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review
£89.99
VERDICT:
A comfortable saddle that sucks up rough roads and bumps, great for gravel and winter training
Comfort without excessive padding
Decent weight
Maybe too much flex for some
Weight:
192g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The Selle San Marco AllRoad Open-Fit Dynamic saddle performs well across a multitude of terrains, designed for riders who "enjoy new adventures on and off road" according to the company's UK distributor. It's a little flexible for those looking for a performance saddle, but if all-day comfort is what you're looking for – on tarmac or not – it's certainly one to try.
As with any saddle review, comfort is subjective, and my findings are from my personal experience. Saddles are arguably the most subjective element of a bike, depending on your body type. To find out whether a saddle is for you, you should always try to test it first.
> Find your nearest dealer here
As the name suggests, Selle San Marco has designed the AllRoad for a variety of riding, including gravel, with several elements helping to ensure its suitability for rough rides. One such is the amount of flex and padding. Manganese rails provide durability from the excessive vibrations that rough/gravel riding often brings, but they also offer a degree of flex which helps with comfort on rough surfaces.
The shell is carbon fibre-reinforced, which adds a bit of stiffness to the saddle and helps with power transfer. It hasn't been designed with this as the highest priority, but it certainly helps when trying to put the power down when climbing, for example.
Comfort is at the core of the saddle in more ways than just the flex on offer. It won't have escaped your notice that it has a large cutout to help relieve pressure on the perineum during longer rides. Width plays a part too: the saddle is 146mm at its widest, with a very narrow front end to prevent rubbing and chafing. It's also curved with a slight wave from back to front. For my body type it's very comfortable, but it's worth repeating that this is very personal to me – you might prefer something flatter.
The saddle upper is a material called Microfeel, which Selle San Marco describes as a 'breathable covering with high abrasive resistance'. It's too early to say just how robust this material is against normal wear and tear, but from a month or so of testing it's holding up well.
The AllRoad hits the scales at 192g, which for a saddle focused on comfort is pretty impressive. It's available in a couple of other options, the Allroad Racing Wide and AllRoad Carbon FX Wide, with this Dynamic Wide being the cheapest at £89.99. This puts it up against several other comfort-focused saddles but it holds its own: the PRO Turnix Gel Saddle is another £10 more and weighs 80g more, while the Specialized Toupe Comp Gel saddle is £5 less but 50g heavier.
> Buyer's Guide: 21 of the best saddles
Overall, I was impressed with this saddle. It's comfortable, decent value, and not bad at all when it comes to power transfer. It won't be for everyone, given that it's optimised for comfort over performance, but is a good choice for everyday riding, rough roads and long days in the saddle, including audax riding and winter training.
Verdict
A comfortable saddle that sucks up rough roads and bumps, great for gravel and winter training
road.cc test report
Make and model: Selle San Marco AllRoad saddle
Size tested: WIDE (L3)
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?
It's designed for multi-terrain use, particularly gravel.
Selle San Marco says, "This saddle was developed for bikers who enjoy taking on different terrain, like Gravel. It is designed with a very narrow front end to provide maximum freedom of the legs while pedalling, thus preventing bothersome rubbing and chafing. The Allroad also features an ample area of ischiatic support, with a slight lift on the edge of the back end to provide optimal support for the cyclist during long rides.
"The wide central opening ensures adequate blood circulation and prevents uncomfortable pressure. Finally, the padding with increasing levels of thickness to offer a pleasant feeling on off-road terrain."
You can certainly tell this was designed for gravel and rough surfaces, which also makes it a great comfortable winter saddle.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Selle San Marco lists:
Rail : Manganese
Shell : Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Foam : Biofoam
Cover : Microfeel
Dimension : 268x146
Weight : 200 gr
Level : Dynamic
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Feels like a well-made saddle, with a decent amount of flex and durable material used throughout.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Performed very well throughout the review. It's not a performance saddle that you'd want on a race bike, but is ideal for those long hard winter miles or rougher roads and tracks.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Early days but seems durable throughout, from the manganese rails designed to take impacts, through to the Microfeel upper.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
7/10
Although it's not the lightest saddle on the market, it is impressive for the price.
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
9/10
Saddles are always subjective, but for me this was very comfortable.
Rate the product for value:
7/10
Pretty good value for a comfortable saddle that's not too weighty. Other similar comfort-focused saddles include the PRO Turnix Gel Saddle, which is another £10 and weighs 80g more, and the Specialized Toupe Comp Gel saddle, which is £5 less but 50g heavier.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well – it sucks up bumps and rough roads without any issues.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The level of comfort without excessive padding.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Too flexy for performance use.
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
It's not going to be for those looking to put the power down, but it's a great choice for rough rides or long winter training miles.
About the tester
Age: 32
I usually ride: CAAD13 My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo
I've been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,
George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between.
Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.
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