Specialized Toupe Saddle Review

 Our Rating:        
User Rating:      

Specialized Saddles have become legendary around the cycling community as being some of the best performing products on the market. Specialized patented Body Geometry saddles take into account your human anatomy and they've spent countless hours testing and testing and testing to come up with a line of saddles that look great and perform even better. The Specialized Toupe is a perfect example of the quality that Specialized brings to the market. Check out the reviews below and if you end up buying one, come back and leave us your own Specialized Toupe Saddle Review.
.

Saddle Review

I am a big fan of Specialized saddles and have been for quite some time. I remember when I first started cycling how difficult it was to find a saddle that worked for me and I went through a dozen or so before finally finding out about sit bone width and ended up purchasing my first Specialized Saddle which was the Alias.

I still ride that Alias on my Trek but recently had the chance to road test another extremely popular Specialized Saddle and that is the Specialized Toupe road saddle. The similarities to the Alias are many and my expectations were very high that I would like the Specialized Toupe saddle.

First Impressions

One thing you should know about Specialized saddles before you ever put your butt on one, is that they are a firm saddle. By firm, I don't mean hard, they are padded but it's a firm ride. One that your sit bones will have to condition themselves to somewhat. An experienced cyclist should be ok but a new rider will likely have to give it a few weeks before your sit bones get accustomed to this type of saddle.

It's a difficult concept to grasp but you WANT a firm saddle for long distance rides. The more hours you spend in the saddle, then the worse your behind will do with a plushly padded saddle. Trust me on this...firm is good.

Specialized Toupe

Like the Alias, the Toupe offers a very perineum friendly center groove as well as three different widths to choose from as opposed to many seats that only offer a 1 size supposed to fit all model. That's one of the reasons that I like Specialized so much, they get the idea that all people are not the size of a 130lb Tour de France rider and come in different widths, so the seats should too.

It's important to mention that the Specialized saddles being firm, will work best with a rider the sits on the saddle correctly. What I mean by that is you should ride with your hips rotated slightly forward, relaxed arms and shoulders and using your core, legs and arms to support some of the weight of your body. If you plant all of your body weight on the saddle like you were sitting in a kitchen chair, then you may not like the Specialized seating surface. If you do have decent form, then you should love it.

A gel version is available but honestly, you should work on your posture on the bike anyways, it's just good form and will make your pedaling more efficient and your rides more enjoyable. You could almost consider the seat a built in cycling coach. Once your butt starts hurting, you know your form is off.

Toupe Conclusion

The bottom line is that the Specialized Toupe is a great saddle at a decent price that comes in enough different varieties that you can pick one custom tailored to your own body geometry. The specs compare to other saddles in this category with the weight being very rider friendly.

The proven Body Geometry designed saddle features a very familiar center groove for those who might have issues with prostate or perineum soreness and the padding is designed for longer distance riding. It's firm but very butt friendly if you ride the bike the way it was designed to be ridden. Most saddles in this category will require that you practice good habits in order to be comfortable so do not be mistaken that this saddle is any different than most.

We're big fans of the Specialized lineup and the Toupe is practically their flagship model so give it a look and if you buy one then come back and leave your own Specialized Toupe Review.

Buy On Amazon

We did not find any matches for your request.

Specialized Toupe Saddle Review, 2.8 out of 5 based on 12 ratings

9 Comments »

  • Tony Barrand rated this:

    I purchased a 2009 Specialized Roubaix Comp Compact a few months ago. The more relaxed riding positions provided by the Roubaix , as well as the comfort offerd by reduced vibrations offered, were the deciding factors for this 60 year old.
    The bike came with a Specialized Toupe 143mm gel seat in white.
    I found that I was riding forward on the seat and if I moved back it was not as confortable. After a month or so I noticed that the seat was taking on a yellow sheen, I tried to clean it to no avail. The selling dealer looked at the seat when I was in to change out the original Shimano 105 shifters for the Shimano Ultagra style ST-R700′s built for smaller hands. I mentioned the issue of riding forward on the seat. He made a butt measurement and found that similar to my hand issues, my butt was smaller than the size needed for the supplied 143mm seat. He called the supplier and had the seat exchanged for a 130mm black Toupe gel. While waiting for the new seat, he installed a Specialized Alias 130mm, I found the reduced width allowed me to sit in the proper position on the seat comfortably. I like the Alias seat, although it feels more firm that the original larger 143mm Toupe. I am sure I will enjoy the miles when the new Toupe sized for my small butt is installed!!

    # 11 September 2009 at 9:23 pm
  • HS Romanow rated this:

    I have a ridden my Toupe for about 9 months. I tried several saddles prior to selecting the Toupe. Over the years I’ve used Gel Flows and Brooks Swift (still on one of my bikes). The saddle is very comfortable…at least for the first 3 hours. It great for climbing and descents, with plenty of positioning room. However, on longer rides (those over 3 hours), I found the saddle to be extraordinarily uncomfortable. On a recent 135 mile ride, I ended up having to stand about every 5 minutes for the last 2 hours to ease the pain. After writing to Specialized, wondering if it was me or the saddle, the indication from them is that the saddle is not made for endurance riding. I wish my bike shop had told me that after I had indicated that I needed a saddle that would take me through high mile rides.

    So, a great saddle for me for shorter rides. Not so much supporting endurance events.

    # 19 March 2010 at 2:18 pm
  • DSE rated this:

    Don’t let the thin profile and light padding fool you. This is a light but comfortable saddle. I personally prefer no gel or padding, because the seat itself flexes as needed. Make sure it fits your seat bones, and give it (and yourself) time to break things in, and you’ll find it is an excellent comfy, saddle. Too many recreational riders starting out or getting started don’t give a saddle a chance, or assume heavy padding is better, when in fact your butt will be more sore with heavy padding. A good value too.

    # 8 April 2010 at 4:10 pm
  • Bruce rated this:

    I purchased a 2009 Specialized Roubaix Comp Compact a few months ago. The more relaxed riding positions provided by the Roubaix , as well as the comfort offerd by reduced vibrations offered, were the deciding factors for this 60 year old.
    The bike came with a Specialized Toupe 143mm gel seat in white.
    I found that I was riding forward on the seat and if I moved back it was not as confortable. After a month or so I noticed that the seat was taking on a yellow sheen, I tried to clean it to no avail. The selling dealer looked at the seat when I was in to change out the original Shimano 105 shifters for the Shimano Ultagra style ST-R700′s built for smaller hands. I mentioned the issue of riding forward on the seat. He made a butt measurement and found that similar to my hand issues, my butt was smaller than the size needed for the supplied 143mm seat. He called the supplier and had the seat exchanged for a 130mm black Toupe gel. While waiting for the new seat, he installed a Specialized Alias 130mm, I found the reduced width allowed me to sit in the proper position on the seat comfortably. I like the Alias seat, although it feels more firm that the original larger 143mm Toupe. I am sure I will enjoy the miles when the new Toupe sized for my small butt is installed!!

    # 19 May 2010 at 1:07 pm
  • EW rated this:

    On short rides this is an adequate saddle. On longer rides it is exquisitely painful. I have ridden this saddle for 9000+ miles over the last three years and we are about to part ways. I definitely do NOT recommend this saddle unless you are really into pain.

    # 11 September 2010 at 9:20 pm
  • Big Wave rated this:

    I have riden a Specialized Toupe for about four years and I tend to agree with HS Romanow in his review. I love it for short to medium length rides but for long rides with not a lot climbing this saddle can get a little uncomfortable. In my experience, with this saddle, I have only really had problems with long (3.5 -5hour rides) where road is mostly flat.
    I now struggle to get in those sort of miles because of my new family so for me the Toupe is light, has multiple riding positions and is more that comfortable enough for my 150 – 350kms a week, I think is a great saddle.
    Oh….and I totally agree with the reviewer, this saddle demands correct posture on the bike, otherwise it will give you some pain.

    # 25 January 2011 at 9:51 pm
  • David rated this:

    The Troupe Comp Gel was recommended by the Certified BG fitter at my Specialized Store in Los Angeles. He installed and professionally leveled it for me. I am a marathon road rider–50 to 60 miles is my shortest ride usually up to 100 at a clip. I have been riding for 30+ years and have had countless bikes: Road, MTB and Cruiser. This is the worst saddle I have ever tested. I had numerous adjustment made and nothing helped. I think it may fit a limited number of road racers–probably the sprinters and not the long distance riders. The Saddle is fine for the first 15-20 miles and then it gives out and you are in pain for the rest of ride. You end up shifting more weight to your arms and legs to relieve the butt pain but in the end–after mile 40 you are history–the day is over for you. I wish Specialized would include more packaging specifics that indicate that this saddle is for short sprints–not long distance. But I want to reiterate what another reviewer wrote–perhaps on a different bike or a different body type you may be able to ride longer with not pain? I would like to see that though.

    # 10 July 2011 at 11:48 pm
  • Larry rated this:

    I found the saddle that came on my bike was too narrow. I kept shifting back to very rear of the seat while riding. But, it wasn’t painful to ride. I got a Toupe in a wider model and it hurts every time I ride. I’ve put a couple hundred miles on it and it is very painful. It doesn’t matter if I go on a short ride or long ride. All I can think during the ride is how much it hurts and how badly I want the ride to come to an end. I’m a big guy and I don’t know if that makes a difference, but I wouldn’t recommend this saddle.

    # 13 July 2011 at 9:59 pm
  • Baljeet Degun rated this:

    My experience matches many of the user comments above. I’m 46 yo, ride a Roubaix Comp, and do medium/high miles, meaning a ~50 km commute, and regular training and events of over 6 hours. I’m slim, 68kg, correctly fitted (by Steve Hogg) and have been riding a medium/143mm saddle.

    For shorter rides of a few hours, I like the saddle – it’s light, looks good, the cutout seems to work, and it’s a good balance between firm and flexy.

    But on the longer rides, it’s painful. I generally resort to tilting the saddle nose up or down a few mm in an attempt to relieve the pinching-type soreness, which I think is around the sit bones.

    I will probably try a Selle SMP next, as recc by Hogg.

    # 10 September 2011 at 12:05 am

Rate This Product!

VN:F [1.9.17_1161]
Rating: 2.8/5 (12 votes cast)

Leave Your Review Below:

Reviews Are Subject To Approval. Keep it Honest. No Spam Allowed.

Be honest, be fair and we will review all submissions before publishing to the site. We do not edit the reviews that you leave other than to remove profanity or something similar.

View All Featured Reviews

About Smirnoff Vodka