Romin Expert vs Romin Evo

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

jeffy
Posts: 1325
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:51 pm

by jeffy

I am currently on a Romin Expert and I am a big fan of the shape.

Looking at maybe getting an Evo for my new bike next year.

Has anyone had experience with both?
I realise the nose is a little narrower on the Evo, and the Evo has some Gel padding and is ~40g heavier ....

but what other differences are there?

Specialized's marketing blurb mentions "able to get into an aero position" for the Evo but not the expert. Some googling found one person mentioning that the shape is a little bit different, and they said one of them was more comfortable because of differences to the plastic insert (whatever that is), but it wasn't obvious which of the two models they were saying was more comfortable.

Has anyone got / used both?

Nismo4x4
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:43 am
Location: San Diego

by Nismo4x4

I went from a Romin Expert 143 to a Romin Evo Pro 143 and regretted it every time I rode it. I believe that there was some discrepancy between sizing in the Evo versus non-Evo and some recommended going up a size if doing so.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



User avatar
dlcrep
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:05 pm

by dlcrep

I have the Romin Evo Pro in a 155. I measured between a 143 and 155 so I went with the larger size for more comfort. The Evo does have a narrower nose and slightly more aggressive shape. I liked it enough to buy another as a backup.

Image
Last edited by dlcrep on Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
fa63
Posts: 2533
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

Nismo4x4 wrote:I went from a Romin Expert 143 to a Romin Evo Pro 143 and regretted it every time I rode it. I believe that there was some discrepancy between sizing in the Evo versus non-Evo and some recommended going up a size if doing so.

Same here. Like the Romin 143 a lot, pretty much hated the Evo 143. That said, I do wish the nose of the Romin was just a little narrower.

User avatar
fa63
Posts: 2533
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

Nismo4x4 wrote:I went from a Romin Expert 143 to a Romin Evo Pro 143 and regretted it every time I rode it. I believe that there was some discrepancy between sizing in the Evo versus non-Evo and some recommended going up a size if doing so.

Same here. Like the Romin 143 a lot, pretty much hated the Evo 143. That said, I do wish the nose of the Romin was just a little narrower.

jeffy
Posts: 1325
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:51 pm

by jeffy

well this is interesting.

seems like loving the expert does not necessarily equate to loving the Evo!

Dirty32
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:49 am
Location: Perth, Straya!

by Dirty32

Iv had both the Romin Evo and the Romin Evo Pro, both in 155mm width.
I prefer the Romin, but I do wish it had the slimmer nose from the Romin Evo.

The Romin tends to have a little bit more real estate for the backside, is a little less swoopy front to back, the edges stay flatter for longer and do not fall away as sharply. The Romin Evo has more of a hammock in the middle, has the narrower / tapered nose and seems to have a bit more cushion in the padding, but as I say, I still prefer the normal Romin.
Last edited by Dirty32 on Fri Dec 12, 2014 2:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
harmonix1234
Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2014 8:13 am
Location: Hobart, Tasmania
Contact:

by harmonix1234

Love the expert. Got it on all of my bikes. Hated the EVO from my first pedal stroke. Tried to get along with it for several miles and went straight back to romin expert.

BdaGhisallo
Posts: 3261
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 1:38 pm

by BdaGhisallo

I think the perfect saddle would be the back half of the Romin mated with the front half of the Romin EVO. I tried an EVO to see how the narrower nose felt and it felt great. But the back of the 155mm EVO felt too narrow compared to the 155mm Romin I have been using. I didn't feel like sizing up so I went back to the Romin.

Dirty32
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:49 am
Location: Perth, Straya!

by Dirty32

I would agree with that comment... The front end of the Evo felt better (to me), but I much prefer the back end of the Romin. If they mated the 2 together, it'd be a fantastic saddle!

bobonker
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:49 am

by bobonker

The EVO is much more round across the top at the rear of the saddle. So, it effectively narrows the sitting area and makes it feel narrower than an Expert of the same width. For this reason, when I bought my EVO, the shop selling it old me that people riding a 143 Expert often had to ride a 155 EVO to get the rear to feel similar.

I tried a 143 and 155 EVO and neither felt as good to me as the Expert. Bummer because I was excited about the release of the EVO. Ok though because the Expert is lighter. :)

Bob

TomHelly
Posts: 72
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:31 pm
Location: UK

by TomHelly

I've had 3 years on a Romin and 1 on an Evo.

Overall I prefer the original Romin because I feel like it has more support for the sitbones, the sides don't slope away as soon (as others have mentioned).

Depending on where you fit on the ass-o-meter, I'd at least test out the larger width Evo vs. the Romin you are recommended to ride.

The Romin Pro (Carbon rails) seems to offer the nicest ride feel in my experience. The old 'Team Issue' (Ti rails) was very firm, the Comp Gel seemed to have both more shell flex and obviously padding.

bluebee
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2015 4:22 am

by bluebee

in my case, Romin Expert is better

airwise
Posts: 1018
Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2010 8:31 pm

by airwise

Prefer the original Romin shape but would not go so far as to say I hate the Evo. It's OK - just not as comfortable as the Romin itself IME. Still way better than anything else I've tried my butt on.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



aerodynamiq
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2015 9:32 am

by aerodynamiq

I prefer the Romin Evo, it feels like I'm better supported when I'm rotating the pelvis in the drops.
velonode.cc

Post Reply