In 1999, on the heels of the most rabid chasing of the hour record in a quarter century, the UCI delivered new bicycle guidelines that effectively quashed that momentum and forced racers into a nether world of sitting on the tips of their saddles. The change was under the guise of keeping the bikes and riders safe, but the reality is that a soft tissue injury is very likely because standard racing saddles are not designed in a way to provide proper support when you are in a fast, aero, and legal position. The ISM Adamo Road Saddle is made expressly for the purpose of supporting your weight without restricting blood flow to some pretty important parts of your body.It’s no secret that a forward position on your time trial bike will reduce your frontal area. Essentially, the further you rotate forward over the bottom bracket, the less area you’ll present to the wind as your head and chest become smaller factors in the whole drag equation. We’ve recently seen video of a certain Texan, admittedly in his twilight years as a bike racer, making every attempt to squeeze the last tiny percentages of speed out of his body. Part of his new-for-2010 bike outfitting includes an Adamo Road Saddle. What Lance and Allen Lim knew was that his old TT position was not aerodynamically efficient, even though it was powerful. His 2010 position has him farther forward over the bottom bracket with a lower handlebar position as well.Just as the RadioShack crew found, the Adamo Saddle offers more comfort and more support when you are in a fast forward position. And when every second counts, your comfort will become one less thing to disrupt the rhythm of your race. ISM designs the Adamo Road to be just over the UCI saddle minimum length of 240mm. And with it perched atop your saddle rails in a legal 5cm behind-the-bottom-bracket position, the wings of the Adamo saddle (that offer support for your sit-bones) will be 7 – 9cm farther forward than your current racing saddle.
It did take a few rides and a visit to their website to get the angle and height just right, but this is the best seat ever. I no longer have that unpleasant tingling in my junk after a ride. I really think this is a very clever and effective design. One interesting thing I found — the padded bike shorts I was wearing for the standard saddle were actually counter-productive for this seat. The “forks” on this seat go on either side of your sensitive areas. The padded shorts ended up redistributing the pressure all over — which includes the area you are avoiding. For me, it works perfectly with just normal shorts.
I know some other reviewers have said that they felt unstable on the saddle, but I haven’t experienced that. I feel just as comfortable and in control on this saddle as I did on my previous standard saddle. Uphill, downhill, roads, sidewalks – my commute to and from work is the same as before….except that I don’t feel that creeping ache in my lower abdomen that I’d get with my other saddle.
I think this thing actually works. I highly recommend it.
I am very pleased with the product so far. Although I initially had discomfort in my sit bones, the unique seat design relieved pressure on a very sensitive area. I feel like it has worked like a charm.
I was having taint-numbness issues with my stock saddle. It got so bad that I was having genital pain, numbness, and some functional problems for days after a ride. Because I was afraid of permanently damaging the goods, I almost gave up road riding until I tried this saddle.
The numbness problems instantly went away, including while riding in the drops. It took a few weeks for my sit bones and the tissues covering them to adjust, but after that its been great. I rarely still get some pressure, probably because I cannot rotate my saddle like the instructions state (aero seat tube) to find the “slot” in my perenium. This is easily solved by briefly getting out of the saddle and readjusting. I don’t think this would be an issue if I could adjust the saddle laterally.
You sit on the “prongs” of the saddle with the boys out front leading the way. It can be a bit tricky to get used to on your first descent because you don’t have the leg pressure on the saddle nose to help guide the bike. I’m still a bit sketched out riding without hands because of that (Cobb’s V-Flow Max may be the solution…).
At any rate, I’m into my second season with the Adamo saddle and loving the freedom to ride without pain and numbness.
I’m training for a 70.3 triathlon and have started putting in regular 20 miles rides three times a week with 50+ mile rides on the weekends. Read more
This is the first saddle that I have found that actually enables me to ride more than 50 miles without experiencing numbness due to perineum discomfort. Read more
It’s a little stiff but should break in. My sit bones are getting used to it. So far so good.
Recently purchased this seat because I was concerned about the numbness I get while riding. Even with the seat, my stuff still gets numb…
I had noticed some numbness and other issues after going for long rides on my traditional road seat. Read more
I purchased the ISM Adamo Road Saddle after experiencing straddle pain from riding two different Specialized saddles. Read more
Great saddle. Looking to eliminate the numbness in “that spot” look no further. This seat is unique and takes a few sessions to get used to. Read more
The product title says Adamo Podium, but the image in the picture is for and Adamo Race. Be careful in selecting this item to get what you really want.
After reading some of the scientific literature on the damage done to the male physiology by spending long hours on racing saddles, I decided to investigate split saddles before… Read more
I’ve experimented with a lot of saddles and this is the first “anatomic” saddle that actually works for me. Read more
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