Note: WTB sent two Solano saddles to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost for test and review. WTB has not paid for, nor bribed Guitar Ted for these reviews. All opinions and images, unless noted, belong to Guitar Ted/Guitar Ted Productions.
In this final post in this reveiw I will give my final thoughts on the Solano and also I will pass along what I have heard from N.Y. Roll who is using the Solano SL, which was sent to me in a wider size than I typically use.
A Bit Of A Surprise:
On my final 3.5 hr ride I did before this final review I stopped about seven miles in to rest and have a "nature break" when I realized I was numb in the groin area. I had not ever experienced this with the Solano, and it alarmed me. Just to be clear, there had been no change in the seat position at all.
What may be even more surprising is that for the remainder of the ride I was fine. No numbness at all once I had walked it off at my first stop. I can only point to the bibs I was wearing as a possibility for the initial numbness as I had not used those Summer-weight GORE bibs with this saddle until that last ride.
This experience was baffling, so I am not quite sure what to make of it other than perhaps it was an anomaly. Yet I thought it was worth mentioning. I can say the first miles were all done grinding into a stiff 20mph wind, and completely seated with no relief from standing. Again, it wasn't as though I hadn't ridden this saddle that way before, so it was a mystery to me as to what happened there.
N.Y. Roll, on the other hand, had nothing but praise for the Solano SL he is using. I would probably not ever get it back unless I pried it from his hands.. So, I think it is safe to say the wider Solano SL fits him quite well.
Final Verdict: The Solano SL seems to (mostly) be a fine gravel saddle on my rides. I never had any kind of irritations or hot-spot issues at all. There was the odd situation detailed above. Other than this, I do like the saddle quite a bit.
It is better than the WTB Gravelier, at least in how it fits my anatomy. The Gravelier was always a saddle which I never quite felt 100% great on. It was a saddle I waffled on as far as being one I would stick with or take off. So far, it has stayed on the bike. The Solano will likely stay on also, unless I have more issues with numbness, which I do not anticipate.
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