If you are one of those people who has trouble with acronyms, then the new way ISM has of naming their saddles may seem a little befuddling. ISM, which stands for Innovative Saddle Maker in case you were wondering, wants to help you decide which saddle to get for yourself by making the names be more than just evocative. The ISM PL 1.0 Saddle is the first level in the PL or Performance Long line up.

Though the folks at ISM are the first to admit that each rider will have his or her own favorite saddle, they generally believe that the saddles in the Performance Long category will be perfect for road riders who like to have a lot of room to move on the saddle, depending on what sort of terrain must be conquered. It is 270mm long to facilitate that moving fore and aft, while the rear is 135mm at its widest to provide the perfect platform for your ischial tuberosities or sit bones when you have settled back into a climbing position. And since this saddle comes with the 30-series level of padding, which falls somewhere in the middle of their padding possibilities, you shouldnt have to worry about causing your sit bones any discomfort once you have rotated your hips back in a more upright position. Of course, the crux of all ISM saddles is the comfort provided by the nose-less, forked design. You wont be putting the pressure on your soft tissue, but depending on how aggressive your position, either your sit bones or ischial tuberosities when sitting more upright, or your pubic rami bones when you have your hips rotated forward.

In spite of how long it is, this is still a classic ISM nose-less design. It will prevent you from suffering any pressure on your perineum, which can cause numbness in the genital region and just be a complete ride-ruiner. Before you head out on your first century with this saddle, though you should be very careful about having it properly adjusted. You cant simply position it the same way you would your conventional saddle. ISM says that you should have between two and three inches of saddle behind you when you are in position. The lightweight titanium rails offer you quite a lot of wiggle room when adjusting just where you feel more comfortable with it.

The ISM PL 1.0 Saddle will be a great saddle for those of you transitioning from a conventionally long saddle and would miss not having some room to maneuver whether you are riding in an aggressive or relaxed stance. At 330 grams, it offers superior comfort with very little weight penalty.