Banzai

Usual caveats on saddle comments; your bum may differ from mine.

Me: 5'6", 146lbs.

My big issue with saddles recently has been at the sides/wings. After rides where I did a lot of time in the drops, or a lot of climbs, I had chafing/welts along the line of the chamois behind my thighs, from the wings/corners of the saddles. After doing some research I found the Concor Light, and decided that the abrupt curved shape would maybe fix these issues.

It's a narrow saddle, at about 127-128mm, but that's mostly because of the precipitous curved profile. The "seating" surface takes up just shy of 120mm of that width. The saddle it replaced was about 135mm wide, with a "seating" surface that was about 120mm.

So far, this saddle is GREAT. I've only put one 45 mile ride on it, but so far I have none of the issues I had before.

It's VERY firm. If you like a softer saddle, this will not be for you. However...

The curved profile (as viewed from the side) was very well designed. As an added bonus I've had zero numbness issues since putting this saddle on. Concerning the profile, this saddle is VERY sensitive to tilt. Do not try to level the nose with the back, or it will be painful. The back has an up-curve to it that is useful in other ways. Rather, set the nose itself level to just a hair up of level, and you'll be fine.

When the bike goes uphill, that curve on the back of the saddle is terrific. It feels like it's holding/boosting me up, and aids in relaxing my arms/shoulders. That curve is also great in the drops.

Looking forward to another ride tomorrow. This saddle is a bit "old school", and it's chunkier and taller than a lot of sleek, sharp looking, modern race saddles. But it's solved so many issues without funky cutouts or "wing-flex" or gel spots or anything beyond a well thought out shape and a minimal amount of material.

Fox Farm

I use to use the early Concor in the late 80s and early 90s. The curve I like for the same reasons, hill climbing. Armstrong used one in a number of his TDF victory years.

Banzai

30 more miles this morning. I can pretty much say that I forgot about the saddle, which is just about the best compliment that a saddle can get.

I might need to buy a spare. Given how "dated" the design is, I'm surprised it's still in production. Most manufacturers (except for Brooks...which I also like) tend to freshen up their designs every so many years to keep the marketing fresh. How much longer can this design survive? There appears to be nothing comparable out there. (I.e. no "Velo" branded mimics or clones, etc.)