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One Year Later: The WTB Saddle

05.12.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

One year ago, I reported that I had put a new saddle on my bike. After less-than-stellar experiences with hard racing-style saddles, I decided to go a different direction, and get something that offered more cushioning. I settled on the WTB Speed V.

It’s time for an update.

After riding the saddle for a year, I can report that it has done what I expected. The added cushioning  makes for a more comfortable saddle (for me, anyway — I know that saddles are very personal things, and what works for one person might not work for another).

I have come to a conclusion about saddles, though. I think they all start to get uncomfortable after a couple of hours. I noticed when I did the LBJ 100 ride in March that no matter what saddle people were riding, many of them stood on the pedals while coasting — often switching the foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke. They were obviously doing what I have been doing — shaking out the mild soreness that takes over after sitting in the same position for awhile.

Fair enough. Otherwise, what I like about the saddle is its wider profile. It offers the platform for my bottom that had been lacking with my earlier choices.

What are the downsides to the Speed V? Take a look at this picture from today.

I took a fall back in September, and while it didn’t do any major damage to the bike or the saddle, it did cause some cracks in the vinyl cover. Those cracks have grown in number and spread a bit since then. In addition, the vinyl is starting to pull away from the embossed “Speed V” logo on the saddle’s nose. Neither of these problems affect the saddle’s comfort at all. They just don’t look good, and I can see that I might need to replace the saddle down the road sooner rather than later if they get much worse.

I’m not able to say if the surface cracking is the cause of my recent rash of saddle sores, since I get them on both sides, and the cracking is only on the left.

But it’s also important to remember that this saddle set me back a whopping $25 last year. I believe the advertised price at Performance is now up to $28. In any case, it’s a cheap saddle, and by that, I mean inexpensive — not shoddy.

Would I buy another WTB Speed V?

It depends. My friend David was intrigued by my original review, so he went out and bought the WTB Rocket V — what WTB calls an “enthusiast” saddle rather than a “recreational” saddle like the Speed V. He likes it. I might consider going that route, although it’s narrower than the Speed V, and I don’t seem to get on with narrow saddles. WTB saddles have gotten good ink in other venues, too, like Kent Peterson’s popular blog. So if I have to replace my saddle sooner rather than later, it will probably be with another WTB.

But if this one holds together for a little longer, and I can save a few more pennies, I might consider trying a Brooks B-17.

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Categories // Review Tags // saddle, WTB Speed V

Saddle Review – Bontrager Affinity

12.16.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

Guest poster Jeff Hemmel is still trying to find the perfect perch.

Saddle reviews seem to be a popular item on the web. Obviously, a lot of us are still searching for the ideal interface between butt and bike. This year Bontrager introduced a new saddle for your consideration — the Affinity. I’ve been quietly evaluating one for several months this fall, and after plenty of miles I’m ready to offer my impressions.

The Affinity RL. Click to enlarge.

Like the InForm saddles introduced the year before, Bontrager’s Affinity line has the requisite science behind it. It uses the InForm “Science of Comfort” design, which basically means it was designed using a lot of data like pressure mapping and 3-D motion capture. That info was used to create a seat that comes in three different sizes and curvatures to match a rider’s skeletal structure. The InForm theory is basically that riders don’t really sit on their sit bones, but instead their pubic arch. Support that arch properly and you take some of the pressure off the pudendal nerve and artery, alleviating the numbness and pain that makes many of us squirm after a few miles have passed under our tires.

The original InForm neglected to feature a cutout, but rather featured two densities of foam, stiffer in areas that supported the skeletal structure and softer in those areas that came into contact with the more tender parts of a rider’s anatomy. The Affinity also uses that dual-density foam, but it adds a gender-specific Contour Relief Zone, essentially a subtle lengthwise divot at the saddle’s midpoint to provide a little more pressure relief.

Like the previous InForm, riders get sized in a local shop by sitting on a simple bench with a gel top. The indentations of your buttisimo reveal a color-coded indicator below the gel that corresponds to the correct size. In the previous InForm I was sized for the “medium” saddle in the three-size lineup. Bontrager reps indicate the same sizing applies to the Affinity, although the corresponding metric measurements of the Affinity line are a bit smaller.

I used to think I could find the perfect saddle by reading reviews. I now know that everyone is different, and one person’s holy grail of a saddle is another person’s unholy nightmare. But I can pass along some details that might help you decide whether the Affinity might be a saddle you’ll want to try.

For starters, Bontrager alludes to the fact that the original InForm was designed for a race-like riding position, rather low and aggressive. The Affinity targets a wider audience, riders who according to Bontrager “prefer a slightly higher hand position.” In other words, if you ride bent over like an elite pro, the original model should work best; if you ride like the rest of us, a little more upright, the Affinity should be more to your liking.

As I mentioned, I dedicated myself to riding with this saddle for an extended period before giving my impressions. At first I wasn’t immediately thrilled with it. As time wore on and the saddle broke into my butt (or vice versa) I began to find it rather comfortable. I haven’t experienced any significant numbness (an occasional problem with my previous InForm), and the saddle has proved more than tolerable on extended rides. The only times I’ve found it uncomfortable is when I’ve really pushed the pace for extended periods. That probably makes sense; it’s at these moments that I’m typically more bent over in an aggressive riding position.

If you’re tempted to try the Affinity, keep several things in mind. For starters, Bontrager offers an Unconditional Comfort Guarantee. If you don’t like the saddle, you have 30 days to return it. The catch? It’s not a money-back deal, but rather an exchange.

It’s also important to position the seat properly. The tried-and-true method is to measure the distance from the center of your crank to the top of the seat, as well as the distance from the nose of the saddle to the stem bolt. The Affinity rails are “taller” than the original InForm, however, so I had to lower my seat post to achieve the best position. The Affinity’s rails also are positioned further forward than the Affinity. To duplicate my fore-aft measurement I had to push the seat as far forward as possible. A Bontrager rep suggested that I consider running a 5mm offset seatpost rather than the more common 20mm, as it would likely better fit my body no matter what saddle I chose.

Final verdict? It’s not the perfect saddle, but I’m beginning to think nothing is. I’m still riding it, however, after almost 90 days and 1,700 miles.

That must say something…

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Categories // Equipment, Review Tags // Review, saddle

Selle Italia Gel Flow SLR Saddle (Review)

05.11.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

Don Blount gave us a rundown of his upgrades in the last post. Now, he reviews one of his recent equipment upgrades: his saddle.

If you want to get a conversation about biking equipment going, just bring up saddles. When Bikenoob tweeted recently that he had gotten a new one, I quickly asked: which one? I saw that @mainevelophile also asked that question. I would guess that we were not the only ones.

Click to enlarge.

Well, I got a new saddle too just a few months ago. I retired the Forte Pro SLX saddle that came with my bike and went with a Selle Italia Gel Flow SLR saddle. The new saddle works for me and I love it. But it may not work for you as saddles are such an individual piece of equipment. A clerk at my LBS said he used the saddle I bought and it hated him. He switched to something else.

The SLR is a leather grain-covered racing-style saddle, weighing in at about 215 grams. The saddle has a slight curve at the rear (no pun intended) that is supposed to help relieve back pain. It also has “strategic gel inserts” that, at least for me, provide plenty of padding in the right places.

The saddle comes in black, blue, red, white and yellow. I bought mine, in black, on eBay for $98 – I’ve seen it for as much as $179 at other retailers. Mine cost less because it has a slight barely noticeable cosmetic imperfection that, fortunately, does not affect performance.

Still, a saddle is such an individual choice. Keep in mind that your seat, hands and feet are the three places where you as a rider come in contact with your bike. If you are not comfortable in one of those areas, it can make for a miserable ride.

When selecting a saddle you have to consider your riding style. Do you settle in one spot on the saddle and stay there? Do you move around? Do you ride on the front or back of the saddle?

I move around on the saddle, that’s just how I am. The SLR allows me to sit in a number of spots comfortably.

I also prefer a cutout in the middle, so as to physically, and psychologically, have nothing pressing on that tender area down there.

A few days ago while stopped at a traffic light a pedestrian gave my saddle a funny look and asked if it was comfortable. I said, “Yes it is…”

I have plenty of hours and hundreds of miles on this, including a metric century and I plan on getting in many more.

I recommend the SLR but with the caveat that what is right for me, may not be right for you.

The Bike Noob reviews his new saddle in the next post.

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Categories // Equipment, Review Tags // Review, saddle, Selle Italia Gel Flow SLR

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