Short nose saddles vs. classic saddles

[ND4SPD]

Short nose/truncated/snub-nose saddles, fad/trend or a future?

I see most of the manufacturers are now offering short nose saddles, or saddles that have a nose that turns downward...

I know that short saddles have been popular in time trials and triathlon for many years, with riders trying to reduce the pressure on soft tissue when in an aero ride position. Another thing, and after all, this is weight weenies forum, less material should mean less weight.

I have also found one interesting article that covers this topic:

https://www.velonews.com/2018/08/bikes- ... sic_476062

Your opinions?

[AJS914]

All those saddles mean sitting on your ischial tuberosities. Personally I'd like to try a few.

[TobinHatesYou]

It's not a fad. The nose on any saddle is mostly aesthetic/useless. The only times I ever sit on the nose of my saddle are when my legs are completely exhausted during a major effort and I'm trying anything and everything to squeeze some more power out of the muscles that aren't completely used up. Otherwise the nose is just a stabilizer during descents/cornering for me.

You're supposed to sit on your sitbones, whether the ischial tuberosities or the pubic rami regardless of saddle style/choice.

[twelve]

I went from a fizik antares to Power arc and wont be going back!

Much comfier, particularly in the drops for longer periods

[robertbb]

Otherwise the nose is just a stabilizer during descents/cornering for me.

This is why I don't use a short nosed saddle. I didn't realise how much I use the nose (with the inside of my thighs) to control the bike until I tried a Spesh power saddle.

Interestingly, my romin evo pro (current model) is 250mm long. The new Bontrager Aeolus "short" saddle measures exactly 250mm long as well. So "short" is kind of relative.

[Wingnut]

I believe the short nose saddles have some merit but somewhat overstated, I'm using a regular old SSM Regal pushed forward and because it's wide in the nose and back I find I get a similar feel...my saddle is level though. I can't stand saddles with the nose tilted down.

[petert123]

Timely post - I just went from Fizik Aronie to the a Vento (R3). I have a pretty aero position despite my age, but wanted to try a shorter saddle over the winter, on and off the trainer. If it goes well I'll put something like this on summer bike.

[Wingnut]

I would like to try one of these though!

[Lemond75]

I would like to try one of these though!

210BE584-07D5-4BF0-9FAB-FC9FC7B1F55D.jpeg

On rides up to about two hours this had been the best saddle I’d ever tried (and I’ve tried almost everything on the market due to constant saddle issues). The curved profile from front to back cradles the base of the pelvis like an SMP, albeit with more padding and a slight wider sitting area in my experience. However, beyond that, I found that the Shortfit became painful under the sitbones as there’s really only one position available (and my hip and back imbalances mean I slight slightly askew on the saddle).

I’ve since moved to the Bontrager Aeolus, and although I’ve not done any long rides yet, it’s been fantastic. The longitudinal curve cradles the base of the pelvis in the same way as the Shortfit and SMPs, but the wider and flatter sitting area throughout the saddle provides more support than either of the other two. The nose is quite broad and flat, but the large cut out means that for me at least, it’s a very comfy place to be as well.

So far so good, and I’d highly recommend it.

[robertbb]

I would like to try one of these though!

210BE584-07D5-4BF0-9FAB-FC9FC7B1F55D.jpeg

On rides up to about two hours this had been the best saddle I’d ever tried (and I’ve tried almost everything on the market due to constant saddle issues). The curved profile from front to back cradles the base of the pelvis like an SMP, albeit with more padding and a slight wider sitting area in my experience. However, beyond that, I found that the Shortfit became painful under the sitbones as there’s really only one position available (and my hip and back imbalances mean I slight slightly askew on the saddle).

I’ve since moved to the Bontrager Aeolus, and although I’ve not done any long rides yet, it’s been fantastic. The longitudinal curve cradles the base of the pelvis in the same way as the Shortfit and SMPs, but the wider and flatter sitting area throughout the saddle provides more support than either of the other two. The nose is quite broad and flat, but the large cut out means that for me at least, it’s a very comfy place to be as well.

So far so good, and I’d highly recommend it.

I recently took my Romin Evo Pro to a trek store specifically to compare it against a new Aeolus Pro. I placed them "back to back" and can say that the curve you mention was absolutely identical. As was the length at 250mm. The differences were:

- The Romin's shell/body is actually more flexible than the Aeolus. So when you sit on it, that curve becomes even more pronounced and adapts to and wraps around your pelvis...
- The Aeolus is far wider in the nose. This is an issue for me personally because I have rather large inner thighs and thought the width would rub... (my thighs have been slowly polishing the black off my Ritchey 1-bolt seatclamp )

The extended cutout on the Aeolus doesn't add anything over the cutout on the Evo. The padding on the Evo is scooped at the front and back and offers the same pressure relief. If you don't get along well with the Aeolus, I would recommend trying the Evo.

[bikeboy1tr]

I went from a Fizik Aronie to the SMP Composit and full carbon and my back has never been better. I did run the Fizik flat or even nose up just a tad but with the SMP I can run it nose down 1.5 degrees which allows me to be in the drops for longer durations without neck and back pain. I also have more fore aft adjustment on the rails with the SMP as the sitting postion is more rearward. I do have to run chamois with 80-120kg/cm density which is fine for longer rides 4 plus hours. I dont think I will ever go back to flat saddles.

[Slammed]

I'm a pretty slim guy so I really like racing on really narrow (<125mm) carbon saddles.I find the snub nose and ISM saddles uncomfortable because of the excessive wdith.

[bas]

I reluctantly tried the Spec Power when it came on my bike. Absolutely loved it although it rubbed a bit on my inner thigh. Have since moved to the Stealth and love it, have one on the gravel bike as well.
To my mind they are a revelation and I wish we'd thought of them 20 years ago.

[JayDee81]

I would like to try one of these though!

210BE584-07D5-4BF0-9FAB-FC9FC7B1F55D.jpeg

I tried the San Marco Shortfit and I have several observations. The saddle is very comfy for me, but the nose could be slimmer for me and the sloped back side of the saddle was causing some pain on longer rides in the lower back, so not for me in the end.

[Lemond75]

I would like to try one of these though!

210BE584-07D5-4BF0-9FAB-FC9FC7B1F55D.jpeg

On rides up to about two hours this had been the best saddle I’d ever tried (and I’ve tried almost everything on the market due to constant saddle issues). The curved profile from front to back cradles the base of the pelvis like an SMP, albeit with more padding and a slight wider sitting area in my experience. However, beyond that, I found that the Shortfit became painful under the sitbones as there’s really only one position available (and my hip and back imbalances mean I slight slightly askew on the saddle).

I’ve since moved to the Bontrager Aeolus, and although I’ve not done any long rides yet, it’s been fantastic. The longitudinal curve cradles the base of the pelvis in the same way as the Shortfit and SMPs, but the wider and flatter sitting area throughout the saddle provides more support than either of the other two. The nose is quite broad and flat, but the large cut out means that for me at least, it’s a very comfy place to be as well.

So far so good, and I’d highly recommend it.

I recently took my Romin Evo Pro to a trek store specifically to compare it against a new Aeolus Pro. I placed them "back to back" and can say that the curve you mention was absolutely identical. As was the length at 250mm. The differences were:

- The Romin's shell/body is actually more flexible than the Aeolus. So when you sit on it, that curve becomes even more pronounced and adapts to and wraps around your pelvis...
- The Aeolus is far wider in the nose. This is an issue for me personally because I have rather large inner thighs and thought the width would rub... (my thighs have been slowly polishing the black off my Ritchey 1-bolt seatclamp )

The extended cutout on the Aeolus doesn't add anything over the cutout on the Evo. The padding on the Evo is scooped at the front and back and offers the same pressure relief. If you don't get along well with the Aeolus, I would recommend trying the Evo.

Funnily enough, the saddle I’d been using between the Shortfit and the Aeolus was the Romin Evo because of the longitudinal curve and the extra length compared to the Shortfit. Even though I bought the Romin for a couple of years ago I’d never really got on with it, so it was consigned to my ever expanding box of saddles. I thought I’d try it again though as it offers some of the things that I had found effective in other saddles, albeit with a longer nose than the Shortfit. The problem I find with it is that the width tapers from the rear to the front more acutely than the Aeolus, so there’s a smaller area supporting the pelvis. For me at least, that meant that it was loading pressure on a smaller part of my pelvis, whereas the Aeolus seems to distribute it better. At least so far....