Repente Nova Aeron saddle

The Repente Nova Aeron is a reasonably priced, reasonably light saddle that looks great and boasts some neat eco credentials, but while it's fine on the road over long distances, when I ventured off the tarmac its lack of cushioning made itself felt, literally – it's incredibly firm.

For more options, check out our guide to the best bike saddles.

> Buy now: Repente Nova Aeron for £73.71 from Repente

Lengthwise, the Nova Aeron is fairly short at 260mm, while its 142mm width is pretty standard. On the road.cc Scales of Truth it weighs a respectable 236g, just 6g more than Repente's claim.

It features a generous cutout to keep the blood flowing to your bits, as well as Soft Cell padding on top, which Repente says allows for a 'controlled sinking of the padding'. Both the padding and the base are made from thermoplastic polyurethane, while the rails are 7mm round chromoly.

The profile of the saddle is curved at the back with a slight slope at the front, allowing you to get in the drops without anything interfering.

The padding is very firm, which on smooth roads wasn't a major issue, but I have very pronounced sit bones and it was pretty uncomfortable on rough roads or over gravel – a literal pain in the butt – though I had no problems with blood flow thanks to the cutout.

Not only is the seat firm, there isn't a huge amount of flex in the base either – the Repente Quasar on my road bike is much more flexible, and the padding has a decent amount of give too. Given Repente pitches this as suitable for mountain biking as well as road, it feels far too unforgiving for my liking.

Of course, all sit bones are not the same, and some of you might favour the Nova Aeron's firmness. As we always say with saddle reviews, when it comes to comfort it's entirely subjective – what I find comfortable might, to you, feel like sitting on a bed of nails, or what is uncomfortable for me might make you feel like you're floating on air.

On the plus side, although Repente isn't the first to throw its hat in the ring, the Nova Aeron is completely recyclable thanks to a construction that's free of glues and solvents. And because of the materials used, the production process is simplified, which helps to lower the saddle's carbon footprint. It still looks to be of a very high quality, and is stylish to boot, though the dark grey might not suit all tastes.

Value

If you get on with the Nova Aeron then it's pretty good value at £74. The Ergon SR Allroad Core Comp I reviewed last year, for example, is about £50 more, and heavier at 292g, although I much preferred it in terms of comfort; it's far superior over rough stuff.

Likewise, the SDG Bel Air V3 Overland Lux-Alloy Saddle is a similar weight (234g) but another £15 or so, though it scored highly for comfort.

At £59.99, the Smanie GT 137 is worth looking at. It's slightly heavier, but Shaun reckoned it offers decent comfort on and off road.

Conclusion

There's lot to like about the Repente Nova Aeron – it's good quality and comes in at a decent price and weight – but its firmness made it a no-go for my backside. Clearly, everyone is different, and if a firmer seat style works for you then I'd recommend giving it a try.

> Buy now: Repente Nova Aeron for £73.71 from Repente

Verdict

Fine for road use, but its firm nature makes it a questionable choice for off-road riding