Get Comfortable with ISM Saddles

At a Glance

Joining the ISM saddle ambassador team was an easy yes — I’d already been riding their pressure-relieving saddles for years across my TT, road, and commuter bikes. Here’s why the split-nose design won me over, and how the three models I run compare.

HIGHLIGHTS

Joined the ISM (Ideal Saddle Modification) team of athletes and ambassadors
Adamo TT on the Cannondale Slice for triathlon — thousands of miles over two Ironman seasons
Adamo Podium (300g) on the Trek Domane commuter for extra padding and stability
Adamo Attack on the SuperSix Evo — sleek and narrow, replacing a Fizik that caused numbness

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Comfort is design, not luck: ISM shifts weight off the perineal region to prevent numbness
Match the saddle to the bike: TT, road, and commuter setups each call for a different model
Trust long-ride experience: the real test is how a saddle feels hours deep into a ride
Get fitted: ISM’s broad lineup means there’s likely a right saddle for every rider

I am honored to announce that I have joined the ISM (Ideal Saddle Modification) team of athletes & ambassadors!

I’ve been using their saddles since 2012 and no other saddle that I’ve tried in the past 4 years of cycling has matched their level of comfort. I’m still the new kid on the block when it comes to cycling but when it comes to comfort, I feel like I’ve struck gold with ISM. The technology behind these saddles is really cool because it focuses on shifting your body weight to where it should be instead of at the perineal region where numbness occurs. This next picture pretty much sums it up 🙂

ISM provides a broad range of saddles, from cruiser style seats to your time trial specialist saddle; meaning that there has to be at least one on their lineup that will fit you well. As for me, I have 3 saddles in the rotation, all of which have their own special qualities for each type of riding. Here are my setups!

Adamo TT – Cannondale Slice (time trial/triathlon)
This was my first ever ISM saddle. I bought it at a time when I just first started triathlon training. Like many others out there, I wanted a saddle that was comfortable, whether I was doing a recovery ride on the trainer or hitting the hills for interval repeats. I don’t remember where I first tried the Adamo TT but I remember how much I liked the feel of it…and then I absolutely loved the comfort when I was 4 hours into my ride. The TT saddle has sloped front arms for extra relief, especially since I ride in a more aggressive position on the Cannondale Slice. I’ve logged thousands of miles on this saddle, throughout 2 Ironman seasons, and I look forward to many more.

Adamo Podium – Trek Domane (road/commuter)
I chose the Podium for my commuter bike mainly because it has a bit more padding than the Attack. It’s also wider, so it gives me slightly more stability when riding with no-hands 😉 Before mounting the saddle, it weighed in at 300 grams, which isn’t significantly light, but the trade-off for comfort is worth it.

Adamo Attack – Cannondale Supersix Evo (road)

The latest to my collection of ISM saddles is the Adamo Attack. The Supersix Evo came with the Fizik saddle which would make me go numb in about 45 minutes of easy riding – that’s certainly a recipe for disaster. I’m not much of a weight weenie but when it comes to my 14 pound Evo, I try to be more careful as to not add unnecessary weight to this machine. This is where the Attack comes in. It’s sleek, narrower for road races, light, and of course, feels great under my chamois.