but that seems to be a secondary aspect (if what I read is correct, that is).

I'm still searching for the "right" saddle for me, one that is consistently reliable, I've yet to find that. The pattern for me tends to be that I find a saddle that works well but after some months of use it starts to cause me issues, sometimes persistently, sometimes only occasionally. I've yet to figure out why, or whether the issue is me or the saddles. For now the Carbonio above is the one that has stood the test of time best so far, I haven't accumulated enough time on the Superflow yet to know for sure how that compares (but promising so far).

You may know this already but different saddles have different fitting requirements. For example, the Adamo saddles have a reputation for needing to be tilted down at the front, Specialized Romin (another that worked for me for a while) should be levelled along the middle third, etc. It's often not information that's easy to find, unfortunately, but an experienced bike fitter is likely to have some knowledge.

Another brand that would be worth considering is Cobb. My wife has used two different Cobb saddles over the years, she does audax (= long distance, including multi-day) rides and she has found Cobb saddles to be the best of the brands/styles she has tried so far.

doozerie

Oh, and if you look at the marketing material of various of the saddle manufacturers, you'll find that at least some of them relate saddle shape to how much you move around in the saddle. If I remember correctly, they suggest flat saddles for people that move around a lot, round or semi-round for those that spend most time in the one position.

Fizik are one of the manufacturers that try to focus more on how flexible you are and they target specific saddles at different levels of flexibility. That didn't work for me, I just couldn't get comfortable on the two different models of Fizik saddles I tried.

In my many years of temporarily swearing by, but mostly eventually swearing *at*, a whole variety of saddles of different brands, I've settled on a saddle width that suits me best (143mm), and a saddle shape that seems to work best for me (flat). The only other trait that I've come to a conclusion on is that particularly long saddles don't work for me simply because they are more prone to snagging my shorts or tights when transitioning back into the saddle (though that might be a consequence of having had my saddle too high in the past).

Cee-Jay-Cee

doozerie wrote: »

In my many years of temporarily swearing by, but mostly eventually swearing *at*, a whole variety of saddles of different brands, I've settled on a saddle width that suits me best (143mm), and a saddle shape that seems to work best for me (flat). The only other trait that I've come to a conclusion on is that particularly long saddles don't work for me simply because they are more prone to snagging my shorts or tights when transitioning back into the saddle (though that might be a consequence of having had my saddle too high in the past).

I think the whole flat or curved thing also depends on the bike. I have a very flat Cube saddle on my 29er and have done 3hr rides on it without a single issue or soreness/numbness however I was in agony on a flat Prologo Zero saddle after about an hour on a road bike with semi-racy geometry.

I had the Prologo Kappa (which has a round/curved profile) on a Felt F5 and rode it for 4 years but like I said earlier I started getting numb on longer rides. I sold the Felt and bought an S-Works Roubaix earlier this year and initially fitted the Kappa but couldn’t get on with it at all. I then fitted the Dimension which has a flatter profile than the Kappa and found it perfect so I’m guessing how you sit on the bike also dictates the type of saddle needed.

doozerie

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I think the whole flat or curved thing also depends on the bike. I have a very flat Cube saddle on my 29er and have done 3hr rides on it without a single issue or soreness/numbness however I was in agony on a flat Prologo Zero saddle after about an hour on a road bike with semi-racy geometry.

I had the Prologo Kappa (which has a round/curved profile) on a Felt F5 and rode it for 4 years but like I said earlier I started getting numb on longer rides. I sold the Felt and bought an S-Works Roubaix earlier this year and initially fitted the Kappa but couldn’t get on with it at all. I then fitted the Dimension which has a flatter profile than the Kappa and found it perfect so I’m guessing how you sit on the bike also dictates the type of saddle needed.

One thing that will certainly play a part is your fit on the bike. For example, the more you rotate your pelvis forward the narrower your sit bones become, so in theory at least if you use, say, a 143mm saddle on a bike where you sit up more you may find a 130mm saddle equally comfortable on a more aggressive bike with a much bigger saddle to handlebar drop.

Pure speculation on my part but I wonder too whether a change in hip angle between bikes might mean that a person moves around more, or maybe less, than they would on a different bike with a lesser or greater saddle to handlebar drop. If that were the case then a flat saddle on one bike might be fine, but on another bike you might find yourself moving around less and a flat saddle might be less suitable.

And there are other factors too of course. A saddle with a carbon shell might flex more than one with a plastic shell, so might be more forgiving when riding off-road or over rough roads. Likewise, titanium rails versus carbon rails might make enough difference that one would feel harsh over rough terrain while the other feels fine.

I think the multitude of variables is what makes saddle choice such a challenge. I suspect that even if anyone were to find the magical saddle that is absolutely perfect for them in every way, the same saddle might not work on all of their bikes.

Finding the "right" saddle really is literally, and figuratively, a pain in the arse.

Flaccus

Alot of great advice and plenty to think about. The strange thing is sometimes I am comfortable and sometimes not. I am 105KG and not very flexible, I ride a gravel bike with a fabric scoop elite radius saddle which seems to be ok. It is the equivalent of the Fizik Aliante in shape and while Fabric’s marketing says its geared at the upright rider where bars are at same level as seat my LBS disagrees. I have also ridden the Shallow version (think Fizik Antares) and butt is equally comfortabke. So I do not think shape is the immediate issue but rather technique.

I have my saddle back a little bit, the back marker has about 1/3 inch to spare, just enough to get a saddle bag strap around flat part of rails. This position stretches me slightly out, my weight on the back of the saddle, otherwise I end up putting too much weight on the bars. This feels comfortable. What I discovered what is not comfortable is when I first mount the saddle or if I get up off the saddle, when I sit back down I am not back far enough and instant ball squash. That is why I was wondering would a saddle with a cut out help (prologo dimension) or even a full channel depression (fabric line). Regarding short nose, while that I understand is designed to let you sit more forward in an aero position, I think it might also help stabilise my position. My LBS disagrees and says it will cut the arse off me (Prologo).