Which mtb saddle

If a rider loses control or their feet come off the pedals, the saddle will often be the first point of contact and need to be able to withstand a rider's entire body weight landing on the saddle.

Enduro bikes and long-travel frame riders rolling 29er wheels might need to consider the issue of tire buzz shredding the aft portion of their saddle. This can happen when the rear suspension is fully compressed, rolling downhill over extreme terrain, at speed. Bike Perfect. Included in this guide: 1. Specifications Weight: g actual. Size: mm x mm. Reasons to avoid - Steel version is heavy.

WTB Koda. Specifications Weight: g. Reasons to avoid - Some may prefer a men's or women's specific saddle. SDG Radar. Reasons to avoid - Not much, which is why this is a favorite. Ergon SM Pro. Reasons to avoid - lb max rider weight - Flat design not for everyone.

Reasons to avoid - Minimalist shape and padding might not work for larger riders - Expensive. Brooks Cambium C17 all weather. Reasons to avoid - Not the lightest. Specialized Power Arc Expert. Size: , , mm. Reasons to avoid - Pricey. Size: x Reasons to avoid - Gravity strength rather than climbing comfort. Chromag Trailmaster. Size: mm. Reasons to avoid - Heavy - Not waterproof.

And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison. Best Mountain Bike Saddle. Photo: Heather Benson. Share this article:. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Learn more. Note: Most mountain bike saddles are considered Unisex and are suitable for use by all sexes.

There are some women's specific saddles on the market, and we hope to include some in a future update. Top 13 Product Ratings. Displaying 1 - 5 of Tioga Undercover Stratum TI. Specialized Phenom Comp. Tioga Spyder Outland. WTB Koda Team. Show full specification details Hide full specification details. Comfort 9. See all prices 2 found. Comfort 8. Score Product Price Our Take WTB Volt Race.

Ergon SM Pro Men. Fabric Scoop Race Shallow. Fizik Monte S-Alloy. Spank Oozy A collection of the best saddles on the market, finding the right one can make a world of difference. Long rides, short rides, the right mountain bike saddle can make all the difference in the world and the Specialized Phenom Comp is one of our favorites.

Comfort is achieved in different ways and is definitely subjective in nature. SQlab put a lot of thought into the design of their saddles and that is evident in the comfort that the Ergowave Active provides. Top view of the Volt Race shows the teardrop shape and the shallow anatomical groove. The less you notice your saddle the better, we barely noticed the Phenom Comp and that's a good thing.

Set it and forget it, the Volt race is a great saddle at a great price. Testing the Scoop Race Shallow on a lovely spring day. The more comfortable you are the longer you can stay out and enjoy beautiful days like this. The differences in width and length are apparent between these two saddles. The Spyder Outland performed great on the trail, it was comfortable with a shape that was easy to move around.

The abrasion resistant material on the tail of the Volt Race. SQlab has incorporated kevlar reinforcement around the entire tail of the saddle. There's no substitute for a comfortable mountain bike saddle. Learn More. Lightweight, unique suspended feel, comfortable, versatile. Comfortable, versatile, reasonably priced. Ergonomics, comfortable, available in multiple widths, Active technology,. Lightweight, unique design, suspended feel. Slightly heavier than the competition.

An excellent combination of comfort, performance, and versatility in a lightweight package. One of our highest rated models with great combination of comfort, performance, and versatility. This scientific approach makes this our favorite saddle for ergonomics. Read here the five tips for finding the perfect saddle. How do I find the perfect saddle?

A question that every cyclist will be familiar with. After all, whether you are a keen MTBer, road racer or triathlete, everyone wants to ride comfortably, without pain and get the best out of their bike. We help you on your way with five tips for finding your ideal saddle.

No two people are the same. Which is why there are so many different saddles available. In the first place, the shape of your saddle depends on your gender. Usually ladies sit better on a wider, specific female saddle. But the shape of your saddle also depends on the type of cycling you do. Do you race under extreme circumstances, like downhill for instance?

Then you will need a different kind of saddle than an MTBer who wants a saddle that is as light as possible, or a road racer who has to sit on the saddle for hours in a row. So when looking for the right saddle, it's important to find one that fits your discipline. Test your flexibility. You do this by sitting on the ground and seeing how far you can reach with your hands. How far do you get? Do you struggle to even reach forwards? Then your are less flexible.

Can you touch your toes? Ttimer : It's not actually that uncommon. I've seen quite a few, mostly off hardtail bikes. Regamaro Feb 5, at Ttimer : I recently bent my first one as well. Can't remember the rail material but it wasn't CF. Pretty sure I had the seat pushed a little too far back so a lot of rail wasn't supported on the back side and I used part of my butt and hamstring on an awkward landing one time. On a Chromagbikes Trailmaster now and it's fantastic.

Has really nice graphics on it that are lasting through sandy ass rubbing this winter as well! Ttimer : I'm not sure how it happened? It might've been a heavy landing but I still don't think the rails should bend so easily for an average sized rider on a full suspension bike.

I've not had the rails bend on any other saddle I've used over the last 20 years. Ttimer : saddle rails bend pretty easily DHhack Feb 5, at Stock seat from Kona. Ttimer : i've straight up broken carbon rails on a selle italia mtn saddle before and i only weight 70kg. KxPop Feb 5, at I love my Specialised Power saddle, and the short nose is a big plus in my book because it looks good on smaller frames and gives me more space to straddle the bike.

The biggest downside is definitely the price, they're so expensive! When I first started using it though, I found that the wider saddle would bruise my inner thighs when descending on steep trails. For whatever reason, that issue has gone away. For anyone with bad nerve pain down there -- I have a condition called pudendal neuralgia that is also known as "cyclist's syndrome". I thought I'd be in pain forever, but have been able to manage my symptoms through lifestyle changes diet, meditation, yoga, using a sit-stand desk, etc and physiotherapy.

Now I use a Tioga Spyder on my mountain bike padless - like a plastic web hammock and a Spiderflex saddle on my commuter bike noseless saddle with holes for your ischial tuberosities - no need to cycling shorts!! All this to say - if you suspect you have PN: don't power through the pain.

Stop and reassess your life, then come gradually back to riding and try different saddles. I'm very intrigued by the Specialized saddle in this review in particular, but I'm also so comfortable with my Spyder saddle now that I doubt I'll ever go back to a traditional cushioned saddle now. The risk is too high for me since I don't want to live with permanent nerve damage and pain :S. I use a Moon saddle on all of my bikes. I swap saddles at the top of my ascent, descend with a regular saddle, and then repeat.

The shape of the moon saddle works really well for tying to my handlebars with some old shoes laces. I wrecked my perennial nerve years ago. Nothing but Devo for me now. Luckily, the fancy-pants Deva has the same thin firm padding and shell that the Devo used to have. Once my current Devo dies, on to a Deva!!!

Tried many saddles, also in the right width for my sit bones, but the SQ Lab is the first one I can sit on without my private parts going numb. What a revelation! Definitely a keeper. Jacquers Feb 5, at This is definitely going to be subjective. A saddle that's comfy for me might not be comfy for someone else and for different disciplines there are different saddle requirements. For selecting saddle width: Go to a lbs that has one of those squishy pads where they can measure the distance between your sit-bones and choose the saddle width based on that.

Agree with this, so much. Short of worrying about weight, that is the only thing that matters. Telebikes Feb 5, at I have been on the quest to find the right saddle for me for the last 2 years. Silverado was the best of the 4 but still not quite right. Then I remembered my basic specialized saddle that came on my 06 Stumpjumper that I loved so much. I decided to give specialized a second chance and bought a phenom with a short nose. It has been the best.

It disappears beneath me. I suggest you keep trying till you find the right one for you. Surprised to read so many comments about numb private parts. Wouldn't use such a saddle more than once. Anyone having saddles on the radar for being the cause of lower back pain? I have battled that myself.

More narrow? Both, neither? The issues are off and on but gradually bad enough that I stopped doing rides on consecutive days and started spacing out my rides around how much my back or hips were bothering me. Finally I decided to drop the coin on SQlab a couple of months ago and it was some zen action - everything felt neutral and planted with no hip or back discomfort. I'm able to do back to back rides, I'm riding more, and I went ahead and put another SQlab on my other bike.

The thing with saddles is when it is right it is right but man it is hard to work out what that might be. Not a fan of WTB tires or other stuff, but their saddles are the best. Rocket, Volt, Silverado, Pure are all excellent. Currently trying a Koda; so far, so good. Rubberelli Feb 5, at You really should list a saddle" height depth and so should manufacturers. I needed one to get out of my way when down and had to email all the manufacturers for that number.

The SQ Labs one was quite a bit less depth, and so I went with it and it looks like it lowered my seat by about 10mm from the Volt I had on before. SQLab on my bike. Best investment to date IMO. No more sore ass. Did a quick lap after 4 weeks off No discomfort. Expensive yes , but so is biking!!!! I'm just in awe of the fact you maintained your sanity swapping saddles so often. That's my least favorite part on a bike to tinker with. NoahColorado Feb 5, at Try fork and shock testing.

The worst. I also got a WTB Koda race on clearance from Jenson because people said that it's crazy comfy even though it was originally designed for women and they were right. Kramz Feb 5, at That's awesome, wish this was around when I was buying a saddle. Ended up getting a, "Raceface Aeffect"; mostly because it, "looked cool" on the website, but now I find my big butt swallows it, and it's pretty hard. Also, I was underwhelmed when I received the saddle, because it was smaller than I had hoped, and didn't look as cool as the website suggested.

Overall I would say saddles are as important as they say here, and don't do what I did. Also, big thumbs up to WTB, they are a underrated company in my opinion, had WTB rims that were absolutely amazing for the price of the bike, and what I expected. Jbogli Feb 5, at Chromag trailmaster is an excellent saddle, most of my bikes have the Pro Turnix saddle which I love. My favorite saddle of all time is my Loaded Napalm saddle. Saddle review is really hard.

It is so personal and depends of many factors. None of these are expensive enough for my 10k mid level carbon steed, come on bike seat companies you can do better then that, do your part to force them to downspec the drivetrain to GX to keep it below 11k I agree that saddle reviews are somewhat useless I will be sad when my favorite saddle dies.

I have a box of old ones mostly brand new that have not found new homes after getting removed on arrival home from the bike shop. I wonder why they dont sell bikes without a seat like pedals Seems like a good way to I like Ergon's eMTB saddles.

Yeah, I know, eMTB-specific saddles sound dumb, but it's actually awesome for big days on big pedal bikes with steep seat angles. The nose is more padded than their other saddles and it's more padded generally and it has a nice tail support. People without a lot of flexibility tend to shift around more; a rounded shape tends to suit them better.

Super flexible riders tend to prefer a slightly curved saddle. Reasonably flexible riders most cyclists typically have a stable position on a bike, which translates to a flat saddle. Mentions round side to side then curved front to back then square side to side. Are super flexible riders not as stable as reasonably flexible riders? Dangerous-Dan Feb 5, at I am curious about this as well. I have a Fizik Arione which they recommend for people with very flexible spines. It is flat. All the saddles I ride except for the winter Brooks B17 are flat.

TylerG96 Feb 5, at JayUpNorth Feb 5, at Ok, I need some more education. By a round seat shape, what exactly do you mean by that and what kind of seat would be a good example.

At least to look at to see what you mean. Anything over an hour becomes painful AF on my stock norco seat. Also, do i keep my seat level or dip it a bit if my boys get a bit numb?

Step 1: burn anything branded Norco on your bike except your frame. Step 2: get a comprehensive bike fit session Step 3: never think about it again. Boosting : i don't want to do that because I am getting a new bike this year. I've been riding a norco fluid fs and it is not really enough bike for some trails i take. I do want to invest in getting fitted to the new bike though.

I have a short inseam and long torso so fitting a bike properly is not easy. Ryan Feb 5, at My gentleman's region gets numb within 30 minutes. Same goes for the OEM saddle my Cannondale came with. I now got a cheap Northrock fatbike and it has some walmart special "Velo" saddle, and it's the comfiest saddle I've ever ridden LOL.

It's going on my trail bike during the summer, even though it's ugly and heavy. Ruined mine looping out on a wheelie clipped in. It sucked on all my other bikes, but i'm so upright on my mountain bike it works fine. It can get soaking wet and not give me swamp butt. It's also heavy and not as comfortable as other saddles, but the waterproof factor is unbeatable. Kimmersenior Feb 5, at A boat might have been missed here entirely. What works best for your unique body type might just surprise you.