Specialized Women’s Power Expert With Mimic saddle

The Specialized Power Expert with Mimic saddle will certainly appeal to many; the extensive research behind it suggests a saddle that will suit lots of women. The foam inserts offer plenty of protection but the lack of cutout won't suit everyone during longer road rides.

• Pros: Excellent protection, particularly for sit bones when in more upright position
• Cons: Lack of cutout won't suit all for longer rides or those with an aggressive riding position

The saddle is a morphed version of Specialized's unisex Power Expert, which Ian loved. Specialized's research led it to add 'Biomimicry' – Mimic technology. It's definitely worth reading about this research – off.road.cc's article here goes into some depth. In short, the nose is made up of two different densities of new-fangled memory foam to relieve pressure from the most sensitive areas. Slightly further back, there are more layers of foam over a kind of hammock structure, intended to provide support for other areas.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Looks-wise, the saddle breaks the mould of conventional long nose, female-specific saddles with a cutout. It's a good 2cm shorter than my regular saddle (a Specialized Oura) but matches it width-wise. It basically looks really stumpy. The Power Expert Mimic's nose also slopes down much more and has a narrower tip than most. This didn't cause me any issues with sliding and never once did I snag clothing as I moved back onto the saddle, as can occasionally happen with some saddles.

There was one drawback to the groove in the saddle (where a cutout would be): if I left the bike outside and it rained, the hollow filled with water! It's not often left outside, but it's certainly not something I had thought about prior to testing.

Mounting

Mounting the saddle onto my road bike and getting the exact position was not easy: was the 2cm coming off the set back, or should I keep that the same? It was made slightly more frustrating without direct access to the top bolt of the seat clamp – my normal saddle has a decent sized cutout which allows you to access this bolt. I found myself needing to make small adjustments out on the road, which were annoyingly time-consuming.

I quickly realised that I actually had the saddle correct initially and simply needed to adjust to having very little fore-aft wriggle-room because of its short length. It is really designed for a rider to be locked into one single position, so getting the mounting position spot on is vital.

The ride

For road rides up to 90 minutes I found the saddle acceptable but I never felt 100 per cent comfortable – a situation that rarely ends well. I soon discovered that anything longer led to significant discomfort. The longer the ride, the worse it became. I persisted for a couple of weeks; I'm so used to a cutout that I thought perhaps it was just a matter of adapting.

I tried adjusting the tilt of the saddle but things didn't improve. Tolerating it for anything more than 90 minutes on the road bike became impossible. The memory foam surface just didn't work for me, and pressure wasn't relieved as intended.

> 9 ways to make your bike more comfortable

In addition to this, the lack of room meant I couldn't make micro shifts backwards every so often, which could potentially relieve pressure.

Moving the saddle onto my commuting bike, with a slight change in position there was less pressure on the more sensitive parts. For me, the saddle offered the right amount of support in this situation. It genuinely felt really comfortable. It was forgiving on the sit bones and for my short (40-minute) commutes I never felt any discomfort or build-up of numbness anywhere.

Individual fit

As ever, a saddle is so personal. If you read Rachel's review on off.road.cc you'll get a completely different take. This could be related to the fact that she has a different position on the mountain bike, or that she simply needs a different saddle to me. Interestingly, Rachel tested the 143mm. Maybe sizing down to give less of a widening would have offered a tiny bit more room for fore-aft shifting.

It's worth noting that Specialized recommends 'utilizing the Saddle Width Measuring Tool' to 'ensure a proper fit for maximum Body Geometry Fit performance'. The saddle actually comes in a variety of widths: 143, 155 and 168mm at Comp (£84) and Expert (£105) level, and in 143 and 155mm on the Pro (£184, carbon shell) and S-Works (£230) rungs. Many Specialized outlets will carry out sit-bone measurements and make recommendations based on them.

> How to fit and set up your saddle

Admittedly, I simply selected the same width as my normal saddle and fitted it on feel and experience. A full Retul fit would shed some light on the optimal positioning of the saddle itself, but that's an expensive way to get along with a saddle that's already set you back £100 or more. (Specialized does say some of its dealers will offer the Retul Match system, which is a complimentary service.) Personally, if I can't set it up myself with 15+ years of setting up my own bike and position, I suspect it's just not going to be a road bike saddle for me.

Value

You are paying for a saddle at the forefront of research and development, and that's never going to come cheap. It's quite difficult to find a saddle that is like the Power Expert Mimic outside of the Specialized ranges; it's pretty quirky. 

All of the saddles that Caroline mentions in her buying guide cost less than the Comp, the cheapest version of the Power Expert Mimic. If you are watching the grams, you could go for the lightest possible S-Works version, but you're paying almost three times the price. I'd say the Expert that I tested is a good compromise, with hollow titanium rails and a nylon/carbon base.

If you're not happy, Specialized does offer a 30-day replacement guarantee at all dealers. Take it back with all the packaging and receipt, and they will do their best to find you an alternative that suits.

Conclusion

Having thought that I could never ride a saddle without a cutout, I have been convinced that it is an option on a bike where my riding position is more upright. I couldn't get on with it on my road bike, and wouldn't deem it worth the investment for anything else, but given the positive reviews it's received from others I'd say it's worth a try.

Verdict

Well-made saddle that seems to suit a more upright riding position