Best road bike saddles 2024 — here are the top bike seat picks for every budget

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 Selle Italia SP-01 Boost Tekno Superflow saddle is the most expensive saddle we've reviewed here at road.cc. With an RRP of £439.99 and a weight of just 119g, that works out to £3.70 per gram. Teaming up with Dallara, an Italian company that makes composite products for F1 cars, the saddle features Suspension Link Movement technology for a more comfortable ride and a ridiculously low weight.

With no padding, this saddle leaves no room for error and won’t suit everyone, but reviewer Simon found it surprisingly comfortable if it fits your anatomy. He described it as 'the ultimate concept saddle, showcasing all of Selle Italia's expertise.

The Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow saddle is one of the most widely recommended women’s saddles out there and for very good reasons. It’s comfortable, flexible, light and it even looks good too.

Plenty of padding ensures long-ride comfort, and the long cutout section relieves pressure on soft tissue. The cover is made from full-grain leather and the finish is good. Overall, this puts in a superb performance at a very good price.

The Repente Spyd 3.0 is a high-performance saddle that is suitable for both on and off-road riding as well as both male and female riders. The Spyd 3.0 is marketed as a 'Close Fit' saddle, designed to reduce pressure on the ischial bones and it certainly has an unusual shape, with an almost vertical edge where it widens for the 'sitting' area.

It also features a central channel that runs the length of the saddle to relieve perineal pressure, and the same location on the saddle base has a section removed too. Matt described this saddle as providing "outstanding comfort on even the longest rides". 

The Spyd 3.0 comes in two widths, 132mm and 142mm, measured at the widest point. Repente claims a weight of 165g (+/- 5%) for the narrower 132mm version; our 142mm saddle was 175g.

The Ritchey WCS Cabrillo saddle is a great all-rounder with a shorter and wider unisex design aimed at road and gravel riders. At first glance, it would easily pass as a traditional road saddle but at 260x146mm the WCS Cabrillo is a little shorter. It is a one-size-only design though. 

As a unisex-design saddle, it comes with a perineal channel rather than a cutout. Tester Shaun says, "The pressure-relieving groove did its thing without fuss, which was another pleasant surprise given that 'unisex' can have the potential for being the worst of both worlds". 

Ritchey also makes a cheaper Cabrillo model with chromoly rails if you're on a tighter budget.

The ISM PR 1.0 is a great saddle for keen riders and racers, offering excellent support and comfort. The ISM PR 1.0 saddle is an unusual shape with its split nose and a wide rear platform, but don't let that put you off. It's very comfortable under the sit bones and reduces pressure on the soft tissue in the perineal area.

The ISM PR 1.0 saddle is by no means light at 327g on the road.cc scales of truth, and the steel rails don't help there – though the satin finish looks good and the quality seems high.

If you're looking to switch to this saddle, ISM recommends you build up the distance slowly, simply because it's so different to most.

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 Fizik Tempo Aliante R5 saddle is a functional and comfortable endurance saddle with extra width to accommodate all behinds. We tested it in a width of 145mm but it is also available in a wider-still 155m width.

It lacks the snub-nose design preferred by many endurance riders and modern saddle designers but Laurence didn't find this to be an issue whilst he was testing it. The saddle has varying levels of padding in different areas, Fizik using what it calls a 'double-density foam, firmer on the ischial bones and softer on the nose'. There is also extra width at the rear and Fizik's Wing Flex feature, which allows for some flex in the saddle's sides when you're pedalling so your legs don't brush against an immovable object. 

There is a central cutout to aid with blood flow, but it's short compared with those on some other saddles and it doesn't extend to the rear end of the seat – and that lack of a cutout contributes to the Aliante's reasonably substantial weight.