Prologo Dimension Nack Saddle

Prologo's new Dimension Nack saddle is shorter than most in its range, being one of the latest 'stubby' saddles we've seen arriving on the market. Whether you're after a reduced nose saddle for performance or comfort, you'll find it here as the Dimension fits both bills. You don't necessarily need to be a racer who spends a lot of time in the drops to receive the full benefits. If you move around a lot, though, it might not be for you.

• Pros: Comfortable shape, beautifully finished
• Cons: Oval rails won't work with every seatpost clamp, and it's £200

Short-nosed saddles aren't a new thing. Seats like ISM's Adamo came out years ago with a design aimed at reducing pressure on your vitals while you're riding.

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Time triallists and triathletes have been using them for years too. When you're spending a lot of time in the tri-bars with a flat backed position, the long nose of a standard saddle can be uncomfortable. This leads you to shift around a lot, which isn't ideal from an aerodynamic point of view or pedalling efficiency.

If you're likely to race in a UCI sanctioned event, there is also the 5cm rule to consider: the tip of the saddle has to be 5cm behind a vertical plane taken from the bottom bracket.

The Dimension Nack addresses all of this in one fell swoop.

My own bikes are set up with quite a large drop between saddle and handlebar, and while I don't race I do tend to trash them about with my hands in the drops quite a lot. After years as a time triallist I'm most efficient when I have the saddle pushed quite far forward (time trial bikes tend to have a steeper seat angle than a road bike, putting you in a more aggressive, forward position), so I was looking forward to trying out the Dimension.

It works very well indeed. The short nose does make it feel like you are perching on the front of the saddle, but when really crouched in the drops and hammering along it feels great.

I managed to get the rear of the saddle about an inch further forward than normal without affecting the distance from tip to handlebar. If I was racing a UCI event it would give me some decent benefits.

I wouldn't say I've ever really felt discomfort from riding like this on my normal saddles but it was definitely noticeable that the Prologo has less up front, which gives more freedom of movement.

Not only is the Dimension shorter than the norm (by about 30mm), it is also wider at the rear, 143mm to be precise, compared with a more usual 135mm. It's not a massive amount but it gives you a good sized platform to really push back against and get the power out of your legs into the pedals.

Comfort & support

It's not just performance riding where the Dimension works, though. Sit up a bit and relax and you'll find that the shape of the saddle and the padding offer a decent balance of comfort and support.

The padding is quite firm, and I wouldn't say that the Dimension is the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden, but it's pretty close.

One thing Prologo has got correct is the density of the foam around the cutout. This is my biggest bugbear when it comes to saddles with holes in them: if the foam's too soft it'll squidge and flatten out into the cutout, causing discomfort; too hard and you end up with pressure points all the way round.

The cutout itself seems to be positioned right, and I prefer saddles like the Dimension that position it inside a central groove that runs the full length of the saddle, again reducing the chance of pressure points.

Lightweight carbon construction

For the amount of padding that the Dimension Nack uses, it is quite a lightweight saddle: 157g (149g claimed) to be precise.

To achieve this, it uses a fair amount of carbon fibre in its construction, like the main body. This is 5mm thick, and unlike a lot of other saddle shells isn't very flexible at all.

The same can be said for the rails; normally you can get a little give here, but not with the Nack.

The rails join together and plug into the nose of the saddle quite far back, so this probably adds to their stiffness, plus they are oval in design, 7mm x 9.3mm, with the wider dimension from top to bottom. This also means not every seatpost clamp will accept them, the awkward design on my Cinelli Neos post for one.

The Dimension also comes in a metal railed version, the Tirox, which has standard 7mm diameter rails. The Dimension Tirox is a little heavier but £80 cheaper at £119.99.

Like most saddles these days, the Dimension uses a microfibre upper which is pretty grippy. I certainly never found myself sliding around, which is a good thing as there is nowhere for you to move to. This highlights another consideration before you rush out and buy the Dimension: if you change position on your current saddle then this probably isn't going to work for you.

Value

At £199.99 the Dimesion Nack is a lot of money for a saddle, but no way is it alone out there in the marketplace. My longterm favourite for all-round riding is the Fizik Aliante 00, which at the time of testing was a cool £279.99, and the Prologo is every bit as good in terms of design, attention to detail and finish.

More recently we've had Fizik's Arione R1 Versus Evo in on test; £210 for a very similar saddle.

On the flip-side though, we've got the likes of Fabric creating excellent saddles such as the Line Titanium for £69.99.

> Buyer's Guide: 10 of the best high performance saddles

I'd say the Prologo Dimension justifies its price: it looks great, feels great and is very well made. Personally, though, I'd probably sacrifice a bit of weight and buy the cheaper Dimension Tirox version instead, with its round rails.

If you have no qualms about paying extra for the bling factor, though, the Dimension Nack is brilliant.

Verdict

An interestingly shaped saddle that works, especially for those who spend a lot of time in the drops