Note: Ergon sent the SR Allroad saddle and the BT OrthoCell Road handle bar tape to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost for test and review. Ergon has not paid for, nor bribed Guitar Ted for these reviews. All opinions and images, unless noted, belong to Guitar Ted/Guitar Ted Productions.
A long overdue review verdict comes at you today. This started back in February of this year! And when other life happenings pushed this aside, I was lax in getting back to finishing up with the reviews of the handle bar tape and this saddle. My apologies to anyone I left hanging for the conclusion of these reviews!
With that mea culpa out of the way, let's remind ourselves where we've already been. The introductory article can be read HERE. This article will tell you all the specs, pricing, and other features of the SR Allroad Saddle and the BT Orthocell Road Tape.
The initial impressions article on both items can be seen HERE. I had an update on the handle bar tape which you can read HERE. Since then I have been doing rides of shorter distances and over varied terrain. I have a few country gravel rides on this set up since that last update as well.
Okay, with all of that covered and with the links back for you to catch up to where I am at today, let's dive intoeach item separately. I will give final verdicts on each item as well. First up, let's look at how the SR Allroad Saddle fared since Spring.
SR Allroad Saddle:
As I would have guessed, I ended up being very happy with this saddle. It really is the only short-nosed design I get on with, along with Ergon's very similar SR PRO Men's saddle.
I've spoken to how saddles are very personal choices because human anatomy varies so greatly. The Ergon SR series is a home run with me. I am not you, but you very well may love this saddle. Maybe you'll hate it. Maybe you will not be impressed either way. Hard for me to say here.
I will let you know I've tried a couple of WTB's short-nosed saddles and haven't found them to be more comfortable riding than the Ergon saddles I've tried in the SR range. So, if you haven't gotten along with WTB's short-nosed range, maybe the Ergon will hit you right.
I can say the padding on the SR Allroad Pro saddle is very nice. It is supportive, it doesn't allow your body weight to compress it in a way that you get soreness/bruising, and it holds up well. The cover is grippy, but if you want to move, sliding back and forth is not a chore either. I do not notice the cut-out but I also do not get numbness with this saddle and that is telling, I think.
Another interesting point, in my opinion, is that I can ride this saddle with no chamois padded shorts/bibs and I am comfortable. I cannot say this about other saddles with the exception of my Brooks B-17's.
Final Words: Finding a saddle can be depressing and you may go through several before finding "The One" for you. I think the SR Allroad is quickly becoming "The One" for me, and perhaps my posterior has found some version of bicycle saddle Nirvana for the time being. Perhaps it will please you in a similar manner.
Here is a product I was ready to love at first. Then I came to loathe it. Later? I came back around to loving it again.
Why?
Well, it all has to do with perspiration. Sweat. Slippery grip. Not good! See, I have the unenviable trait of sweating profusely down my forearms while cycling in hot, humid weather. A time when I am not wanting to wear gloves, or much of anything, really.
That perspiration runs into the palms of my hands while riding drop bars and then it soaks into the handle bar tape. Some handle bar tapes resist getting slippery. Unfortunately the BT Orthocell Tape is not one of those handle bar tapes that resists getting slimy and slippery.
So, I avoided riding this bicycle during our humid months as a result. When things are cooler and drier though, this tape is so comfortable and easy on my hands that I want to ride this bike and have relief from numbness and pain in my hands.
I guess I need to wear those sweat bands around my wrists like tennis players did at one time. This is really my only issue with the BT Orthocell Tape. I imagine rainy, wet weather is also an issue with this handlebar tape, but I never tried it in the rain or snow. Obviously, if you are a full-time gove wearer this may not even be an issue for you.
Final Words: The BT OrthoCell Tape is a winner when it comes to grip, vibration reduction, and pain relief. As I stated in a previous update, this handle bar tape won't eliminate vibrations, but it will greatly reduce them, and that is worth a lot, in my opinion. Besides getting slippery when soaked with perspiration, I can find no fault with this tape. It holds up very well and I suspect I'd get a lot of mileage out of the tape before having to replace it.
You can find these products and all of Ergon's grips, saddles, and more at www.ergonbike.com
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