Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

review

Selle San Marco Aspide Supercomfort Racing Saddle

7
£119.99

VERDICT:

7
10
A really nice shape for getting the power down, but maybe a better choice for shorter, harder efforts than longer rides
Weight: 
206g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The Selle San Marco Aspide Supercomfort Racing is a new take on the standard model, adding more padding and a redesigned cutout for more pressure relief. The narrow shape is ideal for those who like a racy position, but I'm still not convinced on the comfort front.

Saddle design is a very personal thing, but luckily for me I seem to adapt to most shapes and widths. One thing I've always been on the fence about, though, is whether removing the central portion of a saddle makes for a more comfortable ride. Some people are fans – George, for instance, liked the cutout on Selle San Marco's Concor Supercomfort Racing Saddle, saying it relieved pressure and allowed for ventilation, but I'm not sure I notice the difference.

> Find your nearest dealer here

I've ridden the Aspide before on a few different bikes and got on okay with it; I like the shape, especially in its narrowest guise like our test model here (132mm wide – a 142mm version is also available) with its curved profile. The tail swoops down before flattening out and then the nose drops, ideal for when you're crouched over in the drops as you don't get any pressure points at the front end.

This Supercomfort edition has an added gel layer and a redesigned cutout, but for me it just seemed to emphasise the pressure around the actual cutout. This Aspide is quite firm, especially around the edges, and when you look at the size of the hole in relation to the body of the saddle you find yourself sitting on two very narrow strips either side. This means your contact patch is very small, and I found it quite uncomfortable. Anything longer than two hours in the saddle became a bit of a chore.

Selle San Marco Aspide Supercomfort Racing Saddle - underside.jpg

For shorter, harder efforts the Aspide makes a little more sense because the supportive nature of the saddle gives you something hard to push against to get out your maximum power.

The hull is reinforced with carbon fibre, which keeps things pretty solid, with just a small amount of flex – although the rails don't give much away. Selle San Marco keeps things pretty close to its chest with the rail material, which it calls Xsilite – a high percentage of silicone with particles of titanium and carbon apparently. It's quite rare to see a saddle at this price without titanium rails or even carbon fibre.

> Buyer's Guide: Find the right saddle for you

Weight-wise, the Aspide is competitive. At 206g it's 34g heavier than the £150 Bontrager Montrose saddle recently tested.

In terms of value, though, the Aspide looks a little pricey. If you really want a channel to remove pressure then the Fabric Line Titanium, for instance, is much more comfortable (for me anyway) and £69.99. The Aspide is a decent enough saddle, with a nice shape, but considering its construction and technology I'd say it's looking a bit overpriced.

Verdict

A really nice shape for getting the power down, but maybe a better choice for shorter, harder efforts than longer rides

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Selle San Marco Aspide Supercomfort Racing Saddle

Size tested: 277 x 132mm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Selle San Marco says: "The Aspide Supercomfort is a new version of one of the most iconic recent additions to the Selle San Marco range. The hole has been reshaped to make it bigger and increase the relief zone for perineum pressure. The level of variable density padding has been increased too and the Racing versions feature the gel layer and the openwork processing technique to the cover. To satisfy the needs of different somatotypes (Human physique), both models are available in Narrow and Wide versions, to ensure a perfect fit and maximize comfort."

I like the shape of the Aspide very much, but, as with a lot of cutout saddles, I don't really notice the benefits of the cutout as I find you are just relocating the pressure.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Selle San Marco lists these features:

Specification

Rail: Xsilite

Shell: Carbon fibre reinforced

Padding: Biofoam

Cover: Microfeel + carbon

Size: 277mm x 132mm (narrow)/142mm (wide)

Size style: Narrow - is when the width of the saddle is less than 140mm

Size style: Wide - Is when the width of the saddle is more than 140mm

Saddle profile: Waved - the side profile of the saddle surface presents a curved line with a central depression deeper than 5mm

Features

Available in three colours and two sizes

Cutout for added rider comfort and pain relief

Mixture of nylon and carbon fibres giving a stiff saddle shell

Breathable and hard wearing Microfeel cover

Biofoam for great comfort and lasting support

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
6/10

A few rough edges underneath for a £120 saddle.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
5/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

I like the shape, but for comfort I'd prefer something like the Fabric Line.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The narrow shape.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The cutout doesn't offer a massive amount of relief for me.

Did you enjoy using the product? I can take it or leave it.

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Possibly

Use this box to explain your score

I like the shape of the Aspide, its curved upper and supportive padding, though the enlarged cutout doesn't really bring anything to the mix for me. It's a bit pricey but holds its own in terms of weight, so I'm giving it a 7.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithein

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

Latest Comments