Planet-X RT57

I'm a bit wary with cheap copies as SMP only made their saddle in Italy exclusively.

I found it surprisingly more comfortable than the Brooks saddle, the way you're sitting on it, it felt like I can take road vibration more than on the sit bones which allow me to relaxed more.

Mines the composit with a leather cover on it, first time I've experienced a saddle with 100% no numbness on the soft tissues, very weird but rewarding.

I suspect you might have me beat on that front, as I've currently got a 3T Doric on both the bikes that this might go on (one real, one fake), and Steve Hogg seems to think they might be a no-go area.Although looking at the side on pic up thread it looks like it should (should!) be fine ...

It may disintegrate. I hope not. They are certainly copies, rather than SMP batch run-ons.

Did you take SMP or the Brooks for your recent tour ed?

I'm a bit wary with cheap copies as SMP only made their saddle in Italy exclusively.

I'm always a little bit sceptical about any company that claims 100% manufactured in x country. Its worth £25 to see if I get on with the shape - if there really is a difference between this and the £200 versions then it can always go on the comedy beater bike which is already covered in faux pricey parts

Definitely worth trying out, Planet X got one for £140 which isn't too bad.

Will have to try the cheap one to compare it on the original.

Lol. Absolute bargain there.

SMP, great for touring as well.

Arrived this morning. Seems really well made, legitimate (?) packaging. Pretty solid

Interesting, mine definitely didn't have any special packaging - was just wrapped in bubble wrap and special Chinese wrapping paper.

Fitting - think the main issue with a Doric might be the ovalised rails rather than anything specific to the saddle? Size wise, its almost identical to the 130 mm Romin evo its replacing, exactly the same widths, and near enough the same hight from the saddle rails (although this might not be true, depends on how much the padding sinks on the Romin). Almost like they copied the romin as the saddle to beat?

I think the seatpost issue is with the Dorico rather than the doric - in that the way the rails are angled means that to get the saddle level one of the bolts basically has to be loose.

I think the SMP design pre-dates the Romin....

I found I had to lower my saddle quite a bit (1cm maybe) compared to my Romin

Do you also find you have to push the saddle 10-15mm further forward to get to the sweet spots?

I found I had to lower my saddle quite a bit (1cm maybe) compared to my Romin

@danb I find it the opposite, since the middle is where I sit.

I've dropped it for the time being, but yeah I had to push it forward. Although I'm totally comfortable sitting right on the nose of it, which is a massive improvement over the Romin Pro it replaced

I think the seatpost issue is with the Dorico rather than the doric - in that the way the rails are angled means that to get the saddle level one of the bolts basically has to be loose.

Speaking of this, Steve Hogg mentioned this issues on here.

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You beat me!

Mine is here. I'm grabbing only moments to ride at the moment and don't want to be messing with new parts so for the moment it'll not be used.

It looks good though. Slightly narrower than I expected – a good thing, as this what I'd like to try.

Interestingly, just read the Steve Hogg article again, and he recommends keeping some rise up to the nose of the saddle, but I find it much more comfortable with the main bit horizontal.

SMP themselves said it's very personal, if you find that position perfect, not sliding forward etc. Then it's perfect.

Mine have the nose up a lots more, but felt well planted, no sliding back or forward.

Having the nose up can be useful when climbing and descending, the back of the saddle held you well as you spin to win, on the descend the front stop you from sliding forward when the whole bike is slightly forever downhill, it's lovely to finish a 20km descent without too much pressure on the hand.

Sound like you might need to put the saddle a little more forward, as you shouldn't feel the pressure of the front.

Hogg is a big fan of Thomson inline for this, bit annoyed that my custom bike with standard 73 seat tubs looks bit weird with the SMP very far forward on an inline, previously was a Brooks B17 with a 24mm layback post, that how much forward the SMP need to be.

Yeah having the same issue - pretty much slammed forward on an inline 3T Doric on my Canyon.

If you want it to be uci legal then you need to be under 3degrees overall downward slope, which puts the centre at a slight rise.

Fitted a new weight weenie seatpost and campag record cassette - which has knocked around 150g off - so its around the 6.8kg mark now.

Yeah - I think I would already be stuffed by the 'center of BB - saddle nose' minimum measurement anyway. But I don't race anyway (or at least not on the road).
(I wonder if we should start an SMP thread so that we stop cluttering up your thread?)

(I wonder if we should start an SMP thread so that we stop cluttering up your thread?)

Probably a good ideas, suddenly a dozen of us on here now got SMP saddles.

#trendsetter

Are those fake smp's available in a wider size?

How does it compare to the 143 romin in terms of width?

I've long been a romin user on all my bikes but ive also been trialing a romin evo on my track bike as I am more often on the rivet when racing and suffer numbing/pain with a normal romin. The dipped nose has helped a bit, but have been thinking an adamo or smp might be a better solution..