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Reviews 1 - 5 (85 Reviews Total)
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Submitted by
Colin
a Road RacerDate Reviewed: January 1, 2012
Strengths: Lightweight, looks good, lasts wellWeaknesses: May only be useable on certain bikes, very strange.Bottom Line: I bought this saddle for my carbon Bianchi after snapping a rail on my Fizik. Popped it on, got changed and headed out. Jeez, 100 mtrs in I thought i had forgot to put the saddle on, the pain was so great. Suffered for another hour and returned home near to tears. Ordered another Fizik that afternoon. However, thought I would try it on my Orange P7 commuter bike and cannot believe the difference, simply the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden over long distances ! So the moral of the tale is if you like the saddle, change bikes as you can't change your butt !
Favorite Ride: Anywhere away from work !
Price Paid:
$85.00
Purchased At: Grips, Rayleigh, Ess
Similar Products Used: San Marco Rolls, Fizik Arione
Bike Setup: Bianchi 928, Record, American Classic 58 carbon.
Orange P7, SLX-XT, Mavic 317 on Hope hubs
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Submitted by
LosGatosRider
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: July 12, 2011
Strengths: Works great, comfort-wise, when it's dialed in to your body size/shape, riding position, and bike geometry.Weaknesses: Can be murder on your butt if all (or any?) of the above are not quite right.Bottom Line: I've been riding a Toupe gel for over two years now. It literally fell into my hands as a give-away from a work colleague. I knew of its reputation so it seemed like a great windfall.
I first mounted it on the borrowed bike I had been riding for over two years-- an early-2000s aluminum-frame Bianchi that is my girlfriend's old bike (before she bought her Madone). That bike got me started in road riding, but my body was at the ragged edge of the fit envelope for it. I struggled with the Toupe on that bike. So much so that at the end of a 2-day, 190-mile ride (after riding it for many months) I was chafed raw on the inside of my sit bones. I was about to give up on it.
Then I bought my Bianchi Infinito, and everything changed. Somehow, this saddle just WORKS on that frame geometry, for me.
It’s a really subtle change of riding position, but it makes all the difference. Now I ride a century and start to feel a little tender after about 80-85 miles, but at the end of the event I could ride further without major discomfort. Before, my butt was so tender after 40-50 miles that I’d be standing and coasting each time I saw a rough patch of road approaching. Today, the Toupe is an old friend and I’ll keep it as long as it lasts. I’m a big guy, 200+ lbs, if that makes a difference.
Moral of the story: It’s not only the saddle that determines the comfort of your ride and the health of your backside. Frame geometry and material. Saddle position. Stem length. They all matter. I can’t believe the difference I’ve experienced with the exact same saddle on two different bikes.
Favorite Ride: To the coast and back
Bike Setup: Bianchi Infinito with Ultegra triple, Kysirium SL wheels, a few other component tweaks from stock Infinito setup.
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Submitted by
Jim
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: June 14, 2011
Strengths: It’s Comfortable, compliant and feels great. I believe it’s the best saddle I’ve ever ridden.Weaknesses: However, I am a 200-lb plus guy. After about 6 months one of the rails will break and I’ll have to replace it. This is the 2nd or 3rd generation saddle. The first generation would break at the wing above the rail. Specialized seem to fix that problem, so now the rail is the issue.Bottom Line: The Toupe is light and very comfortable, no pressure or numbness on even very long rides (10 hours+). Adjusted properly it did not take getting used to.
Price Paid:
$110.00
Purchased At: Cupertino Bike Shop
Similar Products Used: Terry, Fizik, Selle, Body Geometry, Bontraeger...
Bike Setup: Tarmac S-Works, Dura-Ace.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matthew Parrish
a Road RacerDate Reviewed: June 2, 2011
Strengths: Great construction
Extremely light
Flexible enough to smooth out any hard road conditions
No discomfort or blood flow issues to the perineum.
Damn sexy looking saddleWeaknesses: The hard plastic nose is a bit tacky.Bottom Line: I bought this originally for my alumimum Trek. Anyone that has ridden for very long on an aluminum frame knows how harsh the ride can be. In order to make the ride bareable for more than say 50 miles, I had to find a saddle with some padding to smooth things out, but each one had the horrible side effect of soft-tissue damage. I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum with this saddle, going with a saddle that has the least amount of padding I've seen in a long time. The concept and testimony from others about the almost hammock-design of this saddle sounded promising. The first time I got out on it, I HATED it. I thought my ass was going to commit suicide after about 20 minutes, but I stuck with it and by the 2nd or 3rd ride, I was completely 100% sold. It's like a fine leather shoe; once it breaks in (or your ass breaks into it... either way), it is the last saddle you'll ever want. I've had mine for about 4-5 years now and it's held up great. My bike has changed, but I've kept the saddle. It'll go with me wherever I go until it falls apart on me. I just hope they continue to make these in the future!!
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At: River City
Similar Products Used: Fizik Arione & Selle San Marco Forato
Bike Setup: Scattante Limited Edition Monocoque w/Dura Ace DT except R700 Compact, Bontrager Race Lite Wheels & XXX Race seat post, Specialized Toupe Saddle.
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Submitted by
Cody
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: May 2, 2011
Strengths: Light, comfort-over-long-ride. Really, what more is there in a saddle?Weaknesses: I'll let you know when I figure one out.Bottom Line: To all you people who think this seat is rated below a 4: you need to get yourself fitted to your bike and saddle.
For you people who are thinking of purchasing a saddle, get this one. It's super light. It's super comfy. It does not create hot spots/num spots/burn spots. It is simply the best saddle my buns have ever sat on. Granted, it does take a few miles before you really understand the true comfort.... and comfort is truly a blessing. This is better than the fiziks I was trying, better than... well.... all the saddles I was looking into. Specialized, you have won the love of my butt and back!
Price Paid:
$110.00
Similar Products Used: fiziks, bontrager, etc.
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Reviews 1 - 5 (85 Reviews Total)
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