Thursday, July 24, 2008

WTB SST: It's Back!

It is being reported on Bicycle Retailer and Industry News site today that WTB is going to re-introduce the long gone but highly cherished SST saddle. Why should the introduction of a saddle that has been out of production for years be such a big deal?

Well, there are many folks out there that could tell you a million reasons why this saddle is soooo good. I will just tell you what I think. The WTB SST saddle was so spot on for mountain biking, and here's why..........

First off, if you ever saw one, you'd know it by it's nose. Much like the former film and comedy star Jimmy Durante. In fact, they could call the WTB SST "The Durante", and it would totally befit that saddles unique nose. The dropped and padded nose was a stroke of genius for mountain bikers. Especially those who had long grunts for climbs.

Then you had the nice "bucket" in the middle. The slight depression that allowed you to settle into a comfortable position at the rear of that area and not smash your bits, so to speak. The slight kick up at the rear was a great place to push against when using seated power strokes and still allowed you to slip off the back with ease for descending.

WTB promises some "modern updates" to this saddle, but hopefully the nice amount of padding and the original shape are preserved. I suspect that many of these will fly out of retailers stores once they are released. I know I'll be one of those looking to get one for sure.

I got one of the first ones back in 1996. I still have it and won't use it much for fear of trashing it and losing one of the best mountain bike saddles ever made. Now I can get a new one, (soon I hope) and see if it compares well to the old classic and maybe get it out and finally use it up. We'll see!

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