It's the Best Saddle in the World

In this video I will be sharing my own personal experiences with the Selle SMP. My model is the SMP Nymber but all SMP's carry the same patented shape. I will also involve expert bike fitter Neill Stanbury to share his view on the saddle in question. This story involves pain and discomfort issues I have been getting on the bike for years, which I thought were all crank length based. I’ll also share the pros and cons on the SMP.

#cycling #saddle

[rzeckner]

After literally swapping out dozens of both cheap and expensive saddles, I began using the SMP saddles on my bikes a few years ago based on a doctor's recommendation I came across on another YouTube channel. At 76 I am no pro rider, but this saddle allows me to ride without ever a thought about my bum and thus I can concentrate on staying ahead of those 60 year old youngsters.

[eugenecheong]

I was a big fan of the SMP saddles. I probably went through 3 of them. The reason I stopped being a customer is their horrible after-sales service. My last SMP saddle, a leather one, started peeling after just 3 months. SMP not only refuse to swap the saddle, they refuse to even communicate with me. As they say, you can only cheat someone once.

[SkarTisu]

I’m on the SMP train. I even tried to go back to a Selle Italia after the first SMP, and ended up going back to SMP. I still don’t understand why the SMP is so much better, but it’s immediately apparent right from the first ride.

[sdcorrey]

As an American I can confirm your reenactment of the folks at Specialized is 100% spot on! 😂

[TypeVertigo]

The thing nobody says about SMPs is that the setback on those very long saddle rails also affects the ultimate saddle height. If you set the saddle so that it's perfectly level, the rails actually point upward as they run to the front, so as you scoot the saddle forward on the seatpost clamp, you're gaining a few millimeters of saddle height. That has to be taken into account for it to fit you well.

[FuriousFilipino]

In the past year, I’ve bought and sold 12-14 saddles. I’ve settled on 2 saddles: Selle SMP Well S and SQ Labs 612/evo. To be quite candid, once you get down to performance level saddles that lack padding (if any at all), I think the rider has to be consistently riding for 5-6 hrs a week to make a good judgement as to which of these saddles really work for their anatomy.

[Lemond]

Had a similar experience to you Cam. Suffering from really bad low back ache on the bike because of glute weakness and an unstable pelvis, I put on an SMP Nymber that I’ve had lying around after receiving your email about them about a week ago. Immediately I noticed several improvements. I’d forgotten just how much support the saddle offers, surpassing any traditional saddle that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried 40+ 😳), and my back and core were able to relax much more, and I was able to rotate my pelvis further forwards. This, and the support from the saddle itself massively increased posterior chain engagement, particularly in the glutes, and resulted in no back pain at all at the end of a 4 hour ride.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m going to have to stick with SMP and put up with the looks, the need to use an inline seat post, the added weight, and the cost, but the benefits outweigh all of these I’m afraid.

[jeffreysaffir]

I tried different saddles for over 3.5 years. Finally decided to look into SMP. Got demo saddles from the US distributor. I wound up with the SMP Composit. Yeah, no padding lol. As a DC it all makes perfect sense. If you have a well designed saddle that is fitted to your body correctly you have padding in your shorts so I didn't have a need for additional padding in the seat. They can be tricky to get dialed in though because they are so sensitive to minute changes as far as set up. I experimented over 100 miles and found the sweet spot regarding fore/aft and the nose drop angle for me which was 9 degrees. Saddle bliss. The demo program is brilliant as well as are the saddles. It can be overwhelming with the sheer number of variations they have but again, it makes sense. Bodies vary so having different models is important. That's why the demo program is such a great way to go about it. As far as looks, when you ride your bike nobody see's your seat lol. Ugly to me is not enjoying riding because my butt is uncomfortable. Problem gone with my SMP. Besides you and Neill, Steve Hogg and Colby Pearce are huge fans of SMP.

[someformofhuman]

Absolutely love the SMP. I'm using a Composit, which is completely padless, and yes they take a while to get it right especially the angle which can be quite finicky. But once you're dialed in you wouldn't want to go back to anything else. I run 160mm cranks too.

[BenSietze]

Big Selle SMP fan here. After years of riding on the Drakon (MTB) and Dynamic (Road bike) I have a new favorite coming my way. Used Selle SMP’s test program to test their F30CSi and F20CSi. I’ve also have a F30 that I don’t get along with, but the F30CSi is a completely different beast. After testing and comparing the F30CSi and F20CSi several times and going back to my old and trusty Dynamic it was clear after about 20-30km’s. The F30CSi is my new favorite. No padding at all but the most comfortable I’ve ever been on any saddle.

[markokitzing]

I had one of these saddles in my basement. I bought it a while back, but then didn't like it. I built myself a new bike just recently, and needed a saddle for a short test ride. I put the old Selle SMP saddle on it, and I am loving it! It really kills the look of the bike, but I care more about the comfort than the looks.

[Hermod_Hermit]

Online YT tips can lead to interesting results. Since about Christmas I ride a narrow SMP Well gel, and I can now go through an hour-hour and a halfon the trainer without any adverse pains. Believe me, this is a first. Now I long for spring and the snow to melt so that I can try it out on the road! And oh, gone from 172.5 to 170mm cranks. Cheers from Sweden.

[EnragedMollusk]

Lol. The bird sound effect on the saddle closeup was perfect.

[Frostbiker]

3:35 I had no idea that Cam was actually American. His Australian impression is that good!

[pmcmpc]

One problem with the SMPs is that you completely lose the ability to move forward and back on the saddle, which can help relieve soreness and pressure on longer rides, and also gives you more leeway for climbing steep grades or getting in an aero tuck - both benefiting from shooting all the way forward. So you better like the position, because It's the only one you have. Pros usually have choice on saddles ... But almost none use SMPs - I believe this is why.

[riazpatel]

Cam, your alter ego clips just crack me up. I want an interview with him, but the little clips are also more his "style", what a legend he is!

[chrispana]

Can totally relate with the Selle range, had a Selle SMP Drakon for years, fitted by Neil when he was based in Melbourne and I put 20k+ km in a couple years on one and not a single issue, it made me a strong cyclist, did a ride around the bay 300km and many cadel evans great ocean rides....highly recommended, be warned, carbon rails will set you back a bit, but these imo are the best saddles for most people and they don't even know it yet....

[r-tyomfrolov]

I ride MTB and boy do i swear by my Selle SMP WELL!
My 2002 Cannondale Scalpel 800 had some older posh SELLE saddle with carbon, gel and all the cool things in place.
I saw a lightly used SMP WELL in my size on a local marketplace, gave it a try and it is still the best upgrade i ever did to any of my bikes!
Unbelievably comfortable with bibs, offers great control on hardpack plus my version is made of some synthetic material that slides a bit (another awesome feature for off-road riding)
Kudos to all it's creators!
Totally awesome saddle for my application, i'm brimming with joy on every ride

[chuckfrizzell]

Thanks for the information on this video. I have the SMP Dynamic. It’s very comfortable on long rides. It took several months to find the correct tilt. I began with the nose down, as recommended at about 2 degrees. I finally found perfection when it was set at 1/2 degree nose down. I rode it so long I wore through the leather cover! Great saddle but be patient with the set up. I’m 5’9” tall and weigh 140 pounds. Thanks again.

[soundbites]

The best saddle in the world is the one that fits your sit bones in the position you ride in on a specific bike. For me, and the 3 bikes I ride, it's the Fabric Scoop Elite Radius saddle. I don't ride drop bars, but I have 2 Adventure bikes and a touring Tandem, and that saddle is super-comfy, for me. I don't even think about it when I'm riding, which is how you know you've got the right saddle.