The Saddle
I purchased this to replace to replace my old Trek touring saddle. That saddle is no longer made. It weighed in at 400 grams, had tons of butt pad, gel cushion, and a relief cut out.
The Origin8 I purchased for two reasons. (1) It was cheap, $30 on Amazon and (2) It was a lighter saddle with a cutout.
I purchased it in white for aesthetic reasons knowing that as a commuter I would have to clean the heck out of it.
So lets hit this in order:
1. Aesthetic: It is white on a red bike with white accents. It looks sharp with the black and silver on the saddle. Cleans easy due to synthetic material which means it should last a good long while. It is not "white" more of an "off white" bordering on "cream" color. The saddle is also FLAT from rear to nose.
2. Weight: Advertised 265g actual 290+/-g. I emailed Origin 8 about this and surprise no response. I am not mailing the saddle back cause that would be cost prohibitive. I like it and it fits me. Mad yes, but not that mad.
3. Comparisons: Compared to my old saddle it felt like a piece of wood until I got the saddle dialed in for my rear and under bits. Now it is comfy. I have not owned any of the other high end saddles so no comparison there.
4. Fit: I have a "U" style undercarriage. So I have to find the right nose up to support that. Once I found this the sit bones hit the padding and I was off to the races. This is a saddle, that for me, came close to being dialed in when I used my previous saddle fore aft. However, since the saddle is smaller than the previous one I had to adjust the height a few MM which threw off the fore aft adjustment. As I said before this is a FLAT saddle. The cut out works for me by allowing me to really lean forward without undue pressure.
Overall the saddle itself is a decent saddle for $30. Not as comfy as the touring saddle, but comfy enough that would not mind putting 40 or 50 miles on it and I commute on it in bike shorts so the comfort is there.
My only complaints about the saddle are the weight and the construction. The plastic nose piece that is screwed into the saddle that holds the rails creaks a little. I tried to tighten the screw, but nothing doin'. The squeak has since gone.
In sum, I'd say that if you are in the market for a decent piece of kit for your ride. This would be a good saddle choice just be aware that claimed weights are way off in favor of the heavy side.
Cereal give this a 3/4 full bowl of cereal. There is room for improvement.


Reply With Quote
