Note: This review is of a used Selle SMP saddle Guitar Ted purchased from the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. Selle SMP is not aware of this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.
Looking at saddles over the years a strange looking choice popped up which has always intrigued me. The Selle SMP saddles looked......weird compared to everything else I was seeing. I couldn't wrap my mind around the shape. It looked broken. And the huge cut-out section was odd too. Everything about the saddle seemed a bit off to my eyes. Plus, they weren't inexpensive either.
Then a friend of mine showed up with a well worn one on his bike. He had purchased it new, so it was obvious he liked it and had a lot of time on it. So, of course, I had to ask. "How is that thing to ride?" He said it was the most comfortable saddle he'd ever used. It did not make him numb, and that was a big issue for him in the past.
Okay.....sample of one. I filed that away in the brain trust, and then kept on riding.
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| We're gonna get to the bottom of this.... |
And you know what? It may look weird, but that short ride told me there was something to this oddball of the cycling saddle world. It just so happened that not long before BRAN a Selle SMP Pro saddle was donated to the Collective. So, when I returned from BRAN, I purchased the saddle and well......here we are!
What It Is: The Selle SMP Pro is their intermediate level saddle for MTB, gravel, or road for both Men or Women. It has a real leather cover, (in black only), or a MicroFiber cover in several different colors. The rails are made of AISI Stainless steel. A carbon railed version is also available. The shell is made of carbon reinforced Nylon 12. The padding is a foamed elastomer.
The overal width of the SMP Pro is 148mm and the length is 278mm. Claimed weight is 350gm with the stainless steel rails and drops to 295gms with carbon rails. Cost for the Selle SMP Pro is $269.00USD with stainless steel rails and $449.00 with the carbon rails.
Intentions: The intent of this review is to find out if the Selle SMP works for me at all. I want to see how it feels on longer rides. Is it the bees knees like many say it is, or just an oddball saddle that is merely different and works okay? Is it worth the asking price? How well is it made? How hard is it to set up correctly?
That last point was something Jayme shared with me. He straight up told me if I set it up incorrectly it won't work for me. He pointed out his saddle and asked me to note how much tilt it had nose-downward. He claimed if I set it up level, with a "bucket/dip in the mid section, it would be bad. "You'll want it tipped down in the nose more than you'd think", he instructed. Although it should be noted that Selle SMP says to start out at level and the nose tilt can be anywhere from +10° to -25° after adjustments.
But Jayme has a point. I did not catch that my WTB Silverado had slipped back in the seat post clamp at BRAN until Day Two and by then I had already done some nerve damage and caused saddle sores I only just recently have overcome. Set-up means everything with a saddle. So I am prepared to be open to different saddle set ups than I would normally think of doing.
Initial Impressions: This saddle is not light. So, anyone looking to cut weight on a build probably wouldn't look at this saddle as an option. One likely is looking here at an SMP for relief from numbness or for comfort - or both.
It is well made. Very well made. I am impressed with the build quality of this saddle and there are not many saddles I've seen which rival the SMP. The leather is soft, pliable, and has a very even grain. Of course, there is every possibility this saddle is "broken in" already. But it does not appear to have many miles on it as the cover looks pristine and I don't see any marring, wear areas, or scratches.
In the next post I will talk about set up and have a ride impression for you.
So, here we go..... Stay tuned.
