Pro Stealth saddle

The Pro Stealth is a fine saddle for fast racing and time trials, with the central cutout for pressure relief and quality padding making it good for rides of up to around 50 miles, though not great for much longer than that.

The Stealth was developed in conjunction with the Giant-Alpecin team at every stage of production, which suggests this saddle is primarily aimed at racing, although Pro does describe it as an 'all-rounder'. The carbon fibre base is reinforced for extra rigidity, so power isn't wasted with small amounts of flex. It has lightweight EVA padding for comfort, and a wide platform sealed with a PU material to protect it from wear and to stop friction with your cycling shorts. What's more, the Stealth is compatible with Pro's range of accessories that fit on the rear, such as its CO2, camera and race number mounts.

> Find your nearest dealer here

I tried the Stealth on a Cannondale Supersix Evo road bike and Ridley Chronus TT bike, and I have to say that it performed best on the latter for me over longer periods. I think there are more comfortable race saddles out there for really long rides, such as the Fizik Arione reviewed here, but the Stealth is one of the best all-rounders I've tried for both a more relaxed position and being right on the nose.

It took me a bit of practice and tinkering with the position to get a sweetspot where I could transition from being comfortably on the nose for sprint efforts and then reverting to being sat back without feeling like I was out of position; I found fixing the rails bang in the middle, and not extremely far forward, was the best way to achieve this.

The central cutout is designed to relieve pressure on the perineum and to support the sit bones. Depending on the width of yours, Pro offers two widths: 142mm and 152mm. The Stealth is a unisex saddle, and as women often have wider sit bones the 152mm would be the more likely choice for them. I tried the 142mm and for me this felt fine; I managed to find a groove in the central channel that kept me comfortable on the hoods for well over three hours.

Pro also offers a tri-specific saddle, the Aerofuel, which I also happen to have tried, and there's very little to choose between the two other than the Stealth offering slightly more padding (for a minuscule weight penalty) at the back for some more comfort in a road riding position.

At £129.99 the Stealth is quite pricey for a saddle with titanium rails – Specialized offers its Power Expert saddle for £95 and it has a similar design with a wide, stubby shape and central pressure relief channel. Pro's high-end engineering and lightweight carbon base is the same as its carbon-railed version of the Stealth at £174.99, so for all but the very weight-conscious the cheaper one is the better buy. You can get carbon-railed saddles at a similar price point, such as the Bontrager Montrose we reviewed recently for £149.99.

> Buyer's Guide: Finding the right performance saddle

Overall the Pro Stealth is a very good option for racing and fast training. There's next to no flex and it's very solid. Although it's a little on the pricey side, if you get on with the cutout design and want something truly versatile, it's one of the better options out there.

Verdict

A fine saddle for racers and time triallists, with adequate padding and comfort