Selle Royal launch Respiro saddle range

Selle Royal has launched the Respiro range of top-end saddles which includes nine models. They all share the same central channel which they reckon is there for ventilation, hence the Respiro name, which is Italian for breathe. We’re more familiar with such channels in saddles for reducing pressure on your delicate parts.

The range is divided into four lines, determined it says by careful study of saddle anatomy carefully so they can design a range of saddles to suit the many different types and shapes of riders. So there’s Sport, Athletic, Moderate and Relaxed, which should make it fairly easy to determine which you want to be looking at.

Within the Moderate line there are men and women-specific saddles, while the other saddles are unisex. It does seem odd that they haven’t gone with the gender-specific shapes across the board.

There’s a choice of leather, water resistance and Royalgel covers, so there’s something for everyone. The leather saddles use Italian handmade leather and taps into the company’s 50 year experience of producing saddles.

The saddle we think will most appeal is the Respiro Soft range. It uses their own RVL technology that applies a 100% water resistant finish, which we think could be just ideal for commuting bikes, especially if you have the bike outside the office. Furthermore they’ve developed Cool Cover which they claim reduces heat buildup compared to regular black saddles by as much as 25%.

The padding is their own Royalgel, a gel that they claim doesn’t deteriorate, break or harden over the years. The Respiro Soft Athletic weighs 360g and measures 277mm long by 163mm wide.

For something a little racier perhaps, the Respiro Sport (at top of article) is a slim saddle weighing 255g with a narrower 143mm shell and 182mm length.

Prices start from £59.99 and rising to £91.99 for the leather bound saddles. More details of the full range at www.selleroyal.com