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.
About the Saddle
Compared to the endurance orientated PRO Turnix [LINK] we reviewed a little while back, the Griffon is positioned as the middle point in the PRO road saddle range, having a slightly flatter profile, while not being as out and out aggressive as the more race orientated PRO Falcon. We had the “Anatomic Fit” saddle for review, which comes with a central cutout for additional relief – also an added cooling bonus while testing saddles during this sadly record breaking Australian summer, but the Griffon also comes in a “standard” model with no cutout. The Griffon also comes in 132mm, 142mm and 152mm sizes and comes with either or carbon or alloy rails – the latter of which we’ve been testing for the last couple of weeks.
Positives and Negatives
Now despite the bulky nose on the more Endurance focused Turnix, we got on pretty well with the saddle overall, remarking that it was comfortable over mid to long distances. The Griffon has a very different shape and intention so while we put in some longer rides, we took it out on the chaingang with the club and took it on some pretty hilly rides down through NSW’s Royal National Park and the roads around Kurin-gai and West Head to test the saddle’s climbing chops.
We didn’t get on well with the saddle as we do with our current favourite the Bontrager Montrose elite – likely due to the slightly longer nose and the more rounded shape of the base. That being said it performed admirably when under load and that longer nose is a great place to perch when you’re on some of the (very) stiff gradients in around Sydney and the suburbs. The synthetic cover on the saddle was also pretty grippy and stopped us sliding around too much.
We know some other publications haven’t got on so well with the saddle [road.cc link], but for us the only real downsides – aside from personal anatomy – are integration and cost. Many of PRO’s saddle’s have screws for using things like mudguards and mounts, however you’re only able to use proprietary accessories. There are also a lot of great saddles with a similar intention around this price point too, if you’re willing to shop around, including:
- Fabric – Scoop Pro Flat / Scoop Race
- ProLogo – Naga Evo
- Specialized – Phenom Comp
There’s also a lot of deals on older Fi’zi:k saddles at the moment – which of course are still excellent.
Key Specifications
As tested:
- Rails: Ti 7×7
- Shell: Nylon + Carbon
- Cover: Synthetic leather
- Dimensions: 270 x 142mm, Rail Dimensions: 7x7mm
- Weight: 220g
Test Bike
- Emonda ALR
Pros
- Supportive and good under load
- Decent climber
- Grippy Cover
Cons
- Personal preference
- Integration
- Strong Competition at this price point
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