About the Manufacturer
It used to be that people turned their nose up at the big manufacturers own finishing parts and mostly they were right to. Trek’s Bontrager brand was one of the first to start challenging this convention when they took their R&D and manufacturing in house and started creating some of the most well regarded bike parts out there which include the highly regarded wheels and saddles that adorn the bikes of those on the grand tours.
About the Saddle
We start all saddle reviews with saying that saddle preferences are highly personal and you should always go test saddles before you buy. With that being said, we absolutely love the Montrose Elite.
The Elite is the second highest version of Bontrager Montrose saddle and now comes as standard on some of their bikes including the Madone and Emonda ALR – the latter being the one which we tested the saddle on. The Elite come with a microfibre cover, a cutout and Ti rails compared to CroMo or Carbon on the Comp or Pro models respectively.
So far, so saddle – what is it about this perch that has us all giddy then? Firstly it’s very comfortable – while there’s only a very slight amount of padding, the combination of shell shape, cutout and stiffness seems to suit this man’s bony posterior very well. Have ridden club rides, races and marathon events with 9+ hours in the saddle it been well and truly through its paces and have felt pretty fresh every time. Secondly that stiffness translates to great power transfer with only minimal flex when you’re putting the power down – or trying to at least…
While we also didn’t set out to test the saddle’s durability, a lapse of concentration on a day where we should have really been in the saddle landed one of us in hospital. The saddle’s cover performed admirably versus asphalt and it still in a very useable condition with only some minor scuffs.
A highly recommended saddle for a road bike.
Key Specifications
As tested:
- Rails: Ti 7×7
- Shell: Nylon + Carbon
- Cover: Microfiber
- Dimensions: 270 x 138mm, Rail Dimensions: 7x7mm
- Weight: 220g
Pros
- Comfortable
- Stiff
- The best saddle for this reviewers backside
Cons
- Not the cheapest or lightest