Bike seats - Part Deux

Apologies, it's been a while since my last post. Not sure how bloggers maintain their dedication. It's been a long Winter in New York with some chilly riding conditions although the best part of braving NY Winter temparatures is that there are hardly any other cyclists on the roads and far less on the BPOD. All of that has changed now that Spring is upon us with the usual stream of stupid, reckless, dangerous riding by the usual assortment of Rapha/Capo/pro-team logo'd bunch of wankers riding like idiots and coalescing public opinion against cyclists in the greater New York area. Ah, Springtime and after a long absence - back to bike seat analysis.

To recap, my current seat is Fizik Aliante, which is grist for the mill of another post; but not now. Prior to the Fizik, I had tried for extended periods (read, years) a Brooks Ti Swift which was love-hate relationship (unrequited love?) ending in a divorce that was a relief to both of us. In between, I used an SMP Stratos made in Italy. This seat was recommended to me by a buddy in Australia who does lots of crits but has also ridden brevets up to 600ks. The only rationale conclusion is that he must also have one of the hardest arses know to mankind and no nerves in his scranus.

The shtick with the SMP is that it has a channel all the way from the nose to the tail which is only joined at the tip of the nose and held by a bridge under the seat at the rear which supports the rails. It has a droopy nose which is meant to avoid a problem that some riders suffer with their (in the case of men) erectile function but ironically, mimics the issue that the shape of the seat is designed to prevent.

Anyway, with an open-mind and wallet, I invested in the Stratos after dutifully following the on-line instructions and measuring the distance between my 'sit bones' with some difficulty and then having the results fact-checked by the long suffering chairperson of the domestic budget committee (my wife). The seat looked promising and I'm sure presents a compelling argument if you have suffered from drooping pecker issues given there is nothing to squash the squashy bits.

There is however, one small downside. The bits on either side of the 'channel' are HARD. The intent is to ensure sexual function but at what cost? Amputation of the legs? Depends on the order of one's priorities I suppose. I am not a fan. I gave this a go for 2000+ kms - daily commuting and longer rides up to 5 hour. Not happening for me.

Summary - too hard, not along distance saddle, the droopy nose is a cry for help.