Planet Bike Men's A.R.S. Anatomic Relief Bicycle Saddle

I'm 5'10", 164 lbs with a 33" waist. I think I have a normal sized butt and sit bones. I needed to replace the stock seat on a Trek DS 8.5 hybrid bicycle. Although the stock seat had a mild depression for the perineal area, it simply wasn't enough and left me starting to feel numb after 10 miles or so.This seat is an incredible upgrade and works excellently with normal street clothes. O.k., brace yourself, I'm going to start using technical anatomy words--Google a medical pic of the male anatomy if you need some help. The deep, long relief channel provides full relief for one's anus, perineum, and bulbospongiosus muscle, the latter being my biggest "pain" while using the stock saddle (and often the most overlooked relief area). As a relative measure, I wasn't able to fart (that should get a giggle or two) while seated in the stock saddle, but the ARS provides plenty of breathing room for the activity, which indicates there is no pressure to staunch the flow. Like most horned saddles, the "boys" float comfortably on the horn of the saddle and are in no danger of falling down into the forward channel.Adjustability is standard and secure. The slight upward rise of the saddle in the sit bone area led me to position the horn a touch higher than level so that I wouldn't be pushed forward. The back of the ARS saddle is a bit wider and taller than my stock saddle, so it does touch the back of my legs a bit more at the gluteus crease. While noticeable, it hasn't ever bothered me on my 25-30 mile rides.I find the material to have sufficient friction to keep me from sliding around, but not so sticky that I can't move easily. It feels like a stiff or bristly microfiber. As an added bonus, I didn't realize that the padding was a stiff foam rubber. From the picture, I thought it would be harder on the sit bones, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it provides nice, firm cushioning. Now that I have this ARS saddle, I'm glad I didn't get the  Planet Bike 5020 Men's ARS Standard Anatomic Relief Saddle with Gel . I think the gel would just be too much. As others have noted, the stickers fall off pretty quickly in humid or wet conditions.Because the front of the relief channel is a through-hole, the rider's tender bits get plenty of ventilation while in motion.All in all, an excellent saddle and a no-brainer for $25.Note: The attached picture compares the longer  Planet Bike 5020 Men's ARS Standard Anatomic Relief Saddle with Gel  to this seat.

I bought this saddle for "anatomical relief." But the saddle actually caused more problems. The "neck" of the saddle is wider than that of a normal saddle, and it is higher. So even though there is a hole in the middle of the neck, you feel the neck more as you ride in comparison to a normal saddle. Instead of just cutting off circulation like a normal saddle, it actually causes aching pain that lasts long after I've stopped riding.Also, the logos you see on the side of the saddle are decals or stickers that begin wearing and peeling off during the first week of use. Very cheap-looking.

Cheap price? Yep. Comfortable saddle? Nope. This saddle is good for a short ride, a half hour or so. Longer? Forget it. I bought this saddle based on the reviews and sorry I blew $20 on it. I was out for my weekend 50 mile ride and after an hour my backside said no more. I found the nearest bike shop and bought a new saddle and finished the ride in comfort.

After using this saddle for a couple weeks, the mounting rails gave and folded up completely below the cushion. This also caused the seat to flex downward on the outside edges becoming painfully uncomfortable for the last 6 miles or so of trail. Once I got home and examined it I was stunned, especially because I was on some simple DH most of the time and stayed out of the saddle majority of the ride.The short time that it lasted, it was pretty comfortable. Not the best saddle but by far not the worst. I don't know if this was a fluke or what, but it doesn't seem to be a common problem that I've heard of. All well, I will move on and find another saddle... but for now the stock one will do. Planet Bike products are normally pretty solid, so this doesn't deter me from purchasing their other items.. but this is being returned defective.EDIT: 09/26/2012 - Of course Planet Bike had no problem taking the saddle back defective. They informed me that this saddle uses standard grade steel for the rails, and that I should consider a stronger saddle for my style of riding. Stronger would be Cromoly, Nicro, or Titanium. Keep this in mind if you are rough on your saddle..