ISM Adamo Road Saddle
In 1999, the UCI delivered new bicycle restrictions that reduced the allowable amount of saddle setback. In the process, it 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 aren't designed 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 compromising blood flow when your primary concern is reducing your frontal area. 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 that you'll present to the wind as your head and chest become smaller factors in your personal drag equation. However, an aggressive aerodynamic position necessarily compromises comfort in favor of speed. So, the Adamo Saddle provides more comfort and support when you're in a fast forward position. This way, when every second counts, your comfort will become one less thing to disrupt the rhythm of your race. ISM designed the Adamo Road to be just over the UCI saddle minimum length of 240mm. With it perched atop your saddle rails in a legal 5cm behind-the-bottom-bracket position, the wings of the Adamo saddle (that provide support for your sit bones) will be 7-9cm farther forward than your current racing saddle. The forward width is just one of the visible ways that the Adamo saddle is different. The nose of the saddle is actually split into two forward projections, like a fork. The cutout between the forked tips takes away the pressure on your perineal artery. Tests on the ISM saddles have shown them to have little effect on normal blood flow to the genital area (less than 5% loss). Of the other saddles tested, some were shown to affect the blood flow up to 95%. For those ...