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review
Saddles
Selle Royal Lookin Athletic SaddleSelle Royal Lookin Saddle

Selle Royal Lookin Athletic Saddle

8
by Lara Dunn
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Sep 12, 2013

0
£44.99

VERDICT:

8
10
A comfortable, well engineered and cost effective unisex option for bikes with an upright riding position.
Weight: 
475g
Contact: 
www.raleigh.co.uk
How we test

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If you like a more upright riding position, the Selle Royal Lookin Athletic is a well-made, comfortable saddle that's great for commuting and touring bikes.

Although this is a unisex saddle, it is designed to sit in that grey area of upright riding style where the necessity for a gender specific saddle becomes slightly less, ahem, pressing.

At 160mm wide, it's not outrageously broad, and Selle Royal's 'Athletic' category of saddles are designed to function best for riders sitting with a 30 degree spine angle. The idea is that this position moves the weight distribution and sit bones further back on the saddle, hence a design tuned to that.

It's a supremely well-made and comfortable looking seat, and boasts all sorts of features promising a world of easy riding, including Royalgel (which sounds like something bees are responsible for) and zoned cushioning.

At 474g (quoted weight 450g) it's lighter than it looks, and isn't going to overburden any bike.

In use, it was extremely comfortable, provided that it was put on the right sort of bike. On anything too sporty, it was just too broad in the central area, forcing the hips forward and the back to arch.

However, on a bike with the right kind of angle, it was very supportive at the sit bones and made café rides and commutes a pleasant and unstressful experience.

It also worked well as a touring saddle, provided again that the tourer in question was a very upright design.

£44.99 is a very good price for such a high tech gel saddle, with Selle Royal's attention to detail and pedigree, so if you have an upright bike, are inclined towards a sore posterior, or would prefer to not always have to wear padded shorts, this is a saddle to consider.

Verdict

A comfortable, well engineered and cost effective unisex option for bikes with an upright riding position.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Selle Royal Lookin Athletic Saddle

Size tested: One size

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?

Unisex fit, aimed at bikes with a more upright riding style where the spine is at approximately a 30 degree angle.

Comfort focussed.

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

Royalgel filled

160mm wide

279mm long

Unisex fit

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very well made from high quality materials.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Very comfortable if used on the correct type of bike i.e with the right riding position.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

High quality components and materials that will last.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

For its seeeming bulk, it's actually quite light.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

A good balance of width for upright riding but not too much, and excellent gel content as well as a pleasant feeling cover surface.

Rate the product for value:
 
10/10

Very good value for money for such a well considered saddle.

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

Very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Levels of comfort and relatively low weight.

Also, value for money.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Definitely.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

A good option for touring or upright commuting styles.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, general fitness riding, mtb,

 

Unisex saddle
Selle Royal Lookin Athletic Saddle
Selle Royal
Lara Dunn

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

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