I have searched long and hard for a comfortable saddle that was also lightweight; something around the 200-250g mark that could be ridden all day. I don't get on with Flites, and my favourite saddle, the Rolls, weighs a stout 450g. After hearing many good reviews about WTB saddles, and being impressed by the technical spiel in the catalogue, I decided to give one a try. I chose an SST model, with plain black leather cover, and titanium rails.
The famous droop nose is well padded, and a deep groove of padding extends under the 'delicate' region. When grinding up ultra-steep climbs, the padded nose is about as comfortable as the nose of a saddle can ever be (at least you don't have it extract it when you get to the top!) The droop nose really does assist on these near-vertical grinds.
The rear of this saddle is what lets this saddle down; the padding is almost non-existent. Even though the shell is a nice shape, after an hour or two your sit bones will be pushing right through onto the plastic shell. This will leave you in absolutely agony. Fine for racing, but not much else.
The construction of the saddle is top notch, with the cover glued tidily to the base, instead of nasty staples. The leather is of the ultra-thin 'Flite' variety, which looks like it was taken from a hamster, rather than a cow. Evidence of wear was apparent after only a few months, whereas the leather on a standard road bike saddle, such as a Rolls or Turbo, will last several years.
Newer models of the saddle now come complete with a comfort zone - a latex membrane under the nose, ensuring there is no pressure on the artery in the 'sensitive' region. However, this is area of the saddle is already well catered for - it's the rear of the saddle that requires extra work. The rear gets a tiny bit more padding, but hardly enough to make a difference.
In summary, a much hyped saddle, with some clever design features. It is let down by a very low-tech problem; not enough padding at the rear, and cheapo-nasty leather. If you could hybrid the front of this saddle, with the rear of a Flite, and upholster it with leather more than a few microns thick, you'd be onto a winner.
£40 not well spent (and that was with a substantial discount).
Last Updated 21-12-2000
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