Ergon SR Allroad Core Comp Saddle: Checkpoint – by Guitar Ted
The Ergon SR Alroad Core Comp Saddle was introduced a little over a month ago here, (see that post here), and I’ve been riding it quite a bit since. It is overdue for an update here, so I will give my impressions so far on this saddle and look forward to a final review before the snow flies here. Now, on to the update….
Ride Performance; I really put this saddle to a very big test right away and reported back in the intro. Since then I have been riding this SR Allroad saddle for various sorts of rides in varied types of clothing- not just cycling specific stuff. In fact, I’ve been using ‘civies’ on many rides and the results have been eye-opening for me.
First off, I want to take a step back and give this review some context. I have used various Ergon saddles in the past, and although they all had really good things going on, I always ended up not quite bonding with them. Mostly because Ergon’s signature shape for their saddles early on had a bit of an abrupt transition from the front two-thirds to the back third of the saddle which would be troublesome on longer rides for me. Interestingly, a similar complaint was lodged by Grannygear regarding these earlier Ergon saddles. (You can read his take on that and a recent Ergon saddle here.) The newer Ergon shape is much more appealing to both of us, so just this facet of Ergon’s saddles has been an improvement we’ve noticed.
Now add in the new Infinergy® core and things get very interesting. I kept trying to compare what was happening in terms of terrain feedback while I was riding. The three key contact points- saddle, handle bars, and pedals, were what I concentrated on in these rides with this SR Allroad saddle. Every time I did this I felt like I could not feel as much- or any– vibrations coming through the saddle like I was through my hands and my feet. It did not seem to matter if I had a chamois on or if I was in my street clothes, this seemed to me to be the case. That Infinergy® stuff really seems to knock down the higher frequency stuff really well.
Now that is not to say that you will not feel thuds, bumps, or things like rumble strips. No- you are going to get all of that, but the energy dissipated from high frequency vibrations is no joke and it makes you feel a lot better than you would otherwise on a different saddle.
Another thing I noted after riding the SR Allroad some was that the ‘wings’ of this Ergon saddle are flexible and seem to move with you as you pedal. It isn’t as though the saddle is not supportive- it is- but it isn’t overly rigid to the point of causing soreness after riding it for hours either. This was a big issue with those older Ergon saddles for me, as alluded to earlier in this review.
So Far… Well, it is a bit surprising to me that I have liked this saddle so well. At least for me- the Ergon SR Allroad fits very well, moves along with my pedal motion without losing that very important supportive feel, and it knocks down higher frequency vibrations which could rob me of freshness later on into a ride. That I have started to find my favorite saddles wanting a bit now that I have ridden the SR Allroad is telling, for me at any rate, and points to the fact that the SR Allroad just very well may supplant my other saddles in the future.
But I have a couple more things I want to try out before I get that far. So, stay tuned for my final review on this saddle which should post in a few weeks.
NOTE: Ergon sent over the SR Allroad Core Comp saddle at no charge to Riding Gravel for test and review. We were not bribed, nor paid, to give this review and we always strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.