Specialised Power Arc Saddle vs Power Saddle

[sychen]

Like cassard and Imaking.. I also have issues with the power saddle once I got the mileage up. That glute / hammy intersection gets irritated and flares up after rides.

Moving to a Berk Lupina and also Selle Italia Sp01.. Both feature flexible wings and prevents that irritation.

Haven't tried the Power Arc... At this point probably wont.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[MaxPower]

Power user, switched to power arc. Can't remember when i changed, but overba year ago.

Loved the power, but got the irritation also from the hard edges. Power arc fixed that, but i am getting numb faster if i don't stand up regularly.

Both were/are 143mm.

But both are not for everyone. I like having mych weight on the sit bones og relatively little pressure on the perineum. I'm fitted pretty aggressively (because i am 1.96 meters and even the biggest standart frames result in a aggressive fit without positive raise stems... Which i don't like the feel of)

[LanceLegstrong]

The Arc is better suited for people with advanced hip flexibility/rotation whereas the original Power is suited to average flexibility. That would explain why the fore of the Arc is slightly wider the the original, and why the aft is narrower, flatter. So yes, the Arc won’t be for everyone because it’s not designed for those who occupy the middle of the bell curve.

If you are in the market for an Arc, you shouldn’t be “sizing up” from the original Power. If you are, that means it’s not really the right saddle for you.

I'm not sizing up per say. My Power is too wide, so I was thinking about going down to the 143. But if the Arc is narrower, I'd "size up" to a 155, which is (hopefully) narrower than what I have now, but labeled as the same size. What is happening right now is, with the regular Power, the wide flat wings dig into my legs somewhat which is uncomfortable, so I end up scooting forward, putting more pressure on my perimeum. Then I just go back and forth the entire ride, switching when one position gets too painful.

[LanceLegstrong]

The tips of the wings are 137. Widest point is about 15mm back and is exactly 143.


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Thanks. I went back to measure my 155 Power and it's 165mm wing to wing. Another interesting find for me was measuring my sit bones. I did the "foil method" and measured three times, each right around 105-110mm. So I think the 155 is way too wide for me. Which led me to a question. When I went in for a new saddle, I ended up doing a bike fit at the same time, so I was wearing my chamois. The guy measured my sit bones in the chamois. Is this the way to do it? I never got told my measurements, he just picked out the 155 for me. Would the chamois mess up the measurements? Going from my 110mm sit bones to a 155 saddle seems like quite the leap. Also, it makes sense why it's felt horribly uncomfortable.

[LiquidCooled]

Pretty sure sit bone measurement should be done in regular shorts, not padded cycling shorts.

[LanceLegstrong]

Pretty sure sit bone measurement should be done in regular shorts, not padded cycling shorts.

That would explain the measurement being off.

[Bigger Gear]

For sit bone/ischial measurement I like to use a piece of aluminum foil on some carpeted stairs. Sit down square on it and then rotate forward into the approxiamate cycling position. If your position is agressive the contact point is not right on the ischial tuberosities (sit bones) but more forward on the ischial/pelvic ramii which is the bony structure that moves anterior from the sitbone. As you follow the bones, the ramus narrows, that is why the more agressively rotated the hips are, the sitbone measurement will produce a saddle that is too wide. There are some pressure mapping studies that show this very well.

[TobinHatesYou]

Pretty sure sit bone measurement should be done in regular shorts, not padded cycling shorts.

That would explain the measurement being off.

It doesn't matter all that much. It should still make an impression through the padded shorts. The two impressions might be larger, but the centers of each will still be in the same place.

I second the aluminum foil method. Take a large sheet, fold it over once, place it on some carpeted stairs. If you don't have carpeted stairs, then place some corrugated cardboard underneath the foil. Sit on it with your knees slightly raised, back more or less straight.

[jfranci3]

Power Arc in Green, Power in Black both 143 of the same teir.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Dr-3W ... 56-h697-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fhWVZ ... 89-h697-no

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM ... lzdzkyVWFn



I have the same issue. I've had better luck with the Prologo Dimension NRD (?)

[LanceLegstrong]

Pretty sure sit bone measurement should be done in regular shorts, not padded cycling shorts.

That would explain the measurement being off.

It doesn't matter all that much. It should still make an impression through the padded shorts. The two impressions might be larger, but the centers of each will still be in the same place.

I second the aluminum foil method. Take a large sheet, fold it over once, place it on some carpeted stairs. If you don't have carpeted stairs, then place some corrugated cardboard underneath the foil. Sit on it with your knees slightly raised, back more or less straight.

For sit bone/ischial measurement I like to use a piece of aluminum foil on some carpeted stairs. Sit down square on it and then rotate forward into the approxiamate cycling position. If your position is agressive the contact point is not right on the ischial tuberosities (sit bones) but more forward on the ischial/pelvic ramii which is the bony structure that moves anterior from the sitbone. As you follow the bones, the ramus narrows, that is why the more agressively rotated the hips are, the sitbone measurement will produce a saddle that is too wide. There are some pressure mapping studies that show this very well.

I used foil to measure on carpeted stairs like you said and got around 110-115mm with no bibs. In my bibs, I measured around 120-125mm. I did 3 measurements in bibs and 4 in thin gym shorts. I tried having my back at slightly different angles in each, but it didn't seem to change the measurement that much. In any case, I think I was measured wrong at the shop. I don't think a 155 was the right size.

[TobinHatesYou]

I used foil to measure on carpeted stairs like you said and got around 110-115mm with no bibs. In my bibs, I measured around 120-125mm. I did 3 measurements in bibs and 4 in thin gym shorts. I tried having my back at slightly different angles in each, but it didn't seem to change the measurement that much. In any case, I think I was measured wrong at the shop. I don't think a 155 was the right size.

That is odd. Padding should make the impressions bigger and less pronounced, but the center of the impressions shouldn’t shift much/at all. Also 5mm is a lot of variance between measurements. When I measure mine, I’m bang on 117mm every single time.

Anyways yes, 110mm or 115mm outs you safely in the 143mm wide saddle range. I use a 131mm Selle SMP, but like Bigger Gear pointed out, more aggressive hip angles means sitting on the narrower pubic rami and not the ischial tuberosities.

[LanceLegstrong]

I used foil to measure on carpeted stairs like you said and got around 110-115mm with no bibs. In my bibs, I measured around 120-125mm. I did 3 measurements in bibs and 4 in thin gym shorts. I tried having my back at slightly different angles in each, but it didn't seem to change the measurement that much. In any case, I think I was measured wrong at the shop. I don't think a 155 was the right size.

That is odd. Padding should make the impressions bigger and less pronounced, but the center of the impressions shouldn’t shift much/at all. Also 5mm is a lot of variance between measurements. When I measure mine, I’m bang on 117mm every single time.

Anyways yes, 110mm or 115mm outs you safely in the 143mm wide saddle range. I use a 131mm Selle SMP, but like Bigger Gear pointed out, more aggressive hip angles means sitting on the narrower pubic rami and not the ischial tuberosities.

The only thing I can think of is a slight inaccuracy when measuring the bibs width due to the impression being bigger and maybe not centered where my sit bones are. So even though my sit bones press into the pad and the pad presses down and makes a bigger impression, the "circle" of impression is askew outward a bit, so when I measure center to center, it adds some. I would imagine it's something on my end with measuring. Either way, I need a narrower saddle.

[LanceLegstrong]

Power Arc in Green, Power in Black both 143 of the same teir.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Dr-3W ... 56-h697-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fhWVZ ... 89-h697-no

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM ... lzdzkyVWFn



I have the same issue. I've had better luck with the Prologo Dimension NRD (?)

The Arc definitely has more curvature, and it appears like it gets wider farther rear than the regular Power. Also, that color is pretty sweet and I wish they still stocked those.

[pmprego]

Power Arc in Green, Power in Black both 143 of the same teir.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Dr-3W ... 56-h697-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fhWVZ ... 89-h697-no

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM ... lzdzkyVWFn



I have the same issue. I've had better luck with the Prologo Dimension NRD (?)

The Arc definitely has more curvature, and it appears like it gets wider farther rear than the regular Power. Also, that color is pretty sweet and I wish they still stocked those.

What I don't get is the weight of those for the price that they sell. At that price, a top end saddle, I would expect something way closer to 100gr.

[Alexbn921]

What I don't get is the weight of those for the price that they sell. At that price, a top end saddle, I would expect something way closer to 100gr.

Power arc has level 2 pading and it's a good thickness.