Charge Spoon saddle - advice needed

[gds58]

I'm thinking of changing the saddle on one of my bikes and I've heard a lot of people mention the 'Charge Spoon' I have two questions really. Firstly if you've got one of these what do you think of it, how comfy etc etc and secondly I notice that they are a somewhat different profile to most 'racing' type saddles. Coming from a background of racing I have always set my saddle as close to level (horizontal) along the top as possible. I notice that this saddle though has quite a pronounced dip in the middle. So do you set the saddle so that the rear curves up a bit higher than the front or do you still set it level so that it dips lower in the middle. I would guess that it's the first way, i.e. with the back curving up behind your bum a bit.

I've pasted a link to one I found on ebay so would you basically set it up like it appears in this picture.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....5028683&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_922


Many thanks in anticipation of your help. Graham

 

[Kevs-the-name]

I have recently fited this saddle on my Kona Jake Cyclocross.
I am new to cycling, but this is making my backside sore!
I do not notice too much discomfort whilst on it, but afterwards hmmm....
i also use padded cycling shorts

I am not sure if I will grin-and-bare it or go back to my original perch.
To be fair, there was nothing wrong with the old one, I was just seduced by the shiny pictures and reviews in the bike mags!

My spoon saddle is set level

 

[Crackle]

Yep, like in the picture.

 

[Kestevan]

I've found these the best saddle bar-non.

In fact I've just ordered another one for the main bike, as the old saddle decided to split on Sundays forum ride.

Mines set up pretty much as per the photo, the nose/main body horizontal and the back kicking up a little - although to be honest the thing doesnt look as "bent" as the photo would lead you to believe.

I started with it more tilted back, and have slowly adjusted it till happy with the position, took a couple of outings to get 100%, but now I'm not changing

 

[Alan Whicker]

I've got a Spoon, and I find it very comfy if slightly too hard for my batty. In that Ebay pic the curve up at the back looks more pronounced than on my example. FWIW I tend to leave mine horizontal - works for me

 

[Cubist]

Set the nose portion dead level. The rise at the back is for serious off-roaders to scoot back into on descents. I have a spoon on my commuter and its skinnier Knife brother on my XC bike. Don't notice either to be honest.

 

[mcshroom]

I've got a spoon on my tourer and I really like it. As others I have the front level and the back flaring up a bit.

It's a solid saddle but I've found it comfortable (rides have been up to 200km on it). The saddle does seem to hold you securely in place to the extent I feel like I'm sliding around a bit on my other bike with a flatter profile saddle. I think there's a thinner model (knife?) for racing bikes if you feel it's too wide.

Of course, as with all saddles, YMMV.

 

[slowmotion]

I have one and find it really comfortable. I put a small piece of board on the saddle and a spirit level pointing fore and aft, and set it level. A small bit of tilt is just personal preference. Just experiment.

 

[gds58]

Many thanks for all your help and advice guys I think I'll give one of these a try out.

 

[jay clock]

I have two. The cheaper model on my winter road bike and the leather/Ti model on my best bike. Amazingly comfy. I am happily doing Ironman Austria on it (180k) this weekend and have full confidence. I am going to get one for my MTB as well (and I am someone who always goes for comfort not racing style knife blade saddles)

The "heavy" model is supposedly 30g more but when I decided to splash on a second leather one (titanium rails) the actual difference was far less so I sent it back

In terms of tilt, give it a try. You will resell easily on Ebay if you don't get on with it. In fact, I will take it off your hands for a sensible price if it is black

 

[fossyant]

Got a knife on my commuter. Great value to weight ratio !

 

[calibanzwei]

Got one on the Plug - took a while to get used to it, now I find it more comfortable than the gel seat that came with the Dawes

 

[Tollers]

I've got 5 different saddles in my collection as I'm experimenting to find the perfect combination of lightweight, comfort and bling. So far I've used...

Selle italia thoork carbon
Selle italia turbomatic
Prologo choice
Selle San marco rapide
Charge spoon ti

Out of the lot, despite being the cheapest, the Spoon is by far my favorite for comfort. If it looked as sexy as the Italian jobs then I'd have it on all my bikes. Give it a try, if you're buying a saddle without having tried it, then I think the spoon may be a great choice.

Alternatively, some Specialized dealers have an ass-o-meter for measuring your sit bones. You could try that and note down the dimensions to choose any saddle.

 

[Salad Dodger]

I have a Madison Flux saddle which, according to 2 articles in different mags, is a virtual clone of a Spoon.

It took a bit of trial and error to set the saddle level (I have a full sus bike so the suspension sags with my big weight on it, making it difficult to get the saddle right).

But just as important was front and back adjustment of the saddle. Just a few millimetres made all the difference between feeling like I was continually sliding off the front of the saddle, and feeling securely perched on the seat.

Best of luck with your quest for comfort!

 

[Kevs-the-name]

Further to my last post, I have now used the saddle quite a few more times and can say it is now feels fine!
I guess I just needed to get used to it, toughen up a bit!