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Tech review - November 15, 2004
On Test: Velo ProntoSL.S1 Saddle
Minimalist style on a budget
OEM supplier Velo has entered the aftermarket components arena with a new range of 39 saddles. Steve Beletich applied some downward pressure to the ProntoSL.S1 over a month of Sundays.
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Until now, Velo has been best known as an OEM supplier of saddles, handlebar tape, and grips. Translation? The Taiwanese company supplies components to mainstream bicycle manufacturers, who fit them to their bikes and often re-brand them in their own image.
The news is that Velo's saddles can now be bought separately as an aftermarket purchase, distinctly branded with the Velo logo. The model on test, the ProntoSL.S1, retails at around US$60 which is at the budget end of the Velo Pronto range of road saddles (US$44 - $225).
The base of the SL.S1 saddle is fashioned from injected carbon fibre, covered with 'superlight' foam padding. On top, the centre section is synthetic leather, and the sides are Kevlar. These are married with two rows of white stitching. The saddle rails are titanium, coated with a chromium nitride (CrN) alloy. The claimed weight is 200 g and ours came in at 201 g. The SL.S1 is 270 mm long and 130 mm wide.
Installation
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The saddle goes on like any other. Thinking the rails were titanium and the seat clamp aluminium, I applied a generous smear of RSP Blue Grease (analogous to TiPrep). This stuff prevents galling and cold welding between dissimilar metals. Of course, as soon as I'd applied it I remembered that the rails are, quite sensibly, chrome plated. Oh well, at least now it won't creak under load.
The rails have the usual painted black graduations to help with saddle positioning. However, the paint is already rubbing off, so I'd suggest carefully marking the saddle's location if you ever need to take it off or make adjustments. Don't try scratching the CrN coating though, that stuff is ludicrously hard - around twice as hard as straight chrome, with superior adhesion to the metal underneath. Wise when you're clamping the living daylights out of it.
On the road and under the bum
Until now, I would have called myself old-school when it came to saddles. Not old-old-school but new-old-school. Light-weight, high-tech, but SOME comfort please. So this was my first foray into minimalist saddlewear.
The look of the SL.S1 I loved. Sleek nosed with excess fat trimmed from the sides so you can see the rails and clamp underneath - looks really cool if you've got a nice Euro-doggy seat clamp under there, that you never new existed. And the super-hard CrN coating means the rails will stay looking good, even if you clamp a few different locations.
OK, it looked good - tick in that box. But you can't avoid facing the inevitable music - you actually have to ride it too.
First ride. Pain. After twenty minutes, I was wondering what the hell I'd gotten myself in for. Am I ever going to be able to have kids? More importantly, would I ever really prove my manhood and produce boys?
Then I remembered the golden rule. Saddles are very personal items and can take time to wear in. How long though? A week? A year? Perhaps this is what the Queen meant when she spoke of her 'annus horribilis' - a horrible year with a horrible anus?
Thirty minutes in, though, and I'm warm, the saddle is warm, my bum is warm. My attitude improves dramatically. Things downstairs are feeling a whole lot better. In fact, I now go through a stage of complete and utter bliss. Total comfort. Frankly, I'm wondering how they can make a saddle this small and this light that feels this good?
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Next, you guessed it, I go through another bad phase. It's towards the end of my ride, but it's not as uncomfortable as the first one and I have a feeling it will pass. Fortunately, it does. The pattern then proceeds to repeat itself over the ensuing month of training and racing. The good news is that the discomfort level reduces with each repetition. For the techies, it follows a 'damped sinusoidal' pattern - up and down, with the amplitude reducing over time.
Presently, I'm fairly happy with the feel of the Sl.S1. After a month of testing, the comfort inversions have all but gone and I'm pretty comfortable. Truth be known, it's 10 mm narrower than my old saddle and I'm a broad guy. I also like to park my 80 kg on the two 'bum bones' (ischial tuberosities) at the bottom of my pelvis. Hence, I'd prefer something a little wider and possibly a little more yielding. But with those things come daggy looks and added weight - the inevitable trade-off. Ultimately, it's a personal thing, and you've got to choose what's right for you and your style of riding.
Endurance-wise, the Sl.S1 is wearing reasonably well, apart from the Velo logos starting to peel off the Kevlar and the painted graduations rubbing off the rail. However, the other stitched-in logos have not budged and the double stitching itself shows no sign of fraying. The smooth synthetic leather looks brand spanking.
More for the Techies
What does the 100g I saved from ditching my old saddle mean for actual performance?
Let's assume I've got to accelerate 100 fewer grams out of those criterium U-turns. If I accelerate from 10 to 45 km/h in 10 seconds, I'll use 0.75 watts less power with this saddle. If I'm off the saddle and shaking the bike wildly from side to side at a cadence of 100 rpm, I'm going to save an extra 2.25 watts. So, in total, I'll have an additional 3 watts of power to translate into forward motion. Not much if you're Ryan Bailey and you can put out 2100 watts, but an improvement nonetheless.
For psychological power improvement, add 10 watts per gram saved.
Conclusions
A great looking saddle that's wearing reasonably well after one month's thrashing.
For a saddle in this price range it's sleek and light. I found the comfort level overall to be moderate, mainly because it took a while to get reasonably comfortable (that's just me, though). There are wider saddles around that are more yielding where it counts, but all in all I'd say that the Velo ProntoSL.S1 is fit for its intended purpose. Horses for courses, as they say.
Recommended retail price: US$60
Claimed weight: 200 g
Measured weight: 201g
Reduction in sperm count: nil detected
Materials: injected carbon fibre, foam padding, synthetic leather, Kevlar,
CrN coated rails
Pro: looks, weight, price
Con: saddle width, level of yield
More information: www.velosaddles.com
Cyclingnews Rating: 
