I have a bladder and urethra condition that makes bike riding on regular nosed saddles literally impossible for me. I looked into other noseless seats and they were a different kind of hell– unwieldy, unstable, overly padded, oversized, their clamping hardware was crap, etc. This is the first seat that I felt like I didn't want to die when I came back from a bike ride– actually the opposite, I felt normal! All my bits weren't smashed into oblivion and there's no saddle pain, nothing of the sort. The difference was instantaneously noticeable from the first time I got on it, just to test it out. Since this was expensive, and I had heard mixed reviews on bike forums, I was worried that I was going to pay a lot of money for another seat that promised the world, but ended up being useless. Nope! This seat delivered exactly what it promises. If you don't want to read the rest of my review, that's the only take away you need.
I will say that the seat looks comically small when you first see it. My spouse calls it the "Doll's Toilet" and told me that it's a really good thing that they don't offer it in white. (haha!) Anyway, you see it at firstand think: "there's no way that this will be comfortable", but do not be fooled by it's size– it's GREAT! It felt like it being smaller was actually a pro rather than a con. Since you don't have a nose to sort of "stabilize" against your thighs, this is small enough that you feel like you're kind of hugging it like a regular seat, but without the extra pressure on sensitive areas because of the lack of nose and extra cut out. I found that since other noseless seats were the opposite of this– their over compensation to make it "comfortable" was exactly why the oversized ones felt so unstable. Firstly, because they entice you with the extra cushioning, (you may/ may not really need that) with the wider seat, etc. But, in my experience, what that ends up feeling like is that I had nothing to sort of "hug" with my legs to stabilize myself, you're just sort of sitting and balancing on it like a perch (even when low height). Also, you still end up pressing your bits into it anyway because if you have it parallel to the ground it feels like you're falling forward (no matter how many adjustments), so you try to compensate by tilting it backwards slightly– and then it's just useless and uncomfortable just like a regular seat. Less is more in my case. I am on the shorter side, and I have never had my sit bones measured. Even not having that measurement to check, I felt that this was absolutely right for my stature/build– it felt totally natural right out the gate. It's everything I like about standard bike seats, without any of the pain that they come with– that's the best way to describe it.
The seat itself is decently firm without being uncomfortable– but maybe that's because I've got a lot of extra "natural padding". It was easy to install onto my bike, and did require a tiny bit of a fiddling to get the position of the saddle just right for me (tilt angle, position on the bars, plus the seat height). As with any new bike seat… But, I went out for a 10 minute ride and adjusted things incrementally throughout the ride whenever something didn't feel great. Eventually I got it to be exactly how I like it, it was perfect! I haven't had a good ride like that in my entire life! I realized just how uncomfortable regular bike saddles are, even apart from my medical conditions.
One of the bars has a max position on either end printed on it, which is very appreciated from a safety standpoint. Speaking of safety, this seat stayed put because the bars that the clamps come in contact with weren't coated. The other cheaper brand I tried for a noseless seat (xwing) coated their saddles' bars and their clamps with some sort of metal bike paint, and it provides absolutely no traction to the clamps, so you can tighten them all day long and they still just swivel as you ride and when you try to get on and off– which is not safe! Even when I used my original non-coated clamps, it made no difference. But, not this seat! This seat stayed super tightly in place, never had a moment of feeling unsafe.
I feel like extremely happy to be riding again without any pain/ making my conditions worse. Of course, I just got it and I haven't ridden it for long distances yet, so if I feel that anything changes about this seat for me, I will be updating my review. But, I do have confidence that it'll be good! Bottom line is, I absolutely love this seat. I'm BEYOND PLEASED. If you have any sensitivity issues with nosed saddles, give this a try. I don't think you'll be sorry. 🙂

Context: I'm a male in my seventies. I'm 5'9" and weigh 220#. I have a fat bike and a hybrid. Neither bike has any type of suspension. Both bikes have 14" ape-hanger handlebars. I ride upright. I ride 2-3k miles per year, mostly 15-mile laps of my neighborhood.

It took a few rides, but once my seat got used to this seat, it is very comfortable. I use it on both my bikes because they have the same size seat post.

I've had this seat a few years and now, riding a bike with a "normal" style seat feels uncomfortable.

Would buy again.

I own both the ISM Touring and ISM Sport models. The Sport is quite firm (many would say it's just plain hard, even compared to a lot of conventional saddles) and pretty narrow considering it has to support your sit bones. The Touring, on the other hand, is better padded (while still quite firm) and wider. I'm fairly athletic and have ridden more than 10,000 miles in the past decade, and even I prefer the Touring. I keep my Sport on a bike that I don't ride a whole lot.

Which brings me to the problem: when I ordered this item through Amazon, I thought I was getting the Touring, since that's what it says, but they sent the Sport. One of the VERY few times I've ever returned something I bought through Amazon. Very disappointing, because the Sport they sent is a VERY different model from the Touring model that it claims to be. And again, I would know because I own both.

If not for that I'd rate it 5 stars. The actual Touring model is an excellent saddle. I know it's not for everyone, but I've come to realize that saddles with noses – even with "cutout" grooves" – still contact your perineum, putting at least a little pressure on it, and that is a Bad Thing (for both men and women). It's a fundamental design flaw in conventional bike saddles, and the only solution to get rid of the nose. I've tried a few noseless saddles, and to me the ISMs are the best, especially the Touring. This is the same model that got rave reviews (and nearly eliminated ED) in a study of male bike police. Guys, have you long suspected lots of biking might be contributing to at least slightly reduced bedroom performance? It is. Get the weight off your taint NOW!

Does it make it harder to steer the bike? I don't think so? I steer with my hips, like most serious riders, and I haven't found a problem. There's more than enough weight on your butt to steer your bike with it, nose or no nose. Even if I'm "riding light" over bumpy terrain, I still have no difficulty. And yes, I'm a mountain biker, not just a pavement rider. Losing the nose has cost me absolutely NOTHING in terms of control over my bike. Absolutely the only downside to me of a noseless saddle is the funny looks and questions you get. Well, too bad. It's more important to make my wife happy than all the conformists in the world.