With my beloved Bontrager saddle starting to wear thin (it was the cheap one that came on my Trek, but man I liked that saddle,) it was time to part with some serious cash to find something new that fit my needs (and my sit bones.)

Having used numerous WTB saddles on my mountain bikes with great success, I thought the minimalist WTB Shadow V Stealth might be a good idea for my road bike.

The Shadow V was a bit smaller and had less padding than the others, but you could still tell it was a WTB. Plus, the silver leather was a perfect match for the silver accents on my Trek.

Not only is this constructed with premium leather, it has lightweight titanium rails and fancy sections of carbon fiber. It gets an A+ in the looks department!

It also retains the “Comfort Zone” where a section of the saddle’s hard shell is removed and replaced with foam.

The price wasn’t bad, either. It’s listed at $110 (in line with most leather road saddles,) but I grabbed it on sale for $55 at Performance Bike.

Unfortunately, the similarities disappear when you sit down on this thing. This saddle is NOT plush like the other WTB saddles I use (the Rocket V, Laser V, and Speed V.) It feels like your typical, ‘hard as a rock’ road saddle.

That being said, this is a bit more comfortable for me than the Selle Italia XO and some of the cheaper Flites I’ve tried.

The good news is that the Shadow V does remain semi-comfortable for hours on end. Plush saddles usually feel good for 30-60 minutes, and then become horribly uncomfortable. This one takes a few minutes at the beginning of each ride to get past the lack of comfort, but after that, it feels decent for longer rides.

One other thing… this saddle is meant for speed.

On harder rides, even when seated, more of your weight is resting on the pedals. By maintaining constant pressure on the pedals, you take a bit of weight off your seat. If you are pedaling slowly and easily, your weight is all going to be directed to your butt, pushing it into the seat, making things even less comfortable.

If you go for a slow recovery ride on this seat, you’ll notice the difference!

Racing is another use for this seat. Sometimes I ride a plush WTB on my road bike if I’m just looking for comfort, but that slows me down. Why? I sink down into it.

On the firm Shadow V, you have a great platform to push against. That means you can transfer more power to the pedals. There’s no “squish” that could rob your power.

So it’s definitely a racing saddle, not a comfort saddle. However, with the right shorts, this thing doesn’t hurt that bad…

Sometimes it does, though, which is the weird thing. It might feel like it’s jabbing right into my behind. No matter how I sit, I can’t get comfortable. So who knows?!

My final verdict is…

It’s hard to find a small, light road saddle that’s actually comfortable. This one is quite light and looks good, but it’s not overly uncomfortable.

It’s more comfortable than some other minimalist saddles I’ve tried, although it’s hard for me to use the word “comfortable” to describe this saddle!

Could it work for you? Maybe. Saddle choice is very personal. But I’ll tell you what – if you like the bigger, softer WTB saddles, that does NOT mean that you’ll like this one!

I guess it’s a 50/50 chance whether you’ll like this one.

Official website: www.wtb.com

This past summer I switched from my stock stem and handlebar to a nice combo from Ritchey – the WCS 4-axis Stem and the WCS OS Handlebar. My original setup was a heavy Bontrager stem and bar that came stock on my Trek 1500, so it was a welcome change.

(While each of these are about $90 at Performance Bicycle, I actually won these in a fantasy Tour de France league, so that made it even sweeter!)

Let’s start with the stem, the Ritchey WCS 4-Axis Stem. Overall I have enjoyed it and have not experienced any major problems. It has proved to be light, stiff, and durable, just what I need. It looks good, too, from the silver front plate to the Ritchey world champion stripes on the sides.

I’m also a big fan of the four-bolt front plate. Two-bolt front plates concentrate pressure over a smaller area and require more force per bolt to hold the bar securely, so they can be a hassle. The four-bolt plate offered here spreads the clamp force over a greater surface area and, therefore, does not stress the bar so much.

The rise (+/- 6 degrees) worked out well for me. It’s just enough to raise or lower your position slightly for the right fit.

Not to mention, the recommended torque specs are listed right on the stem, so you don’t forget.

I have one small complaint, and it’s because the bolts that clamp my steerer tube are a tad too long. One sticks out and hits the inside of my quad if I’m really cranking up a hill. (The first time you won’t really notice it cut into your skin, but once you have a cut right there, you’ll feel the stem brush it every time you sway the bike!)

It might have something to do with the angled steerer clamp that “reduces the risk of damage to lightweight aluminum and carbon steerer tubes.” It’s not a big problem though, and it could be fixed with a little shorter bolt, or, my solution – gluing a tiny piece of old bar tape right beside the bolt so my leg hits that instead of the metal. (But depending on your bike setup and riding style, you probably won’t even have this problem.)

Others like this stem, too. It was even featured in the 2006 Bicycling Buyer’s Guide:

“At 111 grams, this stem ranks among the very lightest, but the forged construction means it’s sturdy as well. The polished-aluminum face-plate, with narrowly spaced bolts, is designed to clinch carbon handlebars without damaging the composite fibers.”

Now for the handlebar. It is a Ritchey WCS OS Handlebar with a classic bend (like Levi Leipheimer and I prefer,) but it’s also available in an ergonomic bend.

This bar is made with triple butted TRX50 construction for “unbelievable strength and stiffness,” while the oversized 31.8″ diameter “provides more stiffness and virtually eliminates bar flex.” And that’s why I love ‘em.

I would agree that the oversize diameter makes for more stiffness at a lighter weight, but man it still absorbed a heck of a lot of road shock! Going from the stock bar on my Trek 1500 to this was like switching to a carbon bar. (At least it felt like it to me.) It just soaks up tons of road vibration.

I actually had to get a carbon seatpost because the lack of road shock getting to my arms made me realize just how much was getting to my butt…

The only thing that ever worried me about these bars was how the ends would flex if I was pushing hard on the flat part of the drops. I never noticed it in the hooks though, so once I got used to it I wasn’t worried.

As for durability, I put these on my bike in June I think. After using them for 6 months, there have been no durability issues.

My final verdict is…

After having this chance to test them, I’d buy them if I needed a new stem and bars. They are especially good if you don’t like the idea of a carbon handlebar and prefer the durability of metal.

While I haven’t compared these one-on-one with a carbon bar, they certainly absorb more road shock and vibrations than a typical bar.

Buy online: Ritchey WCS 4-Axis Stem and Ritchey WCS OS Handlebar