SCICON ELAN

New tri saddle from the top-end bag brand

The battle for the most extravagant package is edged by Scicon, as our Elan saddle came with a sleek Elan 210 carbon saddle bag, complete with an inner tube, tyre levers and a C02 adapter as part of the limited-edition presentation box that costs £219 (the saddle on its own is £180). Scicon recruited professional bike fitters and used plenty of biomechanical data from athletes to create a one size, unisex saddle weighing just 199g that’d suit as many riders as possible. They claim the Elan is suitable for multiple riding styles, but was originally conceived to reduce pressure on long rides in aggressive/aero positions.

Although it’s short compared to most road saddles at 248mm in length, it’s not quite as stubby as Fizik’s Mistica (240mm) and is about 10mm narrower at the nose. Yet it gets wider where the cut-out section begins, and we achieved a comfy tri-bar position with some fore/ aft adjustment. For road riding the wide central channel provides plenty of pressure relief, and the grippy contact surface prevents any numbness on multiple long rides. The shell is carbon fibre reinforced polymer with braided carbon rails and, for such a light saddle, the build quality is impressively robust. uk.sciconbags.com