SMC Sport Gel Men
- For the best in man
- Prevents numbness
- Seating comfort with gel pads
*Weights may vary in production. **Price can vary by country.
The Ergon development team carried out intensive research on the topic of men’s health. They found that the main cause of complaints when cycling is the saddle. Often times, men experience too much pressure on their perineal area leading to pain, discomfort, numbness and potentially more severe health problems. The SMC Men Sport Gel relieves this pressure with a very specific relief channel as well as better surface area distribution under the bony structures. Through MRT, CT analysis, many prototypes and test riders, we have ergonomically adjusted the saddle to the specific anatomy and needs of men.
Compared to women, the male pelvis tends to be less flexible. This means that men sit more upright on the saddle and put more of their weight distribution on their sit bones. Therefore the transition area between the rear of the saddle and the saddle nose can be kept narrow (Y-shape). This gives the legs more space to pedal.
In contrast to the female anatomy, the male sit bones are more narrow and where the two sides of the pelvis come together in the front is much higher. This results in more pressure being distributed on the male’s sit bones vs. a broader area of sit bones and pubic bones in women. We have taken this significant difference between male and female anatomy into consideration during saddle development.
The correct distribution of pressure is important. In order to protect the sensitive perineal area, the pressure must be shifted to the sit bones and parts of the pubic arch – this is exactly how the relief surface of Ergon men’s saddles works. Due to the more upright sitting male pelvis we have kept the surface flat and even for best possible freedom of movement. For the support we use the highest quality foams.
The shape and size of the saddle must match the sit bone width of the rider to maximize comfort and enjoyment.
The pelvic bone has a unique V-shaped and the saddle must offer the sit bones a large contact surface with the ability to meet the demand of different sitting positions. Various saddle widths are offered so that the usable seat surface corresponds to the riders unique sit bone distance.
The more forward and aggressive the rider sits, the further forward the sit bones contact the saddle.
When cycling, most of your body weight rests on the small saddle surface. To prevent discomfort in the extremely sensitive perineal and genital areas, the pressure is distributed as evenly as possible over the sit bones using anatomical gel pad inlays.
The padding of the SMC Sport Gel Men is made of thick orthopedic comfort foam, which we have designed for mountain biking to be particularly ergonomic, yet extremely durable. This foam ideally supports the pressure distribution.
The progressive relief channel, which deepens towards the rear, leads to an opening through the saddle shell. This construction combines all of the advantages of a cut-out saddle without the potential disadvantages. This design gives the saddle shell more forgiveness as well as specifically relieves perineal pressures. Too much pressure in this area often leads to discomfort and numbness in the genital area.
The saddle’s flat rear and minimal ramp provides excellent freedom of movement for dynamic positioning while mountain biking.
A Topeak QuickClick mount is integrated in all models of the SMC Men Series. This removable QuickClick mount allows for Topeak saddlebags to be easily attached in a streamline fashion.