Best road bike saddles: comfort and style

Of the three contact points you have with your bike, the saddle is the most important to your riding comfort, and so having the best road bike saddle should be high on your priority list of upgrades. You can be riding one of the best road bikes in the world, but if the saddle doesn't suit you then you're not going to enjoy your riding experience. At best you'll be uncomfortable, and at worst you'll be risking saddle sores - pro riders such as Jai Hindley have had their grand tour hopes dashed by such an affliction.

Luckily for the majority of us, we aren't bound by sponsor commitments and can shop around to find a comfortable perch on which to spend hours of happy riding.

No two bodies are the same, and as such, it would be unreasonable to expect the stock saddle on your bike to fit each customer perfectly. Sit bones come in different widths, and some riders need pressure relief in certain areas. The good news is there are thousands of options out there, and if you scroll down you'll find our pick of the best road bike saddles on the market today. 

If you're a little confused by the options available we've put together a handy guide to help you when looking for a comfortable choice.

Best road bike saddles

The Line-S actually comes in three different forms, the Elite, Race and Pro. Elite is specced with alloy rails, Race is specced with titanium rails, and Pro gets carbon. At RRP, the Race doesn't make much sense over the Elite, because it costs an extra 25 per cent and the only benefit is a 10-gram saving. However, it can be commonly found cheaper than the Elite, which makes it a no brainer. 

Whichever spec you choose, there's a choice of 142mm and 155mm, meaning it should be suitable for the majority of our needs. The wide cutout and its sheer edges might look intimidating, but Fabric's choice of materials and padding really help to prevent pinching or sharp edges. 

Check out our Fabric Line-S Race review for more info. 

Cadex, the component subsidiary of Giant bicycles, offers a very small range of high-performance carbon products, and within that range sits this striking Boost saddle. It features a relatively aggressive curve profile, which locks you into a supportive powerful pedalling platform. In our Cadex Boost review, it really was love at first sit, but at £249.99 / $300.00, there's no denying this is an expensive proposition. 

At 246mm long, it falls into the short-nose saddle category, and there's a centre cut-out for pressure relief. The rear curves upward to urge you into a forward, racy position, and the wings curve off gently to a width of 149mm. For the price, it's unsurprising that the saddle features carbon rails (6 x 9mm) and a fully carbon shell for a total weight of 138 grams. 

Read our Cadex Boost saddle review to find out more.

The Selle Italia Novus Boost Evo Kit Carbonio Superflow makes a convincing case as far as the best road bike saddles are concerned. Finding immediate comfort with a saddle is a sure sign that it's suitable for a wide range of users, and that's exactly what we found when testing this. 

At £259.90 / $329.99, it's at the upper echelons of the pricing spectrum, but the sheer fact that it's widely compatible should mean it's less of a risky purchase. 

There's a slight wave to the shape - nowhere near that of the Selle SMP - which helps promote a locked-in feel, however, this does mean the saddle took a lot of fine-tuning to dial in the correct angle. 

Style-wise, it's contemporary and futuristic while remaining inoffensive, and the saddle is finished in a material that Selle Italia calls Fibra-Tek, which will aid durability. 

To find out more, check out our Selle Italia Novus Boost Evo Kit Carbonio Superflow review. 

Prologo Scratch is a unisex saddle aimed at on and offroad riding. The Scratch M5 uses a rounded profile and whether it’s this shape specifically, or in combination with the MSS padding but the result is a saddle that is very comfortable for a range of riding from quick training ride to long haul days out. 

The unusual segmented foam is more than an aesthetic cue. The segments form the MSS (multisector system), designed in collaboration with the Politecnico of Milano, which breaks the saddle up into independent zones. Each area has a specific level of foam density for tailored support based on pressures that have been mapped when riding in different positions. An unscientific prodding with a thumb doesn’t seem to show any discernable difference in density between these zones although there is certainly a depth change from the front to the rear.

Read our in-depth Prologo Scratch M5 PAS review for more information.

In the past few years, we have seen quite a few short-nosed wide saddles with a massive cutout gain popularity, and one of the most widely used is the Specialized Power. Designed initially as a Women's saddle, the Power works well for both sexes, and the snub nose is ideal for those who maintain an aggressive position on the bike.

Specialized has replaced the standard PU foam used on the other Power models with Elaston padding for improved comfort over the standard foam. The Elaston padding is made using small beads that are expanded into foam which Specialized describes as “the feeling of sitting on 1,000 miniature pillows”. Our test model uses Specialized’s level 2 padding which has a slim profile and feels very soft at the nose and progressively firmer towards the rear. Specialized only offer the Elaston padding on the Pro model. 

For an in-depth look, check out our Specialized Power Pro Elaston review. 

Of all the 3D-printed saddles, our pick of the bunch has to be the Versus Evo R3 Adaptive from Fizik. It features the same multi-density padding as its more expensive sibling, but paired with a nylon plastic shell and Kium rails, which bring the cost down at the expense of a little bit of weight. The nylon shell also adds a little bit of flex to the equation, aiding comfort further. 

At £249.00 / $249.99, it's still an expensive proposition, but with its 3D-printed tech, it's not only incredibly comfortable, but it also foregoes the lime-green aesthetic. 

The Versus Evo R3 came out on top in our group test of the best 3D-printed saddles, and if you want more information on the technology, read our review of the Versus Evo R3's more expensive sibling, the Fizik Antares Versus Evo 00 Adaptive. 

Selle SMP has been making saddles for almost a century, and though their saddles may look a bit like medieval torture devices, the long and wide centre cutout that runs the full length of the shell and sharply bent nose have gained passionate following the world over, especially from bike fitters.

Selle SMP's unique design is based on empirical studies looking into ergonomics, eliminating soft tissue pressure and maximising genital blood flow, and if you can get past the odd aesthetic offers a supremely comfortable seat. The Well features a pretty dramatic curve, which is designed to keep you planted on the saddle but also allows you to rotate your pelvis to suit your riding position. It also features generous elastomer padding and features SMP's one piece steel rail.

Shimano's answer to the short and wide saddle with a large cutout is the PRO Stealth, ideal for those who are ever searching for a low and aero position on their bike.

Available in two widths, aesthetically the Stealth looks quite similar to the Power; however, the profile is flatter front to back, with a broader nose and slightly softer padding. While the Stealth was initially designed with Team Giant Alpecin as a TT perch, we’ve had pretty good luck with it on our mountain bikes.

How to choose a road bike saddle

Given the myriad options on the market it's easy to get confused, and choosing something where fit is so important based just on the manufacturer specifications is always tricky. 

Luckily many retailers have a saddle returns policy, so if it doesn't fit you can take it back. Some bike shops too have a 'saddle library' where you can borrow a test model for a short time to see how it feels, drastically reducing any pre-purchase uncertainty.