Tune Speedneedle Marathon Comfortability

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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nrsnow
Posts: 263
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:30 am

by nrsnow

How comfortable is the Tune Speedneedle Marathon saddle? I have a Specialized Phentom and I like it.

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

I don't know about the marathon version, but I like the standard one. I'm currently riding a Smud saddle (same shape as the Speedneedle), and it's as comfy as my Phenom 130.

DanW
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by DanW

Can't comment against your current saddle but the standard Speedneedle is very comfortable for me. The Marathon is the same but wider as far as I know. I specifically wanted a narrower saddle to give a bit more clearance for the inner thigh and find it as comfortable or more than wider saddles. Lately there is a trend that wider is better but this isn't always the case. Without trial and error it is hard to judge for yourself and not easy to take measurements to determine your optimal saddle width (despite what Spesh might claim with their fitting).

What I really love about the Speedneedle is:
- Fore-aft shape. Key criteria for comfort IMO. Nicely curved a bit like a WTB Rocket was (great saddle but "heavy")- I do not get on with very flat saddles.
- Width. Perfect distribution of weight over the sit bones for me but narrow enough to not rub my inner thighs. My previous Selle Italia SLR was heavily worn around the edges towards the rear of the saddle where the shorts would rub a lot. Not a great recipe for comfort.
- Nose design. This is one of the things I was most surprised about and hadn't really considered. I think partly the relatively short nose, partly the reasonably narrow nose and partly the shape make it very comfortable to shift the weight around on when climbing different gradients.
- Reputation for durability for MTB. I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion there wasn't much out there which was lighter but practical for MTB. Perhaps SMUD. Perhaps something from Berk... but that is all really. Fairwheel Bikes were great to talk to and suggested lighter saddles may claim to be fit for MTB but ultimately fail around the rails quite soon (of course this is a generalisation but gives a good indication of durability for most people who actually want to ride and race their MTB hard).
- Weight. Not super light by today's standards but the best combination of comfort/ durability/ price/ shape/ etc for my needs.

Basically, not just a WW saddle, but plenty comfortable and practical. Worth a try and worth considering the standard width (non-Marathon) Speedneedle

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

DanW wrote:What I really love about the Speedneedle is:
- Fore-aft shape. Key criteria for comfort IMO. Nicely curved a bit like a WTB Rocket was (great saddle but "heavy")- I do not get on with very flat saddles.


This also does it for me. It's around the same shape as the Phenom when seen from the side. It's just a more pronounced banana-shape, which I like.

nrsnow
Posts: 263
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:30 am

by nrsnow

the_marsbar wrote:I don't know about the marathon version, but I like the standard one. I'm currently riding a Smud saddle (same shape as the Speedneedle), and it's as comfy as my Phenom 130.


I bought a Asian Carbon saddle on Ebay. I want to try out how a full carbon saddle feels

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

For me it's more about the shape than the materials. It's not necessarily a good thing with a lot of padding, if you want to avoid pressure sores.

by Weenie


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