Arte Selle Misy AX 3 Action saddle

Part of the 3 Action range, along with the Titanium Misy version tested a little while ago, the steel railed Arte Selle Misy AX 3 Action saddle here is cheaper, heavier and more padded.

Just to recap, the 3 Action idea is one that separates the saddle design into three parts. A raised rear for climbing, a flat section for the less lumpy stuff and a dropped nose for when you're head down giving it the beans.

In practice it all works rather well. Being able to ease back against the elevated tail when climbing provides a good solid platform to push back against providing power. It also relieves some lower back pressure.

The middle section has a cut-out to remove numbness and the slightly increased level of padding over the titanium version is much appreciated. The Misy is a comfortable saddle while the narrow nose is ideal for the larger thighed rider. The slightly dropped nose helps when you're really going for it taking a bit of pressure off of the sensitive bits as you're flying over rough surfaces.

The sacrifice of the extra padding and a change to steel rails sees an increase of 50g over the titanium but at 225g its still a relatively light saddle especially for its £39.99 price tag.

Day-long comfort is good with an ideal balance of padding - meaning it's supportive enough without being squidgy. A few 4-5 hour rides were carried out in comfort with no numbness or hot spots.

Build quality is okay but not quite up to the standard you'd expect for forty quid. The material is stapled to the saddle shell and in places it was coming away and puckered in others. Thankfully the man-made upper looks good from above and should prove to be pretty hardwearing.

Verdict

A decent, comfortable saddle with a pretty good weight, but average build quality.