Adama Racing Saddle

I have not been on one yet, but it does look interesting. I am wondering if you will get chafing on your thighs because it is so wide.

Dave

My ISM Adamo should be arriving by weeks end; the fine folks at Blackwell Research are providing me one for an unbiased trial, in exchange for posting feedback.

I have had....issues...with saddles and have been on a grail quest since first putting arse to leather. I understand "putting time in the saddle" to overcome some soreness and accustom my rear but I have high hopes that this will help.  

http://www.blackwellresearch.com/ism_seats.htm

I'll be sure and post my feelings after some time spent on the trainer and on the road.

Stone - 2006-03-20 2:38 PM I was actually hoping it wasn't going to work because it was one butt ugly seat Mark

I can't agree more with how fugly the thing looks, but I also like the idea of the rear tri-hook.

I wouldn't have plunked down the retail price without first trying it, either.

It did arrive today and I just finished mounting it - it is quite short, at least 3.5 cm shorter than my former saddle, and even with the rails all the way forward, I couldn't get the "nose" even with where my old saddle sat, but, as per the BikeSportMichigan link, I understand that the rider sits at the front of the saddle rather than actually on the centre body of the saddle. When I realized this when sitting on it, I was actually able to move it back some and did angle it slightly down. In essence, your sit bones sit on the end "fingers", and therefore the apparently wider "nose" of this saddle doesn't even sit between your thighs at all, therefore no thigh chafing. Also, NO perineal pressure or rub. FANTASTICK! I've yet to put it on the trainer, but just sitting stationary, it feels like heaven. I do think I'll need to fiddle with small adjustments.

Much more to come on this one.

Bumping this because I'm interested in hearing what you think of the saddle once you start using it on the trainer. I have heard reviews that indicate that you will get chafing if you have large thighs.

Dave

No real chafing to the thighs (as I was initially worried, due to it's apparent excessive width). 

Only had time for one relatively short ride on the trainer and a brief spin outdoors (it's still freezing here, but I was dying to give it a go!) and had to stop to adjust the position several times - the saddle is much thicker and much shorter than my previous saddle (S.I. Flyte) and was hard to find similar positioning that my old saddle had, but after about a half-dozen adjustments, it's pretty close.

Following Blackwell's instructions, it is best mounted a few degrees foreward of flat, and positioned so the sit bones are more on the end "fingers" of the false-nose, therefore there is really no saddle right between your thighs to rub and chafe. These "fingers" are directly over the rails and move (just a hint) independantly for comfort during pedal stroke, but there is no noticeable "bobbing", and therefore loss of power transfer.

You can utilize more of the rear of the saddle by shifting weight back just to change position, especially when out of the aerobars, and when seated in a more upright posture, there is minimal friction between saddle and thighs; harly more noticeable than on my previous traditional saddle, but I figure, in training and racing (where it is completely FLAT terrain here), my intent is to stay aero for the entire ride, and this saddle, I believe, really shines here. 

My initial dissapointments:

1. Stitching on the top of the saddle could have been minimized (it is top-stitched over the entire cut-out area) because of potential friction. This has not happened yet, but the potential for some is there and, I believe, could have been designed to remedy this.

2. The underside of the saddle does not appear to have had as much detail and quality workmanship as the upper, with exposed staples and visible leather folds, and although this is merely cosmetic and perhaps nit-picking, this saddle nonetheless retails for $150 USD, and therefore should be as "finished" as comparably premium-priced saddles.

3. Not so much a disapointment, but I definitely wasn't prepared to have to learn how to sit on a saddle all over again. This saddle is, without question, a product of extensive testing and development by a world-class, proven team of pros and is completely different than anything else out there, and I trust the experience of those who made this idea a reality. That being said, there is definitely a learning curve to riding this saddle - as posted on the slowtwitch.com forum, and in the short time I've ridden this saddle, it is apparent that you sit much more forward on the saddle than is customary, placing less weight on the saddle and more weight on the already-twitchy areo bars. It didn't take me long last season to get used to riding in the aerobars without fear, and I know that it will be the same with this saddle, but initially, it brings that slight sense of nervousness back.

4. I was thinking that a more "slippery" top covering, like some other tri saddles, might have been a better idea than the leather, but once dialing the position in to slightly nose-down and seated more forward on the saddle, this may be a bad idea and give cause to slip right off the darn thing!

5. FUGLY FUGLY FUGLY !!!

Okay, so what I like about it so far:

1. It feels like HEAVEN - absolutely NO pressure on the entire perineum, by placing my entire weight on the sit bones. Free-danglin', fellas! Feels like I could go forever! On some of my looong rides last season, it was sometimes the severe pain and/or complete lack-of-feeling in the nether regions that cut my rides short rather than muscle fatigue. This saddle promises longer rides!

2. The colours are pretty cool - 4 to choose from, and my red one matches perfectly to my bike - it has a yellow frame with red trim and red anodized accessories.  

I think that, initially, once I take it for longer rides, I will suffer the same initial discomfort as other slowtwitch'ers have posted; I can feel it already, due to the small area of contact between arse and seat (very minimal) but I think it will just be an acclimating thing and will disappear once accustomed to the new position. The complete lack of any pressure on the boys whatsoever is truly an amazing feeling!

Since this is an Alpha-first-edition-retail run of this saddle, I'm sure any shortcomings and negative feedback will be dealt with in future incarnations, given the fine folks responsible for briging this beast to market.  In the meantime, I feel priveliged to have been given one of these to test pilot.

I wonder if Cervelo needs willing testers for their next generation P3C?

Hey! Cervelo!!!......