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Spongy Wonder Seat

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Terry
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I post this with trepidation fearing this might be the cycling equivalent of the dreaded "helmet thread."

This summer I put a lot of miles on my bike and ended up injuring my ishial (sit bone) area. (I am a firm believer in the nothing succeeds as excess. :rolleyes: ) So out with the old seat that hurt and in with the new. So I picked up a Spongy Wonder:

8BF55DE0-AE1E-4B15-BA13-102F4A912659.jpeg


Yup it looks weird. However, it removes all pressure where I don’t want it. It is well made. I’ve done a 14 mile ride on it and it rides well. I’ll need some more and longer rides for a full evaluation. It allows for full leg motion and is comfortable. I think it will work out for me.

Not the type of saddle a mountain bike rider would want but I’m riding roads and rail trails.

Here’s the website: https://spongywonder.com/

It’s made in Canada.

Anyone else have an interesting saddle?
 

tch

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So I don't have an interesting saddle. BUT...I do know that I'd desperately miss the nose on this saddle. I log about 125-150 road miles a week, and my a$$ does get sore, but I am constantly using the nose of my saddle to do a lot of steering, micro-adjusting, and counter-balancing. This seems like a pretty hard balancing trick if terrain or speed gets interesting.
 

Erik Timmerman

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I ride this one. Sort of the opposite of yours. I think the key to saddle comfort is to pedal harder then there's less pressure on the butt.
spyder-outland-4.png
 

Josh Matta

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for injured sit bones I see the psongy wonder as being nice others wise for normal asses it puts the weight on the soft tissue.
 
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skibob

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@tch ever seen/tried one of the Selle SMP drop-nose saddles?
I have two of them. Only saddle I can stand 10+ miles on. I like them. A lot. No perineal pressure. Good dense padding for sit bones and lots of it. I get a little rubbing on the wings, but nothing that causes discomfort. I really like the drop nose for green light startups. But I would definitely be interested in the OP keeping us posted.

download (3).jpg
 

skibob

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So I don't have an interesting saddle. BUT...I do know that I'd desperately miss the nose on this saddle. I log about 125-150 road miles a week, and my a$$ does get sore, but I am constantly using the nose of my saddle to do a lot of steering, micro-adjusting, and counter-balancing. This seems like a pretty hard balancing trick if terrain or speed gets interesting.
I don't think I use it as much as you, but I do do some city riding. The nose is quite valuable for getting your butt in the right place quickly and w/o looking.
 

cantunamunch

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I have two of them. Only saddle I can stand 10+ miles on. I like them. A lot. No perineal pressure. Good dense padding for sit bones and lots of it. I get a little rubbing on the wings, but nothing that causes discomfort. I really like the drop nose for green light startups. But I would definitely be interested in the OP keeping us posted.

View attachment 82724

I don't think I use it as much as you, but I do do some city riding. The nose is quite valuable for getting your butt in the right place quickly and w/o looking.

Mentally I've always had SMP in the category of 'saddles for riders who rotate forward a lot' and therefore completely wrong for the OP, which is why I asked @tch. Cobb saddles also belong in that category, like my old Plus:
IMG_20191022_104521.jpg


That ridgey protuberance is dense foam: the idea is that the entire front of the saddle frame is effectively nose down (way) beyond the old UCI limit of 3 degrees.

I think the key to saddle comfort is to pedal harder then there's less pressure on the butt.

I do agree with you; I merely notice that OP appears to have an e-bike.
 
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Terry
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It is an e-bike with pedal assist. I was taking rides from 12 to 35 miles at a clip. From 1 to 4 hours in the saddle when the problem arose.

The Spongy Wonder pads primary support is on the gluts. The sit bones are between the pads. It felt a bit "different" at first. However, it was comfortable. The pad surface is textured a bit and helps hold you in place. There are pad covers available to customize the seat.
 

cantunamunch

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^Your setup tells me that the seatpost has a very frequency limited response.

If I was looking to customise ^that I'd look for something with an even damper high frequency response than sponge, something like a medical gel pad. Probably something like Action Products' Akton, just to keep it all Maryland. And because it's already proven on motorcycles. http://www.akton.com/case-studies.html
 
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Terry
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I’ve got a Thudbuster along with the thick pads on the Spongy Wonder. Not much vibration makes it through to my butt.
 
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Terry
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I’ve now got a few hundred miles on this seat. (Last year was a pretty much lost due to family issues so I wasn’t out and riding much.) I made some modifications to the seat. I rounded the edges with a Dremel and added the optional neoprene covers. I’ve also adjusted the seat width and angle. I really like the seat. It is very comfortable. My rides are normally around 22 to 25 miles in about two hours. I think I’ve found the seat that’s a keeper for me.
 

Tony S

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At least they make no bones about the name!
 

Samantha345

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I’ve now got a few hundred miles on this seat. (Last year was a pretty much lost due to family issues so I wasn’t out and riding much.) I made some modifications to the seat. I rounded the edges with a Dremel and added the optional neoprene covers. I’ve also adjusted the seat width and angle. I really like the seat. It is very comfortable. My rides are normally around 22 to 25 miles in about two hours. I think I’ve found the seat that’s a keeper for me.
Hi, Are you still using this saddle? I've been looking at Spongy Wonder for a while as my partner has puedendal neuralgia and can't sit on a conventional saddle anymore. He is, or was, a trail mountain biker and I've heard it would be difficult to get off the back of the saddle but if he adapted his style of riding (say, gravel biking) then maybe this would work. Hoping you're still on here..... I've been trying to find anyone who has actual experience of using this saddle. Thanks.
 
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Terry
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Hi, Are you still using this saddle? I've been looking at Spongy Wonder for a while as my partner has puedendal neuralgia and can't sit on a conventional saddle anymore. He is, or was, a trail mountain biker and I've heard it would be difficult to get off the back of the saddle but if he adapted his style of riding (say, gravel biking) then maybe this would work. Hoping you're still on here..... I've been trying to find anyone who has actual experience of using this saddle. Thanks.
The saddle worked great. However I beat up my piriformis muscle and can’t sit on a diamond frame bike seat. So I’ve shifted to a recumbent tadpole e-trike. I love it. That may be a better solution for your friend. He might even look into a recumbent bike.

This is mine.

1697511692357.jpeg
 

Samantha345

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The saddle worked great. However I beat up my piriformis muscle and can’t sit on a diamond frame bike seat. So I’ve shifted to a recumbent tadpole e-trike. I love it. That may be a better solution for your friend. He might even look into a recumbent bike.

This is mine.

View attachment 213349
Thank you so much. It's good to know that it did work for you. Just one question, 'rail trails', is that what I would know as gravel trails or are they similar to road surfaces? I understand that this seat wouldn't be suitable for the downhill mountain bike trails. However, he used to ride his gravel bike off-road through countryside pathways, for example, so loose stones, dirt tracks. I'm wondering whether this seat could work for this type of riding? A recumbent wouldn't work for us as we live in part of the UK where the roads are so busy, you would be risking your life if you road ride around here! I really do appreciate that you've taken the time to reply.
 

cantunamunch

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Thank you so much. It's good to know that it did work for you. Just one question, 'rail trails', is that what I would know as gravel trails or are they similar to road surfaces?

'Rail trails' in US usage are commonly paved (similar to road surfaces), though some aren't (gravel trails) - so either?.


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Tony Storaro

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The saddle worked great. However I beat up my piriformis muscle and can’t sit on a diamond frame bike seat. So I’ve shifted to a recumbent tadpole e-trike. I love it. That may be a better solution for your friend. He might even look into a recumbent bike.

This is mine.

View attachment 213349

This looks badass. It ain't electrical, is it?
 
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Terry
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This looks badass. It ain't electrical, is it?
Oh yes it is. We got some steep hills around here. By having it as an e-trike it opens up much more terrain for me. Here’s the basic bike. I’ve customized it quite a bit more since I got it.

 

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