The Berk Lupina Short 144 Saddle is a handmade carbon offering with multiple finish options and a good length warranty. Yes, it’s pricey, but if you want minimalism in the seating department without sacrificing comfort then you’ll love the balance achieved by this one.
Some will scoff at paying nearly three-hundred sheets for a saddle, but this Lupina Short 144 is far from the most expensive we’ve ever reviewed here at road.cc, and a lot of those others are from large brands with a much bigger, mass-produced manufacturing run than Berk’s
Saddles like the Selle Italia SLR 3D Carbon at £409.99 or the Cadex Amp 3D at £349.99 may include 3D printed uppers, but they share a carbon structure with the Lupina.
Selle Italia’s SLR Carbon with a traditional padded upper is £289.99, but around 25g heavier than the Lupina – which is an unbelievable 98g overall.
That weight can fluctuate by +/- 5g. This particular saddle weighed 100g on our scales.
Berk is based in Slovenia and each saddle is handmade. Alongside this short version of the Lupina there is also a standard-length version, and they are available in different widths too.
This one is 144mm wide – hence the name – but it can also be ordered in 132mm and 150mm widths. The Short is 247mm long while the standard Lupina is 275mm.
The construction is carbon fibre for the main rails and the shell itself with a padded synthetic leather sitting atop our review sample. Berk’s website shows other options too, like Alcantara and natural leather, or you can forgo all padding and just leave the carbon shell on display.
The maximum rider weight is 100kg.
Since short nosed saddles came into fashion a few years ago, they are the only shape I have on my own bikes. I like the unrestricted nature of not having a long nose when spending time hunched over in an aero position. Plus I don’t move about on the saddle much. I know some people like to move fore and aft depending on whether they are climbing or not.
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The one downside to going shorter is that you can lose some flex in the shell, but the Lupina still offers a fair bit. I don’t like any area of a bike feeling soft or squidgy, so the Berk suits me with a ride that is on the firm side. With the small amount of padding and a bit of movement from the shell of the saddle, there is enough movement to give some relief from road resonation, but when you want to put the power down it doesn’t feel like any of your effort is being sapped by flex.
Adding to the comfort is a channel that runs for the majority of the length of the Lupina, removing any pressure on the perineum.
Overall, this is a very comfortable saddle considering its minimal construction and it reminds me of one of my all-time favourites: Selle Italia’s original SLR that I loved using back in the early 2000s.
I’ve been using it for quite a few months now, and while it was comfortable straight out of the box, the upper material has slightly moulded to my shape now and it feels excellent every time I sit on it.
The construction and finish are absolutely top notch. Each saddle is ISO tested (ISO4210) and Berk offers a two-year warranty.
Being handmade, Berk can also offer repairs, according to its website.
Not being a saddle that is made with multiple layers, Berk can’t hide the attachment of the padded upper layer to the shell by sandwiching it with another base layer. This is finished to a high standard though with the artificial leather layer stretched taut even around the tightest of radii.
Conclusion
On the whole this is a stunning saddle and it is now located at the top of my ‘best of’ list alongside that early SLR and my current fave workhorse, the catchily named Selle Italia SLR Boost 3D Kit Carbino Superflow, which was priced at £409.99 back when I reviewed it in 2023.
The quality is excellent, as is the performance, and truth be told I think it looks rather stunning in a classical sort of way.
Verdict
Exudes comfort for such a minimalist saddle and offers stunning handmade quality
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Berk Lupina Short 144 Saddle
Size tested: 144mm width
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Berk says: “Lupina Short is the shorter version of our popular Lupina saddle. Although it is shorter we managed to keep some of the saddle flex thanks to Innegra that is used in the saddle shell. It has a T shape which prevents most of the friction on the front part of the saddle. The rear part is slightly curved and it provides more stability. It is suitable for all type of riders.”
It’s a low weight race saddle, that manages to retain good comfort levels.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
SPECIFICATIONS
Construction: Carbon
Look: padded or 3K carbon look
Length: 247 mm
Width: 144 mm
Max. rider weight: 100 kg
Weight padded: 98 g +/- 5 g
Saddle rails: oval 7 x 9 mm
Warranty: 2 years
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
A comfortable saddle, considering its minimalist approach.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Great comfort versus low weight.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing really. You could argue about the price but I think the Lupina Short goes a long way to justify this.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At £300 it’s in the upper echelon of saddle pricing, but compared to the mainstream opposition it isn’t over the top. I’ve added options to the main review body to highlight this.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
Use this box to explain your overall score
An incredibly lightweight saddle that doesn’t sacrifice comfort to beat the scales. It’s a lot of money, but the excellent handmade quality and good warranty length softens the blow, and even justifies it.
About the tester
Age: 46 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month’s test bike My best bike is: B’Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
3 thoughts on “Berk Lupina Short 144 Saddle”
At this point I wonder why I’d buy this or any other off the shelf saddle that costs this much rather than have a custom saddle made….
Weight!
Not just weight, but exceptional comfort and function. And yes, they do offer repairs, even when I sell my bike and buy new in different color, they always provide me with new leather and new prefered color.
For me one of best parts i ever purchased for my bike(s)