# Toupe vs Romin



## RaGzMaN

Hi all,
Has anyone specifically ridden both of these or own both of these? 

I think the ones I'm looking at are the Toupe Expert and the Romin Evo Expert in 143.

Generally I'm after what type of rider would choose a Toupe over/or a Romin. Ive heard 2 very conflicting reports from local bike shops more or less saying the opposite things so I'm interested to know what type of riders are using these. 

I ride an aggressive set up road bike and do find myself sliding forward and back through a ride or a climb depending on the type of effort and move positions on the saddle on my current set up. Ive not use a specialized saddle yet so don't have any previous experience.

Thanks in advance


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## NealH

The Romin is a bit more ergo shaped so your butt tends to sit more evenly across it, distributing weight a little better - but just a little, although weight is still primarily on the sit bones. 

The Toupe tends to put more weight on the sit bones, although being flatter you can slide a little easier on it. But the Romin does not sag like some saddles, so one can still slide on it. It doesn't have the swag of saddles like the Aliante and Selle SMP's - it just has a little. 

Off the bat I would say if you ride a lot of drop and your focus is racing, the Toupe just seems to be easy to get along with. It doesn't limit your movements, its pretty minimalist and tries to stay out of your way. Its probably there more for balance than comfort. The Romin will suit the person who needs just a little more comfort because they are riding charity rides, centuries, metrics, and not racing. It will also better suit the person who has back issues, since the tail of the saddle tends to support the body especially when climbing. The Toupe will rely more on your back muscles for support. 

Having said all that, the Romin is very much at home racing. Its really a matter of preference. Some like the slight swag and don't move around much on the saddle. These people may like the slight support it provides when hammering or climbing. Since the Romin is more ergo, I think sizing is very important. You might want to try the 143 and 155. 

I own both, and prefer the Romin. Still not the perfect saddle though.


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## ptt127

I rode a Toupe Team for 2 years and recently switched to a Romin Pro. Love them both. I agree with NealH. The Toupe is a bit flatter side to side so puts a little more pressure on the sit bones. If you have numbness issues, the shape and wider 'taint slot on the Romin may work better. And the kicked up tail of the Romin definitely helps rotate your hips forward and gives you something to push against when climbing. The one thing I will say is that the tail makes fit a bit more finicky for me. Basically, the farther back you are relative to the BB, the lower your optimal saddle height should be (think of a circle centered on the BB). But with the Romin, the farther back you go the higher you go. But, if you roll your hips forward like you should, that also extends your legs a little toward the BB. So it depends how you sit. I think the flatter Toupe is a bit more no-brainer for fit, but the Romin has specific advantages that work for many people.


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## roadworthy

NealH said:


> The Romin is a bit more ergo shaped so your butt tends to sit more evenly across it, distributing weight a little better - but just a little, although weight is still primarily on the sit bones.
> 
> The Toupe tends to put more weight on the sit bones, although being flatter you can slide a little easier on it. But the Romin does not sag like some saddles, so one can still slide on it. It doesn't have the swag of saddles like the Aliante and Selle SMP's - it just has a little.
> 
> Off the bat I would say if you ride a lot of drop and your focus is racing, the Toupe just seems to be easy to get along with. It doesn't limit your movements, its pretty minimalist and tries to stay out of your way. Its probably there more for balance than comfort. The Romin will suit the person who needs just a little more comfort because they are riding charity rides, centuries, metrics, and not racing. It will also better suit the person who has back issues, since the tail of the saddle tends to support the body especially when climbing. The Toupe will rely more on your back muscles for support.
> 
> Having said all that, the Romin is very much at home racing. Its really a matter of preference. Some like the slight swag and don't move around much on the saddle. These people may like the slight support it provides when hammering or climbing. Since the Romin is more ergo, I think sizing is very important. You might want to try the 143 and 155.
> 
> I own both, and prefer the Romin. Still not the perfect saddle though.


I always enjoy reading Neal's perspective and as usual he sums up both very well. I too own both saddles on different bikes and am hard pressed to decide which I like the most. I like them both. As to a perfect saddle, they are more perfect than any I have ever ridden. In fact I sold all my Brooks saddles because of Specialized because I can ride a century on them without pain. Here-to-fore that wasn't achievable for me with other brands of plastic saddles. Biggest factor with Specialized is width sizing. If you have ordinary sit bone spacing this is likely less of a big deal. My hip bones are a bit wide and a 155mm width in both saddle gives me the support I need. So experimenting with width...get measured at your lbs if you can will manifest the most comfort. FWIW the Romin rides a bit narrower than the Toupe. Many Pros ride the Romin in 155 and Toupe in 143.
The thing about saddles is, you can't 'virtually assess' them even by asking other's advice on the web really as each of us have a slightly different pelvis shape...some ride more or less rotated, vary in weight etc so one saddle shape doesn't fit all. An aggressive position on the bike as you mention for example will generally favor a narrow saddle because when rotating the pelvis forward, sit bone spacing narrows. I do believe however both the Toupe and Romin are among the most popular road bike saddles sold and for good reason. A tip is...buy slightly used on ebay to hone in on your decision. Saddle selection tends to be a work in progress anyway. Buy right, test and if not perfect, sell on ebay. I have done this a lot...minimal outlay to experiment and no need to live at your lbs.
Btw...I haven't ridden the new Expert EVO Romin and that is likely my next saddle. I ride the regular Romin Ti. Also...look for the Toupe Expert Plus...if you want just a bit more padding for longer rides...the Plus is a basic Toupe Ti with just a hint more padding.


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## RaGzMaN

Thanks for all the advice, great info. It sounds like trying a Romin would be good for me. I got measured as a 143, I guess thats the best place to start with the Romin or would I size up in comparison to the Toupe.


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## Stumpjumper FSR

RaGzMaN said:


> Thanks for all the advice, great info. It sounds like trying a Romin would be good for me. I got measured as a 143, I guess thats the best place to start with the Romin or would I size up in comparison to the Toupe.


As Roadworthy said, you can't 'virtually assess' saddles on the web. That said my sit bones measure 130 mm and I've ridden the 143 Toupe for years so I went with a 143mm Romin, after some discomfort I tried a 155 mm and it was perfect. The sides of the Romin which support the sit bones drop off more drastically than the Toupe's and I found myself supporting my weight with my taint..not my sit bones with the 143mm.
I would find a shop that will let you try out the different saddles and see which one fits you the best. By the way I own a Toupe, Romin, and Romin EVO and the EVO is my favorite.


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## bikerjohn64

I too have ridden both the Toupe Ti 143 for 3 years and now am on the Romin Pro 143 now for 1.5 years. I loved the Toupe from the very beginning. My rear just felt good with the flat-topped saddle of the Toupe and felt I was supported in all the right areas. I gave the Romin a try and I liked that even more since I found that the Romin gave me three distinct positioning that I can shift between in the saddle depending on my riding positioning. The first thing I noticed about the Romin is that it was slightly wider at the nose than the Toupe. For me; it was a good thing being a bigger guy(182lbs). Like the others; I find the rear hook of the saddle a great place to find support for your back and also a surface to push against locking in for a good power-transfer stroke. The middle centralized position is a great cradle for spinning and overall riding position. The nose has a nicer dip than the Toupe and I like sliding up to it when I go in the drops. The slight extra width and the concave channel that goes to the tip also helps with creating a cavity for a touch of comfort(as much as can be riding up that far). Anyhow; I have enjoyed the transition from the Toupe to the Romin and it works for me. Some Specialized dealers will have "trial" saddle to rent out. I would highly recommend them a try if you can.


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## Dave Hickey

I've tried both in 143mm...I prefer the Toupe... 

I like my sit bones to support the majority of my weight.....The Romin's rounded sides put too much pressure on areas other than my sit bones...


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## Stumpjumper FSR

Dave Hickey said:


> I've tried both in 143mm...I prefer the Toupe...
> 
> I like my sit bones to support the majority of my weight.....The Romin's rounded sides put too much pressure on areas other than my sit bones...


Same here, thats why I sized up to a 155mm


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## AntelopeTG

I tried the Toupe Gel that came on the Roubaix for about 150 miles but never could get used to it, painful for me. I have a Romin now that is much better. Like others, I too up sized to the 155.


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## t-wood

I have been testing saddles for the last 3 weeks and used both of these for about a week each (143 for both). The Romin was comfortable for about 45 minutes and then it placed too much pressure on the inside of the sit bones and became really uncomfortable. The Toupe was good for about an hour and then it felt like I was sitting on plywood, very hard feeling beyond the hour mark. I then tried the Toupe plus and it is the most comfortable seat I've ever used. I'm coming from an slr that I found great except I was going numb and the slr flow put too much pressure on the inside of the sit bones...probably too narrow.

Anyway, this is my experience and of course everyone is shaped different but I wanted to throw in my 2 cents.


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## roadworthy

t-wood said:


> I have been testing saddles for the last 3 weeks and used both of these for about a week each (143 for both). The Romin was comfortable for about 45 minutes and then it placed too much pressure on the inside of the sit bones and became really uncomfortable. The Toupe was good for about an hour and then it felt like I was sitting on plywood, very hard feeling beyond the hour mark. I then tried the Toupe plus and it is the most comfortable seat I've ever used. I'm coming from an slr that I found great except I was going numb and the slr flow put too much pressure on the inside of the sit bones...probably too narrow.
> 
> Anyway, this is my experience and of course everyone is shaped different but I wanted to throw in my 2 cents.


Sounds as though the extra padding on the Toupe 'Plus' transformed the Toupe. I need to try both the Toupe Plus and the new Romin Evo.
Thanks for your comments.


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## j73

I'm using a romin 143, and want to try the toupe... Do I go with the toupe 130? The way I understood this thread


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## geomel108

j73 said:


> I'm using a romin 143, and want to try the toupe... Do I go with the toupe 130? The way I understood this thread


If your able to, it'd be best to try out saddles at your LBS. As for me an my 2cents, I honestly like em both very much. I started off with the toupe pro and I now have the romin pro. Both in the 143. I my self did not feel the need to change widths.


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## j73

I was considering 130 due to inner right thigh rubbing and causing discomfort. Thanks I will try to look for a LBS that allow trying the saddle


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## taodemon

I prefer the romin to the toupe. I did a few rides on my dad's tarmac which has a toupe and it just felt like I was sliding around a lot even when i didnt want to. The romin you can still change your position around but at the same time it seems to hold you better in that position until you decide to change it up if that makes sense.


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## Donn12

I have the romin evo pro on 4 bikes and a toupe on my cx bike. I started with toupe on my main road bike but I feel like it is too padded and I sink down into it so the roman evo feels better to me. I do some gravel rides on my aluminum cx bike but for road (especially 100 mile rides) I need to be on the romin I had my sit bones measured and 155mm is perfect for me.


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