BBB Echelon Saddle

The BBB Echelon Saddle is a cutaway design, reckoned to bridge the gap between road and dirt duties. Several hundred miles hence and my derrière reckons it does just this in a very competent and understated fashion.

• Pros: Comfortable, well made, decent price, versatile
• Cons: Not a 'con', but scuff bumpers would be good

Its specification is pretty much what I'd expect from the sub-£70 price point. Up top, we have a waterproof, faux leather cover. This is a satin finish, striking the sweetspot tenure-wise yet still sleek enough to discourage water from pooling. It does seem durable, and BBB has felt 'scuff bumpers'/similar protective detailing unnecessary.

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Padding is described as a superlight foam and by my reckoning is on the generous side of minimalist (given the design brief and coming from something like my Holdsworth's Specialized Toupe Gel).

BBB describes the shell as 'carbon reinforced', while the chromoly rails are finished in a very fetching grey. The adjustment scale is very subtle compared with BBB's Razor and Specialized's Toupe. I've set ours up intuitively and made minor adjustments as appropriate.

As I'd expect, it's a glued and screwed construction – no ugly, low rent stapling here. The cutout is a gentle, sloping affair, less aggressive than some and, in my experience at least, none the worse for it.

Although labelled BSD-141, it's 145mm wide and 265mm long. That seems a touch long for a unisex design, though it is developed for a 'competitive cycling posture'. There are also 155mm and 165mm wide options (confusingly labelled 142 and 143 respectively).

Performance

Some years back, I received a full Specialized BG-fit consultation, suggesting that 143mm wide was optimal. On a low-slung road-biased mount this has proven so, although I've tended to go very slightly wider with 'cross derivatives.

My fixed gear winter/trainer usually sports a Brooks Swift with titanium rails on a Thudbuster ST suspension seatpost. Swapping it for the BBB, I was conscious of, and appreciated, a more direct ride. Powering along sweeping back doubles, the firm padding continued this supportive, yet direct narrative.

Most cutaway channels are pretty effective these days, although we're all unique. As rides staircased from 25 to 35 and 50 miles, there was no hint of tingling let alone numbness in the genital/pelvic regions. The cover's not in fly-paper territory, and there's plenty of scope for subtle shifting over the course of these rides, even with satin-effect Lycra or messenger knickers.

Swapped over to my lower slung TT fixed, though broader than my default, the slightly wider base didn't impede with cadences around the 100-110rpm mark, nor has there been any chafing of sensitive areas. On balance, and for this build, the Specialized Toupe Gel retains a slight edge in the comfort stakes and saves a few grams too, but comfort is a very subjective thing.

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I've also managed around 70 miles of dirt duty on a racier cross-country bike without any problems and would suggest taking a closer look if you're a flat bar dirt disciple looking to trim the fat without compromising comfort.

My rough stuff tourer cum trailer tug has a more upright stance, placing greater weight upon the sit bones, and after 40-odd mixed terrain miles I was becoming quite numb of bum and sore of inner thigh, which isn't the case with this Selle Italia Turbomatic, which has seen many thousands of miles.

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The Echelon's cover seems pretty hardy – no hint of distress despite being regularly leant against trees, rough sawn wood, rendered brickwork and so on. That said, I'd be inclined to add a layer or two of electrical tape to the sides, especially for gravel/cross-biased duties. Some kind of rubberised 'bumper' round the rear would be welcomed.

Summary

Ultimately, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Echelon. It's an understated but very competent 'everyman' saddle, by my reckoning well suited to road and sportier trail antics.

Verdict

Understated, very comfortable saddle for road/mountain bike duties