Planet-X RT57

What wheels are they Dan?

@Pifko they are Farsports carbon 50mm tubs - just under 1200g but regular width rather than fancy new wide ones.

@danb Good luck for it, I plan on coming down for that one. Not sure I'll be climbing with any speed after a lazy summer in the flat midlands though.

a SMP replica

What/where etc?

I fancy an ugly perch, but not the premium.

Aliexpresss

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Black-Full-Carbon-Fiber-Road-Bicycle-Parts-Saddle-For-Men-Bike-Seat-Cushion/1914089366.html

Ta.

PS Love the "made in Italy" label...

Saddle turned up this morning. Will fit it this evening.

First impressions look good, nicely finished. It does look very narrow though - narrower than the 130mm romin at a guess. Will compare later.

Here we go

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Excuse my ignorance, but is there any particular problem that the dropped nose is supposed to correct?

http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/09/all-about-smps/ explains the thinking behind them.

Noice!

Give me a shout if you don't get on with it.

Little update - a couple of commutes on the saddle and I think it worth keeping.
It does need very careful adjustment of angle and fore/aft as you sit "in" the saddle much more than others - so it tends to hold you in one place.

The stiffness/lack of padding also makes you very aware of how you are sitting on it but isn't uncomfortable if you follow?

One slight issue however is that after sitting on it for a while, going to stand up I found that part of my chamois had wedged in the cutout slightly - not enough to cause a problem - but enough to notice a bit of resistance when standing up. The edges are all well finished - so its not catching on anything as far as I can tell. I might try some wax/polish on the inside of the cutout to see if that helps :p

All sounds quite promising.

How does the width of the saddle around (and just forward of) the clamp compare (to a Romin or similar)? I find it's quite hard to make judgments on saddle shapes via photos – especially when they have cutouts.

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Will take a look and compare to my Romin this evening

Here we go @miro_o

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Is that a 143mm Romin @danb
Want rid?...

Yup, will probably be moving it on at the end of the week as i want to give the faux SMP a bit more of a test

Grand.

A little narrower than the Romin, a fair bit narrower in the middle than an arione.

Thanks loads, really helpful.

Hmm these sound interesting, would quite like to try one for myself - want to share an order miro?

You might be better off ordering separately as the postage is free and its more likely to be missed by customs - although declared value was $10

My order has been placed @branwen. Free postage as dan says.

Likewise - race to see which arrives first. :)

stevehoggbikefitting.com/bike­fit/2011/09/all-about-smps/ explains the thinking behind them.

Steve Hog mentions here that sit bone spacing isn't everything, some people rotate forward needing a narrower saddle (plus a cutout for your junk). I've always suspected this, it's nice to see it written by someone who knows what they're talking about.

Race to see you can set it up first! It seems quite involved.