“I love it… it’s an R2. Currently I only train on it. My rehab coach purchased it for me about 7 weeks after I was suffering from numbness etc. – all much improved.” J.S, Team Leader, Premier Calendar and Elite Circuit Series, UK “Beats the supposed old Tour method of sitting on a steak all-day and tenderising it.” “My long-distance saddle problems were solved by a RIDO saddle – at first glance an unfriendly-looking totally rigid saddle. “You kindly helped me obtain one of these saddles back in May and I wanted to thank you for your help.” “You kindly helped me obtain one of these saddles back in May and I wanted to thank you for your help. “…this is the end game of bicycle seats” “One of the things I’ve liked best about my Rido saddle is that it just works, there’s no gel gimmick, cavity area, etc. The seat seems to have a perfect blend of flexibility and stiffness and allows me to ride much longer than before. “I would just like to say how impressed I am with both the saddle I ordered on Monday and your service in having it delivered to me within 24 hours! My wife loved the saddle and got her going (cycling) again.” “If it wasn’t for this saddle and it’s predecessor I would never have been able to graduate from 30-40 mile rides to 80 – 100. “I bought the original Rido, after seeing a passing reference to it in a bikeradar review on another saddle, and never looked back. I pre-ordered the R2 as soon as I heard about it and have now done about 2k miles without a hint of NNS. Yes it a little heavy, but then so am I, and comfort under the sit bones could be improved but these are minor issues when compared with having fully functioning gentleman’s vegetables.” “Simply outstanding” “Simply outstanding! I have tried numerous saddles over the years. A lot of money, a lot of different materials (yes Brooks included) and none has come close to this. Grooves carved on previous saddles show that the bones on either side of my perineum carve into a saddle’s arch. Those with a hollowed-out centre have merely led to my bones rubbing on each side of the cut out. Ouch. I have never been able to ride comfortably for two days in a row before now. Long rides always resulted in sore and embarrassing problems. Now I don’t think about it. Also, from using tubs of ‘chamois’ cream I now use none. Yes, none. Something the review fails to mention is the dissipation of impact on the sit bones due to the design. Several other saddles where you are perched solely on the sit bones have less shock absorbent properties. This leads to swelling. “It took a while to get the position right. It’s obviously extremely subjective but I found raising the tip a fair amount worked best. And yes it may be weighty (that’s a whole 40 grams heavier than my Brooks Swift – I put them on the scales) but I’m putting out a lot more power because I’m no longer hurting. Especially from one hour onwards. So, yep, I’m going a lot quicker. For me it’s the best improvement you can make to a bike… any bike – the Rido presently adorns my carbon racer… and it’s only thirty quid. Read all the grateful reviews on the Rido website if you think I’m either connected to the company or a lone madman crying in the wilderness. “Saddle design has been stuck in the dark ages – they looked at what people put on a horse and tried to do the same for a bike. It was a case of wrong thinking. Fortunately Rido has done something about it. |
“I have to convert some unbelievers. I will say, however, that I did not try the original (although it was only the price of two inner tubes). My experience is based on the R2.
What I can say though is that buying this was the last desperate throw of a dice in a game in which I’d run up a string of heavy losses. The list of wagers that didn’t come good included (draws breath, the list is long) – from the Selle Italia stable – SLR XP, Max Flite Transam, Flite Gel, Turbo, Turbomatic gel; Brooks – Swift and Professional; San Marco – Rolls and Rever. Some offered me longer periods of comfort than others but all would eventually turn nasty and revert to torturing me. It was exasperating. I have a great carbon frame (Argon 18), great wheels (record hubs, excellight rims) a great groupset (Chorus) but how the hell do I sit on all this without inflicting unspeakable damage on my undercarriage? “I was intrigued by the Rido but sceptical because I’d been so scarred (literally) by previous experience. Decided not to hold back with the testing. First ride – two and a half hours in tatty, worn racing shorts and no cream. Too much pressure pushing me forward BUT I was going faster towards the end. Result no sores. This was unprecedented. Some subsequent tinkering and I found the sweet spot – tip raised by a lot, perhaps 15 degrees. I do tend to grind a bit with my 80kgs but I was putting out more power for longer, especially on the flats, because my legs were unhindered by jabs of pain. I was even complimented on improving the fluency of my pedaling by a former international racer. Next big test a six hour ride in the mountains with another of four hours the day after. Both were done wearing standard club shorts with no cream. Usually I would have cried off doing the second due to saddle sores. The result? – well, my undercarriage could not have told me it had been near a bike all weekend. Truly phenomenal. Tellingly my club mates (a reactionary lot) are intrigued. I simply invite them to sit on it, bounce up and down and tell me what they think. Their response is overwhelmingly one of positive surprise.”I admit it would be too much for everyone to like the R2 – it doesn’t look as sleek as a carbon jobbie for starters but you don’t see a saddle when someone’s on it and for me it’s been a revelation – a transformative experience – and all for just THIRTY QUID. THIRTY QUID!!!! That’ s less than the price of a good racing tyre that might get ripped open on your next ride. OK. That’s me done for now. Over to any naysayers.” “These are superb and from day one reduced any discomfort or pain” “Never had the erectile problem but I have suffered numb nuts and following a lot of pain and a raised PSA, which is a sign of testicular cancer, I bought a Rido saddle see: www.rido-cyclesaddles.com/. “I am a female cyclist…… I have not had a minute’s discomfort on the (RIDO) saddle” “I am a female cyclist who commutes 40km per day to work and also goes cycle touring once or twice a year for a month at a time. It is difficult to find a comfortable saddle and this is compounded by a medical condition I have which is aggravated by any friction in this area. I have tried my fare share of so-called “female specific saddles” and have found them unremarkable. The only saddle that I have found comfortable is a Hamock Saddle, a South African designed and manufactured female-specific saddle which looks a little like a uni-cycle saddle. As these aren’t made any longer I was trying to “make it last” but it had started to fall apart and I had to start looking for a replacement – breaking a saddle cycling to work is one thing, but when cycle touring it’s a deal breaker!” “I spotted the Rido while trawling through pages of saddles on the SJS Website and it immediately made sense. The price is excellent – it encourages you to take the chance as it is affordable. Also, the write ups and reviews were great. I have not had a minute’s discomfort on the saddle and I’ve been riding up to 270km per week. I have ordered a second for an upcoming cycle tour to New Zealand in November and can’t wait to tour on it. / continued / “I ordered a second Rido saddle for cycle touring and wanted to make it a priority to send you some feedback. “I bought the saddle to overcome soreness down below which at first did not seem to be any better when I first used the (R2) saddle. It was only a short ride of about 7 miles. |