New PRO Saddles specific to E-MTB and TRAIL Riders

E-MTB specific VOLTURE saddle and Enduro/Trail/All-Mountain GRIFFON and TURNIX saddles launch at Eurobike 2017.

In a pressure mapping study with bike fitting company bikefitting.com, PRO has found that MTB riders are often sacrificing comfort and restricting their performance by choosing multi-purpose saddles without proper consideration to where padding is necessary in relation to their physical characteristics.

PRO has used this research to create new saddles designed to meet the specific demands of the Enduro/Trail/All-Mountain and E-MTB rider.

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Mountain bike saddles need to be able to withstand rough environments and big impacts whilst still being lightweight for elite performance. Pressure mapping studies in the Bikefitting.com laboratory shows how different riders ride in different positions on a mountain bike saddle, regularly changing position across different terrains and gradients.

GRIFFON and TURNIX MTB saddles

Based on these results PRO has created MTB specific versions of its Griffon and Turnix saddles with broadened nose and mid-sections, high-grip covers, and increased padding, adding 2mm of thickness on the front of the saddle to 5mm on the rear.

The wider nose area is designed to give the rider a more supportive platform at the front of the saddle for hard efforts on steep climbs. The wider mid-section on the other hand improves handling and cornering stability.

The saddle uppers feature a PU material with a grippier feel to reduce movement of the rider on the saddle. Meanwhile the side material on the Griffon and Turnix saddles has a durable and rubberized feel to protect the saddle base and padding from damage.

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The padding itself is made from a shock absorbing, waterproof and super lightweight Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate weighing 30% less than standard PU, which brings the overall weight down to 216g for the Griffon and 222g for the Turnix.

The saddle bases are made from a carbon-reinforced polymer, designed with long carbon fibers for stiffness and an Anatomic Fit cut-away pressure relief channel, which is covered at the bottom to prevent mud and water ingress. Rails on the Griffon and Turnix are made from corrosion-resistant INOX steel alloy (AISI 304, 18% Cr and 8% Ni).

Completing the saddles are integrated accessory mounts allowing additional accessories such as race plates, fenders and cameras to be securely attached.

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The PRO Griffon saddle has a flatter profile with a narrower tail section with a deeper side wall for less flexible riders who tend to move around more, whilst the PRO Turnix saddle has a contoured profile with a wider tail for more flexible riders moving less on the saddle.

Both saddles come in three widths; 132mm, 142mm, 152mm.

Volture E-MTB saddle

Studies with e-bike riders also revealed interested findings. Riders using e-bike motors generally spend less time getting out of the saddle to push hard through steep sections and because they are pushing less force through the pedals, they are putting more weight into their saddles. Therefore the Volture was conceived to offer more padding and greater comfort to E-MTB riders.

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The Volture E-MTB saddle has additional padding for more comfort in the rear of the saddle, a wider nose design for additional stability and better handling, and a higher tail for better power transfer. The Volture also comes with a saddle accessory mount.

The saddle weighs 235g (142mm) version and comes in widths of 142mm and 152mm.

PRO has always recommended different saddle types in relation to a rider’s flexibility, riding position, sit bone width, gender and riding type, which can be determined via its online saddle selector.

Now, with these three new saddles, PRO expands its line up to offer a greater range of competition-level saddles for TT, Road, Cross-Country MTB, Enduro/Trail and E-MTB disciplines.

The new Griffon MTB, Turnix MTB and Volture E-MTB saddles can be found in stores from January 2018 onwards.

Source: Shimano