Win a SMP saddle !!
SMP saddles have been a runaway smash success for Sundance, simply one of the best recieved saddles we have ever sold. But they sure look wacky and we'er not certain what SPM stands for anyway. This is your chance to win a SMP Stirke series saddle. What does SMP stand for? You tell us. The funnier the better. Got a picture? That's okay also. We remain the sole judges and our decision will be final. The winner will recieve a new SMP Strike series of their choice, a $240 value. Deadline is October 12th, 2007 and the winner will be announced in our weekly email on October 16th, 2007.
Winning entry by Steve Caswell
Many people, of course, say that SMP means Stop My Pee. It just isn't true. After some extensive research, I've discovered that SMP means Sostenere la Mia Prostata. What? You were expecting English. The company is Italian and SMP has to be Italian. In English, Sostenere la Mia Prostata means Support My Prostate. Here's how it came about:
In 1951, one of the leading contestants in the Giro d\'Italia was Tarrucci Baldini, a scion of the famous Italian tire company. As lore has it, Tarrucci would have won that year, except his saddle kept pressing against his prostate, causing him to have to pee in a key stage of the race. While he didn't disgrace himself by leaving the race for the bushes or dribbling down his leg, it slowed him down enough that he lost the race by about 10 seconds. When the race was over, he went to a new manufacturer of saddles, and asked them to develop one that would "sostenere le mia prostata," not press upon it. The rest is history, and the Selle SMP brand was born, named for Tarrucci's now-famous request. Okay, so how did the Stop My Pee rumor come about? Over the years, many English-speaking riders heard the story, and misinterpreted it to say that SMP means "Stop My Pee." However, they forgot that the saying was originally Italian, and, had Tarrucci's request been to "stop my pee," he would have said, "fermare mio di pisciare," which would have resulted in the company being named FMP.
The Real Truth
Okay, it's amazing what some people will do to win a free saddle. The above story obviously isn't true. You made me curious, however, what SMP really means, so I sent an email to the company, explaining that I owned one of their saddles, liked it very much, and wondered what SMP meant. Here is their response:
Hello Mr. Caswell.
I apreciate very much your request.
The name of our company is Selle SMP were "Selle" is "Saddles" and SMP is "Schiavon Martino Padova" were Schiavon is the surname of our family, Martino is the name of my father, dead last year at 94 years old, and Padova is our town (Padua).
Our brend is 60 years old this year.
Best regards.
Maurizio Schiavon
Selle SMP sas
tel: +39 049 643966
fax: +39 049 8740106
mail : info@sellesmp.com
web : www.sellesmp.com
So there you have it. SMP really means Schiavon Martino Padova.
SMP SADDLES ON DISPLAY AT SUNDANCE
TAKE ONE FOR A RIDE
The SMP saddle is the pioneer in a new way of conceiving the bicycle saddle: a meticulous study of the positions taken on during the race and the functional analysis of the interactions of the various parts of the body with the saddle. Requested by cyclists coming to Sundance it is also the same saddle reviewed in the Health Section of the LA Times.
The three distinct characteristics of the SMP Strike include the beak of the saddle nose avoiding pressure, the center channels unique shape that provides support while maintaining prevention of crushing precious body parts, veins, and arteries, and the seating patern at the back prevents coccyx (tailbone) from touching the saddle. Sundance has a complete line of saddles in stock in the front display. Take the saddle for a demo ride and see if the difference of the SMP Stike will let you ride longer and more comfortably.
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