Overall, we’ve a proven love affair with stiff, racy saddles with cutouts and the Falcon ticks all the boxes for us and the price compares favourably to similarly orientated saddle like the Bontrager Montrose or Specialized Power.
Pros
- Comfort
- Stiffness
- Weight
Cons
- Needs experience to get the most of it.
About the Manufacturer
With the likes of Specialized Roval and Trek’s Bontrager breaking the mould with what people thought of own brand accessories and parts, Shimano have started entering the aftermarket and upgrade party with their own Pro brand. The brand covers a huge range of parts and accessories across cycling disciplines (including Tri and MTB) as well as workshop and travelling equipment. Of course, all of this is made with Shimano’s regular quality and attention to detail.
Review
We’ve had a bit of a run reviewing PRO’s road saddle range, fairly recently reviewing both the Turnix and the Griffon. The Falcon is the performance orientated model, although no longer the lightest or most top end model, with the newer Stealth taking those honours a couple of years ago. While it’s no longer the biggest or bestest, the Falcon has been through a number of iterations since its introduction in 2015 and still strikes a super modern silhouette compared to the latest models out there. On review we’ve got the “Anatomic Fit” – commonly known as has a cut out – version in our preferred 142mm width, with the usual PRO mounts for accessories.
Compared to the Griffon and Turnix, there’s absolutely no mistaking the intentions of the Turnix with its distinctive wishbone shape and flat shape across its length and width. This is a saddle for pedalling in anger, suiting those with a stable position and good flexibility. The shell is the usual polycarbonate but comes with some carbon reinforcement and comes in a dimpled synthetic leather finish wish we really liked – overall it’s a very handsome saddle. Despite the Falcon’s very aggressive looks it’s also surprisingly generously padded for a saddle in this niche, although that isn’t always a great thing.
While the saddle is probably longer than expected compared to the photos the wishbone shape and that rear cutouts helps to keep the weight down, with the Falcon coming in at very reasonable 206g on our scales.
The Falcon has the looks of something that’s ready to throw down on race day, but a first inspection suggests it might also have a softer side – how does it perform on the road?
It turns out that soft is a relative term as in performance it very much sticks to it’s aggressive nature – while the padding does help on longer jaunts out this is one stiff saddle! Having said that with the padding and cutout we found that from a comfort perspective it suited us just fine for anything up to half day adventures. That stiffness certainly helps when you’re hauling in the chain gang although there’s certainly a lack of flex so if you’re looking for something more endurance orientated you should be looking at the Griffon or Turnix.
The flatness and cover on the saddle are also more orientated to performance riding and racing – the shape helps put the power down and move around the saddle, but that’s going to be an issue if you don’t want that or maybe don’t have the strength.
Overall, we’ve a proven love affair with stiff, racy saddles with cutouts and the Falcon ticks all the boxes for us and the price compares favourably to similarly orientated saddle like the Bontrager Montrose or Specialized Power.
Highly recommended if you’re looking for a race saddle!
Key Specifications
- Width: 142mm
- Weight: 206g
- Material: Synthetic upper, carbon reinforced shell, Ti rails