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The San Marco Ponza revisited

10.30.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

When I check my Bike Noob stats, one post keeps popping up among the most viewed of a given day — sometimes THE most viewed, even though it originally appeared way back in May. It’s the review I did of my saddle: the Selle San Marco Ponza. I’m pleased that folks looking for saddle info are finding this post and checking it out. But at the rate of eight to 10 times a day? Every day? Why?

You riders out there must really be sore in the nether regions. I can’t think of any other reason to keep searching out this review. So, to add to your information overload, I thought it would be appropriate to update the review, and see how I feel about the saddle now that I’ve had it for six months.

The San Marco Ponza is an inexpensive saddle found as standard equipment on some mid-range bikes, easily available by mail order or over the counter at bike shops. Compared to many standard equipment saddles, it’s a lot narrower, and looks like a racing saddle.

Ponza

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the saddle is less of a factor than bike fit. A couple of weeks ago, while out riding, I noticed my knee was a bit forward. Later at home, I did the plumb bob test. The bob (in my case, a washer hung from a piece of twine) is supposed to land right over the pedal axle. Mine was too far forward. I moved the seat back a little bit.

The next day, on our club ride, the saddle bothered me more than it had recently. Apparently, my bum had gotten used to the forward riding position. But it’s where all the bike fit experts say it should be now. I figured it would just take some getting used to.

But when I went out again two days later, I didn’t even notice the saddle under my bum. I concentrated on cadence on that ride, and never once experienced any discomfort.  The same thing happened Friday, and Saturday, and on a 40-mile ride last Sunday morning.

As I said in my earlier review of the saddle, I like its narrow profile. It’s just wide enough that my sit bones perch atop the saddle wings, but narrow enough that there is no chafing whatever. A slight upsweep at the back cradles my butt in the seat. I can easily shift positions forward and back, depending upon whether I’m climbing, descending, or pushing hard on the flats. The stitched San Marco logo, which is slightly raised above the surface of the seat, hasn’t caused any chafing of my butt, but lately I’ve noticed that several of my shorts are developing a rough spot where they contact the embroidery. We’ll see if that gets any worse with time.

And the beauty of it all — it’s relatively inexpensive for a nice saddle. You can find the new Ponza Lux model (a little more padding) for about $25.

So, should you rush out and buy a Ponza? I’m not making any recommendations. Saddle fit is too personal an issue. Many shops offer a tryout period for saddles — see what the policy is as your shop, and give it a test ride. Just be sure to do a quick fitting first.

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Categories // Accessories, Equipment Tags // saddle

The Bontrager Inform saddle (review)

07.09.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

The new Bontrager Inform saddle has been getting a lot of attention in the cycling press lately.  Guest poster Jeff Hemmel has been riding one  for awhile now, and provides this look.

HemmelsRideI’m somewhat obsessive about fit and comfort, so it was no surprise that I was ready to ditch the stock Bontrager saddle that came with my Trek 2.1. I briefly tried the comfy Terry Liberator from my hybrid, but quickly found it too big and cushy for my road bike. One of the Specialized Body Geometry models followed, before I settled on the Bontrager inForm RL that has topped my seat post for the last four months, or about 2000 miles.

There’s a lot of research behind the design of the inForm saddle, far too much to go into here. I’d encourage anyone interested to check out the data at bontrager.com/features/saddles. The basic conclusion, however, is that most riders don’t actually sit on their so-called “sit bones,” but instead their pubic arch. The more evenly you support that pubic arch, the less chance of compressing the pudendal nerve and artery, and the greater chance you prevent numbness and pain.

Inform1 Some saddles try to address the latter problem with cutouts, but according to Bontrager, that simply focuses pressure on specific areas, and may actually increase symptoms, rather than alleviate them. Bontrager uses two different densities of foam in the inForm saddle to increase comfort, a stiffer foam in areas that support the skeletal structure, and a softer foam in areas that come into contact with soft tissues. With this method, and each size of saddle’s unique curvature, the company claims to support the skeletal structure properly, distributing the pressure evenly over soft tissue areas, rather than concentrating it in specific spots.

Getting sized for the proper saddle requires a visit to a bike shop that carries the inForm line. As Bontrager reps explain, getting fit is essential, as saddles are sized according to pelvic structure, not the size of your derriere. Evidently, some big arse guys have small pelvises…and vice versa.

At the shop, I sat down on the “saddle sizer,” a simple bench with a gel-filled top pad that records pressure-point impressions. Once I sat for a few seconds I hopped off and the salesman adjusted a built-in slider on the pad until corresponding colors lined up under the two impressions left by my buttisimo. I measured out to be a medium in the inForm line (saddles come in 128, 143, and 150mm widths), which is a notch up from what I measured in the Specialized line. I have heard this comment from others, however, so it may be a common trait. I’m only about 5’ 8”, 155 pounds, but evidently I’ve got a medium-sized pelvis…at least in Bontrager’s opinion.

Once my color (size) was known, I just went to the wall and picked out a saddle with the matching color label. I put the saddle on my bike, adjusted several times to get everything level, and hit the road.

Inform2Saddles are one of those personal preference things, but I quickly discovered I liked the more rounded curves of the inForm. Previously I had been trying a Specialized Avatar Gel, which I found too flat for my taste. The Specialized’s cutout seemed to keep away any numbness, but I developed some weird back pain. That went away with the inForm RL. There is a short break-in period, but after that, I found the saddle relatively comfortable.

No, it wasn’t the Holy Grail; I still long for that perfect saddle that will “disappear” beneath me on long rides like some riders promise. But overall, the shape seemed to work for me. The top cover was also slippery enough to allow me to slide back when I wanted, or scoot forward, without undue effort.

One quirk? The saddle’s plastic base has two pronounced ridges under the nose. I found my cycling shorts occasionally brushed against them as I rode, never enough to snag the fabric or cause a tear, but enough to be noticeable. With time I’ve gotten used to it, and haven’t found it to be a problem.

End of story? Not quite. While I can’t say I ever loved the inForm, I liked it enough to stick with it. About two months ago, however, I suddenly began to develop the very numbness that Bontrager claimed to prevent. For a guy who never really had any problem with numbness in the past, it was a little disconcerting to reach down there to make an adjustment and, well, touch something before the body part in question noticed it was being touched.

The sudden change makes no sense to me. My body position hasn’t changed. Most of my rides the past few months, however, have been quite windy. Perhaps my position changes fighting the wind, and I’m placing pressure on different areas of the saddle. I asked Bontrager reps about the problem, and they seem as puzzled as I am. I guess I’ll continue to experiment slightly with positioning to see if I can solve the problem. I recently had a bike fitting, and the fitter changed the position of my saddle. But while I didn’t notice any numbness during the fitting, it returned again once I hit the road. I’m living with the problem currently – I periodically get up out of the seat to restore some blood flow — but I don’t like it.

That makes it hard to draw a definitive conclusion. My initial reaction was quite favorable. I liked the saddle’s support, it didn’t cause numbness, end of story. Recent problems, however, have me questioning how long the saddle will last. Still, I’d suggest trying one out. Bontrager offers a generous 90-day unconditional comfort guarantee, so you can try it for several months and return it if you don’t like the ride.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find some of that chamois cream with the cooling sensation. I’m hoping a little party in my pants will keep my privates awake until I can figure out what went wrong.

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Categories // Equipment, guest post Tags // saddle

The Selle San Marco Ponza

05.28.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 8 Comments

After my MS ride last month, I was sore. I wondered whether my bottom problems we the result of my saddle. I ride the Specialized Alias saddle — 143 mm size — and I’ve read and heard a lot of nice things about it. Last year, I even wrote about the comfort of the saddle. But since then, I’ve become less enamored of it.

My friend David invited me to try one of his spare saddles, just to see if it would make any difference, so I went by his house to pick it up. It’s a Selle San Marco Ponza, and comes as factory equipment on several mid-range bikes. Reviews I’ve seen online are all over the map; some reviewers love it, some hate it. I’ll bet that’s true of the majority of saddles, which tend to be the most personal pieces of equipment on a bike.

I was anxious to try anything new, so I put it on the bike and have ridden it a number of times.

Ponza2

The Ponza.

It’s not apparent in the picture, but the first thing you notice about the Ponza is its width. It’s a racing-style saddle, and quite a bit narrower than the Alias. I’d been leery of trying a narrow saddle, so I began this test with some trepidation.

SpecializedAlias

The Alias.

The other obvious difference is the lack of a cutout on the Ponza. That bothered me, too. I couldn’t imagine being comfortable, especially after more than about 20 miles, on a saddle that offered no relief to the softy bits.

But the experience was a revelation. The narrow saddle felt much better under me. It’s much easier to slide into and out of when you’re up out of the saddle during a hill climb. My important stuff didn’t get squashed the way I feared. On our 34-mile jaunt last Sunday, I completely forgot about the saddle — which I guess is a pretty good endorsement.

The saddle isn’t perfect. For one thing, it has an almost complete lack of padding compared to the Alias. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since the saddle is supposed to handle only part of the job of supporting a rider. The pedals and handlebars have to absorb their share of the load, too. And once I got used to coasting with the pedals in a horizontal position, and standing to pedal on even slight hills, any discomfort went away.

Still, I think my search for the perfect saddle is by no means at an end. I’d like to try something like the Ponza with a cutout, or at least a depression down the middle. I’ve got one in mind, and I’ll be mounting that on the bike in the next week. Look for another saddle progress report in the near future.

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Categories // Equipment, soreness, Uncategorized Tags // saddle

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