Ritchey Streem Carbon saddle

The WCS Streem Carbon Rail saddle is Richey’s top offering, with carbon rails and a carbon shell, it is light but that lack of weight comes at a price. Playing safe and adopting a shape similar to the SLR, it could almost be mistaken for the Carbonio version of the Selle Italia classic. However with the SLR’s following this can’t be a bad design move and being my saddle of preference, I was looking forward to testing the Streem out.

Firm, thin, lightweight saddles always look deceptively uncomfortable. With them mounted on my bikes, friends and family often question how I still have blood flowing to my nether regions but don’t be fooled, with the right shape and amount of flex, they can be a comfy and pleasant perch for your posterior.

The Richey offers 147g (Richey says 145g) of carbon and Lorica. Lorica, a hard wearing synthetic leather often found on SIDI shoes, may be less glamorous than the true thing, but is, I think, a more sensible choice for saddles. The leather on my SLR quickly wore and peeled away from its shell but the Streem shows no signs of doing the same, even with my cross bike as the test rig.

The carbon rails on the Streem are an oversized 8x8.5mm and connect to the shell at “vector wings”. This provides the perfect amount of flex to allow the saddle to mould slightly and create a very comfortable ride. The saddle is 135mm x 270mm and I found it fitting to my behind, in fact more comfortable than my SLR, the wing sections are a better shape.

Verdict

As racey saddles go you can’t go far wrong with the Streem. Its £126 price tag is a little steep but not out of place for a carbon rail saddle. Less performance orientated riders can opt for the titanium railed version although this may not provide the same flex which makes the carbon version so pleasant to sit on. Its found a permanent place on my cross bike and perhaps next seasons race bike too.