I have a Spesh Toupé on my road bike – fine for shorter rides but I find that the edges start to rub after 50 miles or so, so looking to change it.

On my offroad bikes, I use SDG Bel Airs and Charge Spoons but don't get on with WTB Rockets. Hopefully someone else wheel have similar preferences and can point me in the direction of a roady saddle that's comfy.

(I've tried a Fisik Aliante – awful, and used to use a San Marco Rolls which was fine, but looks a bit crap on a carbon road bike!)

Thank you!

I have bel airs on my mtb's

I cant stand san marco saddles

I get on really well with the OEM cannondale saddles on the older bikes (wing on the MTB's and wing-ti on the road bikes) , to the point where I hoard them!

I might be interested in the toupe if your selling it.

why not use a charge spoon?

I just love the Toupe actually. Done 100 mile days on it and it's just great. The new Specialized Romin SL looks great too, but I can't really justify changing.

I find Brooks saddles very comfortable but some may disagree 🙄 but that might not be the 'look' you want on a carbon bike

I also love my Toupe, but the Romin looks good and is getting excellent reviews, both from friends of mine and from the press. Maybe worth a look, more rounded than the Toupe.

Ignoring the fact that you said 'darkside' I'll give you my answer.

I use a selle italia slr c64 on my road bike and a slr kit carbonio on my cx bike – which I commute on a fair bit. Both are very comfortable for me.

You may think a full carbon saddle would be uncomfortable but it really isn't at all. Not cheap though.

Sella italia slr xc gel on both my road bike and mountain bike, brill saddle just don't notice it which says a lot.

i have bel airs on my mtbs too, why not use them on the road too? I do.

matthewlhome – Member
i have bel airs on my mtbs too, why not use them on the road too? I do.

Well, I sit in a completely different position on a road bike than on a MTB, so it's very unlikely that an identical saddle would be best for both. Of course, if you don't mind compromising…..

I quite liked the Toupe, but recently changed it to a Phenom and find it much more comfy.

I must admit I swap one of my saddles from my on-one to my road bike when I go out on it, the seating position will be different, but I still find it the most comfortable option, it's nothing special, just a bodyfit ti railed job.

Have a Charge spoon on my FS that I couldn't get on with on my road bike though so I guess it's just a case of suck it and see (not literally, that's be pretty manky!)

matthewlhome – Member

i have bel airs on my mtbs too, why not use them on the road too? I do.
I used to manage almost any saddle but now have SDG Bel Air on all my bikes now MTB, CX & Road 🙂

On my CX bike Very very comfy 🙂

On my mtb I have a SDG Bel Air which it nice.

ommm nom nom — perfect clash of old and new …. carbon + brooks 😉 super comfy

I have one of these and I like it a lot. I had a ti railed Aspide before it but this came along at the right price and was a few grams lighter.

I have a charge spoon on my mtb and a charge knife on my roadbike. Both are really nice and comfy. I don't even notice the knife which has got to be a good thing.

I beam SDG I Fly solid enough to put the power down squidy enough to be comfy on long rides

I have a Toupe and really like it. However my son was suffering from exactly what you describe and went for the saddle that Kuco posted up(below) Its a slightly narrow cut and he thinks its great

matthewlhome – Member
i have bel airs on my mtbs too, why not use them on the road too? I do.
Well, I sit in a completely different position on a road bike than on a MTB, so it's very unlikely that an identical saddle would be best for both. Of course, if you don't mind compromising….

I agree about the different positions, but after no end of different saddles, the bel air works for me on my singlespeed, 'normal' mtb and road bike. my old cross bike did have a flite on it, but it was white and matched the bike, and only had to be sort of sat on for up to an hour in cross races!

I'm with kuko – Flite ti on 1 mtb slrxp on other & flite carbonio on road

Oh I prefere the flites!! Is toupe right width??

I started with a Brooks on my tourer. Now I just put them on all my bikes, don't care what it looks like. If I owned a time trial road bike and it didn't have a nice comfy weighty Brooks on it I'd regard it as an incomplete bike.

i find my slr really uncomfortable, fizik saddles seem to do me proud tho

Brooks B17. They do weigh a fair bit but once they've done a few miles they're amazingly comfortable.

Thanks for all the pointers chaps, the Toupé is 143mm which is the right width for my sitbones, I just find the sharp edges on the cutaway sides start to rub, and it wears the stitching on my shorts very quickly.

I tried the Toupé on my RoadRat and it was horrifically uncomfortable, but fine on the road bike, so the different posture makes a huge difference to saddle choice.

Off to Ribble Cycles now to see if I can try any of the ones mentioned.

Cheers!