The WTB Rocket V Race Saddle was my favorite saddle for years. It’s still one of my favorites and top recommendations today.

In 2002, I was riding on this crappy little Koski saddle. I didn’t know a whole lot about racing saddles at the time, so I just used it and didn’t think much of it. I was able to do 50 miles on it, so I just went about my business.

Then one day I was test riding my buddy’s Gary Fisher 29er and felt the pleasure that is the WTB Laser V saddle. Man that thing was shaped perfectly and very plush, but not overly squishy.

I set out to find a similar WTB saddle for my race bike… and that’s how I found the Rocket V. It was a lot smaller and lighter than the Laser V, but since it kept that same shape, it was very comfortable!

I made that switch in late 2002 and never looked back! I’ve had a few Rocket V’s on a few different bikes since then.

To sum up what I like about it:

Small and light. While not as small or light as a road saddle, the Rocket V is small enough that I can maneuver around it comfortably during XC races. It’s also light enough to be right at home on a race bike.

Comfortable. There’s not a ton of padding, but there’s enough. And it’s firm, but comfortable. Very comfortable. I’ve ridden one for 6+ hours and enjoyed it!

Price. The price is very reasonable. The Rocket V Race can be found for around $50 or so, which is a steal for a nice saddle. To get the very nice and extra light Rocket V Stealth, expect to pay $100 (only warranted if you’re an elite racer.)

Is there anything I didn’t like about it? I don’t think so!

My final verdict is…

There is no “one size fits all” saddle, but this one sure is close. Many of my riding buddies run a WTB saddle and they love them. I can highly recommend the WTB Rocket V Race.

These days I ride the Fizik Aliante almost exclusively (it fits me just a tad better than the Rocket V,) but I still think the WTB Rocket V is a good saddle to try, especially if you’re new to mountain biking.

Official website: www.WTB.com

Buy online: www.REI.com

Today we’ll look at chamois colors and what they mean, and if the chamois could be leading to a sore butt…

I have 2 questions:

(1) I have a pair of pear izumi’s cycling shorts (cost was around $75). The chamois is blue in color. I know they make other colors like red, grey, etc. Any idea what the different colors mean?

(2) I have been riding once a week for the past 4 months and am now at 26 miles. Occasionally I’ll ride a second time during the week (cycling 12-20 miles during that ride.) My problem is that my butt starts to hurt after riding about 8+ miles. Is my butt sore just because cycling is relatively new to or do I need a thicker chamois, and if so, which do you recommend?

Thanks!
- Chamois Sammy

Hi Sammy,

Starting with the chamois color, don’t over-think things. Usually each model of shorts has its own chamois, and sometimes the chamois comes in different colors. However, sometimes different chamois have the same color, so you don’t want to use color as the sole way to distinguish shorts.

For example, take a look at the Attack, P.R.O., and Ultrasensor shorts from Pearl Izumi.

They all have slightly different chamois (Race 3D, P.R.O. 3D, and Elite 3D), even though two pairs use a red chamois. So you need to pay attention to the chamois name; you can disregard the color.

And just to make sure you believe me – look at the cycling shorts listing at Pearl Izumi’s web site. The photos don’t show nor mention the chamois color. If chamois color made a difference, they’d surely picture the chamois color for you.

Of course, it would be interesting to see the pictures on their chamois technology page.

Now for the sore butt…

The sore butt is most likely since you’re new to cycling. Even with a good saddle and chamois, it happens to practically everyone. And it usually happens again every Spring or after any long break from bicycling.

That said, it’s a good idea to try out multiple saddles and chamois varieties. Your current chamois is probably fine unless it chafes you, but I have a related article about my favorite shorts you may like – “What Cycling Shorts Do You Recommend?”

If you want, you could look around for shorts with a thicker chamois. That may provide a bit of relief. Sometimes the excess padding gets in the way and actually makes for a less comfortable ride, though, so more padding is not a guarantee of comfort.

If that works, great. But if the soreness still doesn’t decrease over time, consider a new saddle. A general rule of thumb is to use a bigger, more padded saddle for slower, casual riding, but use a firmer, lightly padded saddle for longer, faster rides.

That’s because the faster you’re riding, the more weight you’re placing on your feet. When you’re riding slowly, most of your weight is resting on the saddle, and you might need the extra padding.

For a few thoughts on saddles, read my “What Is The Best Road Bike Saddle?” article.

Good luck!

Today we will look at choosing a good road bike saddle that fits comfortably…

Hi levi! what’s the best road bike saddle in terms of comfort?

thanks!
-Saddled Sam

Hi Sam,

Saddle choice is a personal preference based on sit bone width and other factors. There is no best saddle, just the best saddle for you.

I ride a Fizik Aliante, which is very comfy and pretty popular. But some people hate the Aliante and prefer the Fizik Arione or Selle Italia Flite. Lance Armstrong was always seen riding the Selle San Marco Concor.

So you can see, everyone has a different preference.

The best thing you can do is find a bike shop that will let you test ride a few different seats before choosing the right one. That will save you quite a bit of money in the long run. Some shops also have devices to measure your sit bone width (one such tool is Specialized’s Assometer,) and they can recommend a saddle based on that measurement.

If there is no local bike shop offering this, you can also sign-up for a demo online – CompetitiveCyclist.com Saddle Demo – which costs $75, but can save you hundreds of dollars that you would have spent on uncomfortable saddles.

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