Mountain Bike Saddle Comparison and Review

Alright y'all, it's time for some more Bike Thoughts from this dumbass. On today's episode, we're going to be talking about bicycle saddles, specifically for mountain biking.

I'm searching for a better mountain bike saddle. Has to be comfortable for long days on the saddle, though I'm willing to get a bit more discomfort for weight reduction and a narrower saddle to get behind for more technical bits.

Selle Anatomica X1

This saddle is amazing for long days. I've done 100 miles before on mixed surfaces and had 0 pain or any problems in the junk area. It's simply amazing. For gravel or adventure riding, I wouldn't bother searching for anything else.

Unfortunately, it has a few issues that make it a poor fit for mountain biking. It's heavy, weighing in at 515 grams. And it's also quite wide - I have a hard time getting behind the saddle, even with the dropper post slammed down. Ordinarily, I'd have just kept the saddle on and dealt with these issues. But I recently got a Cutthroat, so my Mukluk can focus more on mountain biking, and I took this saddle off to put on my commuter.

Let the search begin!

Brooks C-13 Carved

This one is a loaner from Velosoul. Brooks and Selle Anatomica are competitors, and this one is certainly familiar. It has the same cutout, and the same basic shape, but that's about all. It's much lighter, at 280gr, and it's a lot narrower, so it solves my two main issues nicely.

However, at 280gr, it's still heavier than a lot of the contenders that I'd like to try out. 

Comfort-wise, it's no where near as nice as the Selle, but that's about what I expect. I've put about three hours on it at this point, and it does well enough - the two hour point isn't enough to get significant discomfort. This one has a bit of a disadvantage of being the first saddle that I'm trying after the Selle Anatomica, but I'll try to treat it fairly after the next ones come in.

This saddle was still rather wide in comparison to the other saddles I tried. It's probably the comfiest, but as the widest and heaviest of the bunch, it's not scratching the itch that I have.

Fabric Line

The Line is another tester from Velosoul. The Line Elite Shallow weighs in at 242 grams, and comes in a very nice blue color which would match my Mukluk perfectly. The Line Race Shallow is three grams lighter, but does not come in a fancy color, and also costs significantly more. The claim to fame for the Fabric Line is the line "semi cutout" that's cut through the middle.

I've put about three combined hours on this saddle, and it does the job fantastically. Gets out of the way for technical bits, but remains comfortable despite rocky and chunky terrain. I would be quite happy to ride this saddle.

Ergon SM Pro

235 grams, titanium rails, about $110, and you can get it at REI for easy returns if you don't like it. Nice.

I've taken it for a spin around my neighborhood, and I'm quite into it. The saddle is wider at the widest point by a few millimeters, but it's shorter and has less of a rise. This means it's actually the easiest saddle to get behind for technical maneuvers. How comfy is it for a longer ride, though?

Longer rides point out that it's not very comfortable. Oh well. I've logged a few hour long snow rides on the bike, and the saddle just isn't that comfortable. I think I'll throw the 29er wheels on for a longer paved ride soon to get a better impression, but I am pretty sure that the Fabric Line will be getting my money.

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