Best road bike saddles 2023 — here are the top bike seat picks for every budget

The Specialized S-Works Romin EVO saddle is brilliant for riders with a low, aero riding position. This high-end model weighed just 131g on our scales and gives the stiffest pedalling platform in the range. The finish is very clean too – it's an easy saddle to recommend.

Tester Liam writes: “What you're getting from the Romin is a relatively long saddle, with a central cutout Specialized says helps maintain blood flow. This channel is narrower than found on their own stubbier saddles, such as the S-Works Power Mirror.

“The shape flows down from the rear and falls away at the nose. The idea is that the saddle supports you in an aero tuck, with your torso nice and low. My personal experience is that it does this very well. When racing, the saddle helps me to stay planted as I chew the bars, trying desperately to avoid getting dropped. On more relaxed rides, my road bike position still puts me down low at the front. This is where I'm most comfortable, so for my road riding, the Romin is perfect.”

Specialized's S-Works Power with Mirror saddle is a new 3D-printed design with a honeycomb structure that offers a superb level of comfort, although you do have to pay handsomely for it.

You only have to glance at the Mirror saddle – which gets its name because it "perfectly reflects your anatomy", according to Specialized – to see that it's very different from most others out there. There's nothing particularly unusual about the carbon composite rails or about the carbon base with a cutaway centre, but rather than foam on top of that, you get a 3D-printed polymer lattice. 

Tester Mat Brett was impressed. "I've used this saddle loads over the past three months – short rides, long rides, road, gravel – and it has never disappointed. It feels comfortable at the start of a ride and it still feels comfortable hours later. Very little road buzz gets through and there's enough shock absorption to take the edge off any bigger hits that come your way. The textured surface is a little more grippy than most too, helping to keep you in position."

Giant’s Fleet SLR saddle is great for getting low at the front of the bike while staying comfortable. The large central cutout and stubby design are very well-shaped, the carbon rails and contouring work really well, and the price is good too.

The best thing about this saddle is the shape. The rear section is supportive, you get excellent pressure relief in the centre, and the swooping drop from back to front is brilliant when hammering along. You feel well-supported and free to push forward.

You also get Giant’s PFT – Particle Flow Technology – pockets in the padding and reviewer Liam found it resulted in no numbness or sore spots.

The Prologo Dimension 143 CPC Tirox is a saddle for people who know exactly where they want to sit and want to be kept there. It’s short, fairly wide and surprisingly comfortable, delivering an excellent, unobtrusive ride feel without fuss or gimmicks.

At 245mm long, the Dimension 143 CPC Tirox is significantly shorter than your typical performance saddle, so it won't suit riders who like to slide backwards and forwards a lot; there's basically nowhere to slide to.

As well as limiting your freedom to move around by its shape, this version of the Dimension saddle is topped with sections of Prologo’s Connect Power Control (CPC) material. Prologo claims CPC provides ‘vibration absorbing, grip and position stability’ and a whole lot more, but it’s obvious when you use a CPC saddle that the main thing it does is grab you by the Lycra and keep you in place.

If you like the idea of CPC but want a different saddle shape, there are plenty of other options in Prologo’s range.

The Ergon SR Pro Carbon Women’s Saddle offers lots of comfort thanks to a cutout that extends right into the nose, although minimal padding means it might not be the first choice for very long rides. That said, if you’re after a lightweight race saddle with a flat profile, this certainly has a lot to offer. 

The padding comes in the form of lightweight ‘Orthopedic AirCell Foam with OrthoCell Pads’ and it’s well-positioned. This model comes with a light and comfy carbon composite shell and rails, keeping the weight down to just 166g on our scales.

The Berthoud Cycles Soulor leather saddle is beautifully made and well worth the relatively modest time it takes to bed in because, once moulded, it’s like it was custom-made for your backside.

The Soulor is the sportiest in the Cycles Berthoud range and at 146mm wide it’s pretty narrow. It comes with stainless steel rails and a vegetable-tanned, pre-softened cow-hide upper.

Reviewer Shaun Audane found the Soulor church pew-hard for the first 75 miles but by 200 miles it was fully broken in. It should last many years and countless miles.