Saturday, January 10, 2009

Bontrager InForm RL Saddle - Follow up.


So I've been so lax in posting that I have had people tracking me down at work for updates on some of the things I've left hanging out there...namely the Bontrager InForm Saddle that I've been riding lately. (Jeff, again - thanks for the effort in tracking me down...I hope you're enjoying your new saddle.) So, thanks for humoring me while I get caught up. And for those of you who have been waiting for some resolution on things; it's coming - thanks for your patience. And, without further adieu: my final analysis on the InForm RL saddle from Bontrager.

First - if you've not yet read my initial write up on this saddle; start here. The following will make much more sense if you read this all in sequence.


I have long since passed my 10-hour self-imposed timeline for testing a product. My long term impression is not too different from my initial thoughts on the seat. It's actually quite comfortable and the claims about size-specific arc and proportions that Bontrager makes (backed-up by some not too heavily publicized research) do seem to be well-founded and correct.

Again the seat is a little on the hard side. This is not a "comfort road" saddle by any means. It is certainly for the rider who is accustomed to riding high-performance "racing" type saddles or is looking to upgrade to such a saddle. The slim profile and harder, denser padding does exactly what I have long said the ideal saddle should do: support you where you need support and then stay out of the way. The dense padding also does an acceptable job of cushioning the rider from the larger bumps in the road. But for the rider who may require more padding or gel to be comfortable; the InForm series will not fit the bill.
So, my final thoughts are that I'll definitely keep the InForm on at least one bike - likely the Waterford as my other bikes typically do service on shorter rides often while I'm not wearing padded shorts - so the slight gel padding of my Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow saddles work nicely for me.
The difference in width between the Flite and the InForm were not noticed. I didn't notice the lack of the cut-out on the InForm. I did end up adjusting my saddle height down just a little as the saddle does not flex as much under weight nor do you sink in to the padding.

Little notes from the first post on the saddle:
1) No abnormal wear after 10+ hours. Still looks new. Ought to hold up well

2) Plastic "pointy" cap under nose of saddle still grabs at certain shorts - but only mildly irritating.

3)I slid the seat further forward after a couple of rides as it seemed I was riding more to the rear of the saddle than on my Selle Italia saddles. This was done all by feel and I have not had anyone evaluate my knee position in relation to my pedals on the Bontrager to see if the adjustment was well founded keen observation or me just "feeling" something that wasn't real.

If there are any loose ends that I didn't tie up, or you have other questions; leave a comment and I'll answer as best as I can.
Bottom line: worth a try and with Bontrager's 90-day comfort guarantee; you can't lose.

4 comments:

  1. Matt - Thanks again for the helpful review. It was the only decent one at the time, and it helped me decide to purchase the saddle. I have 2500 miles on it (just over 5 months) and love it.

    Very comfortable, and to your point, I do not notice it is there (which is great). The longest single ride I have on it is 169 miles, and had no issues whatsoever.

    I was using a pretty soft saddle before this (Terry Fly Cromoly) with a cutout, and had no issues adjusting.

    Take care!

    By the way, if you have some free time, I could use another great review of the Bontrager RL MTB shoes, vs. the Specialized BG Comp MTB!?!?!! : )

    Jeff

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  2. I've got about 500 miles on the RL and love it on my LOOK 595

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  3. Great seat for comfort, i put one on my road and MTB but on my MTB the two pointy tips at the back of the saddle are always catching my shorts when I have to go behind the seat. Have even ripped a couple pair.

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  4. Very comfortable saddle. Did a 185 mile ride on the road with this saddle with no discomfort whatsoever.

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