The best mountain bike saddles for comfort come in what seems like an almost limitless choice, and like the riders using them, come in all shapes and sizes. Every rider has their personal preferences when it comes to finding the most comfortable MTB saddle with shape, form, and function all part of the comfort conundrum.
However, finding the best MTB saddle option can take some time, and can prove a costly business if you make the wrong choice. The ideal situation would be to test a new saddle before purchasing it. It's unlikely that your local bike shop or online retailer will have every saddle available, and it's even less likely that they will allow you to put proper miles into it. So, where do you begin with so many choices?
Before you splash the cash, a good starting point is to measure your sit bones. It gives you a fairly rudimental idea of what you should be looking at width-wise for a comfy MTB saddle fit and can help avoid the dreaded perineal numbness when putting in the big miles on your bike.
Even better is to combine your sit bone numbers with our best mountain bike saddles for comfort guide below. Our expert testers have ridden big miles on many different models to help you identify the right pick for you. Based on our combined knowledge we've selected our best MTB saddles for comfort with selections based on overall comfort, long-distance days, widths, affordability, and female-specific choice too.
The quick list
Super comfy, 3D printed bliss
The Specialized Power Pro with Mirror gives exceptional ride comfort in all conditions, which only gets better as the miles go by.
Cutting edge tech and materials
Designed to relieve saddle discomfort, the SR Allroad Core Comp has plenty features to please riders who suffer pain and numbness on the rear.
The 'Fit Right' system is designed to achieve a perfect comfortable fit
The WTB Koda was originally designed as a female-specific saddle, but is popular with male riders too.
Versatile with lots of endurance riding comfort
An excellent shape with a big cut-out and padding that's perfect for long days in the saddle.
Packed with SQ Lab's saddle expertise
Lightweight with cutting edge saddle tech and loads of wirth choice.
Flat design with plenty pressure relief and a smoothly sprung shell
The Prologo Akero gives optimum comfort at a winning price.
Best mountain bike saddles for comfort
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1. Best saddle overall
The Specialized Power Pro with Mirror takes the crown as the most comfortable MTB saddle overall in this guide. Our tester said it delivered "buttock pleasing bliss", providing exceptional extended ride comfort in all conditions, which only got better as the miles went by.
Specialized has recently trickled its Power Mirror 3D printed saddle tech down to a lower price point too, with the new Power Expert Mirror. That model retains most of the features of the Power Pro with a more wallet-friendly price. We've yet to review this cheaper version, so for now, due to its comfort performance and price point, the Specialized Power Pro is the top dog.
Plenty of other brands are producing 3D-printed saddles with Fizik being an example with its Adaptive tech. However, Specialized is taking its own approach with the liquid polymer printed upper to form an almost conventional-looking perforated ‘skin’ with the honeycomb shell visible through the body and tail of the central cutout.
The big comfort difference noted in testing was, unlike some other soft saddles, it didn't succumb to rider weight and turn into a "mushy, sweat-inducing nightmare" or as can be the case with narrower, bonier seats – there was no sign of painful pressure spots or creeping numbness developing as the miles went by.
Our reviewer, Guy Kesteven said in summing up, "comfort is a very personal thing, and if you’ve got an issue with it, then finding the best solution is potentially priceless." Adding that, "the Power Pro definitely extended the comfort zone far further than normal" and he has not had a single uncomfortable ride on it to date.
Check out our full review on the Specialized Power Pro with Mirror.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 3D printed ‘padding’ gives exceptional comfort | ★★★★★ |
| Value | Expensive but premium comfort has a cost | ★★★ |
| Weight | Middle of the road weight-wise | ★★★ |
2. Best saddle for reducing numbness
The Ergon SR Allroad Core Comp saddle came away with top marks as a numbness-reducing trail tamer when we put it to the test on a grueling mutli-day MTB trip through Snowdonia, Wales. German brand Ergon's brand mission is to make the most comfortable mountain biking and gravel riding saddles around as comfortable through ergonomics. They are renowned for producing a wide range of comfort-enhancing products – including gender-specific saddles with differing relief surfaces that combat numbness and pain in male and female anatomies.
The Allroad Core's comfort and numbness-reducing properties are built around BASF Infinergy – an expanded thermoplastic polyurethane that has high rebound characteristics, giving plenty of cushioning and damping. Our reviewer found it maintained its shape well without becoming too 'soggy or squishy' when putting down the power. This made for a noticeably softer and more comfortable perch than many other saddles tested and was particularly more comfortable on rougher trails.
The Allroad saddle also features a deep central depression from the nose to almost the rear, which relieved pressure in personal areas. In summing up its performance Guy Kesteven said, "the most telling endorsement for the Ergon SR Allroad Core Comp is that while I've taken the saddle off now to test other options, it's currently my first option to put back on after that testing is done." Adding, "the soft nose and central depression meant I had no issues with numbness after two long days in the saddle."
For more details check out the rest of Guy's Ergon SR Allroad Core Comp review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Ergon's comfort-enhancing ergonomics makes for a very comfortable perch | ★★★★ |
| Value | Could be seen as expensive | ★★★ |
| Weight | Not the heaviest here but weighty | ★★ |
3. Best saddle for women
The WTB Koda was originally designed as a female-specific saddle with input on design, testing and feedback from marathon MTB racer Rebecca Rusch. Although its proven all-day comfort has made it a pretty popular saddle with male riders too. Aimed at nearly all genres of MTB and gravel riding, its renowned comfort is achieved through a generously open 'Love Channel' that divides supportive outer zones to relieve pressure on soft tissue areas.
WTB has chosen a different path when it comes to finding the correct fit on a saddle which they call – The Fit Right system. So rather than a sit bone measurement they say that by measuring the width of your wrist, combined with the handy details in its app, such as riding position, body shape and preferred level of padding, you are given recommendations on saddles that should deliver the best overall comfort. Our testers confirmed the Fit Right system worked well, is very simple to use and gave different results for each tester trying it out.
Other stand-out comfort points included the short nose which provides seamless on-off transitions while a slightly swooped shape provides an adequate tail to brace against. Although the Koda was originally aimed at being a female-focused saddle, it boasts a shape that everyone can enjoy.
For more details on how the saddle performed, check out our full WTB Fit Right saddles review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Fit Right system gives an impressive and accurate fit | ★★★★★ |
| Value | Very wallet-friendly | ★★★★ |
| Weight | Heavy at over 300g | ★ |
4. Best saddle for long rides
The Fizik Tempo Argo R3 is a versatile long-distance perch that has well-balanced padding and an excellent shape perfectly suited to long off-road days in the saddle.
One of the most noticeable features of the Tempo Argo is the pretty wide and well-positioned cut-out, that in our testing was found to provide plenty of pressure relief over long distances. When combined with what Fizik calls proprietary Type 2 foam – designed to give a progressive cushioning with different thicknesses used across the saddle. A thicker area around the ischial sit bones area made for an extremely supportive perch and increased pedaling performance too.
Reviewer, Graham Cottingham, also pointed out that the Fizik Tempo Argo R3 weighed in at 243g, which he felt was a little on the heavy side, but the comfort of the saddle far outweighed the minor weight penalties. Graham added the levels of padding felt great – supportive enough to avoid any undesirable pressure points and still padded enough to filter out vibrations across two massive off-road days at the Struggle Borderlands totaling around 800 kms of riding.
Interested in reading more? Then all the details are on Graham's Fizik Tempo Argo R3 saddle review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Versatile and suited for all types of riding | ★★★★ |
| Value | Represents great value for a superb all-rounder | ★★★★ |
| Weight | Heavier than some but the comfort performance its a minor point | ★★★★ |
5. Best saddle for width choice
SQ Lab claims to be the first brand to introduce a sit-bones distance measuring tool for achieving the best MTB saddle fit, so they should know a thing about a comfortable saddle.
Like all SQ Lab saddles, the 611 Infinergy Ergowave Active 2.1 Carbon is available in five different widths from 13-17cm. The wide range of widths means that the sit bones on every rider will lie flat on the saddle, relieving the sensitive perineal area in men and the usually deeper positioned pubic arch in women. The indentation in the middle of the saddle is also designed to give excellent blood supply, and the lowered saddle nose should also ensure a better pressure distribution.
Like the Ergon SR Allroad Core Comp above, the Ergowave Active 2.1 is made from a BASF Infinergy foam material which is said to make for a robust and they say it takes the comfort on this saddle to a completely new level, especially when riding off-road. It also makes it fairly feathery – weighing in at just 212 grams in the 13cm width. Aesthetically this saddle looks fairly different, almost unfinished on first view, with no traditional covering. The foam shell is exposed with only what SQ calls taped sections on the most important contact points.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Infinergy foam material makes it robust and comfortable saddle | ★★★★ |
| Value | Feature packed but costly | ★★ |
| Weight | Tips the scales at a feathery 212g | ★★★★★ |
6. Best saddle for affordable comfort
The Prologo Akero saddle is a budget-friendly saddle from the Italian brand renowned for making some of the best MTB and gravel riding saddles around. Prologo has a reputation for dramatically styled saddles with top-end pricing, but the Akero has a pretty straightforward design and comes with a superb price vs comfort ratio.
Akero is a member of the Prologo ergonomic family that includes Prologo Dimension and M5 saddles and has some of their performance-enhancing features – including comfortable cushioning and an innovative design which is aimed to deliver better rider weight distribution.
When Guy Kesteven reviewed the Akero, he noted its flatter and broader design delivered traditional performance saddle features in terms of padding and length. He also added there was enough flex in the shell to shrug off the roughest of trails, and the enclosed central channel gave plenty of pressure relief and comfort.
For full details have a read of Guy's Prologo Akero review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Relief channel takes care of unwanted pressure points | ★★★★ |
| Value | Brilliant price point with premium comfort levels | ★★★★★ |
| Weight | Very respectable weight for the cost | ★★★★ |
How to choose the best comfortable mountain bike saddles
Do I need to spend lots on a comfy mountain bike saddle?
There are plenty of budget MTB saddle options that will give a good level of comfort – like the Prologo Akero in this guide. Of course as the tech and materials used on saddles start to ramp up the bigger the price tag becomes.
So depending on how much an individual wishes to spend is down to how committed they are to getting the most comfortable MTB ride out there.
Can I use a road saddle on my mountain bike?
We wouldn't advise using road bike saddles on an MTB. Due to the hammering an MTB saddle will get, they need to be far more durable than a road saddle. Although there is a case to be made for using a road saddle on the best gravel bikes, there are now loads of gravel specific saddles to choose from.
Road saddles and MTB saddles also have tailored riding positions specific to the discipline. Road saddles are flatter to give a lower, more aerodynamic position, while mountain bike saddles have more curvature for better climbing positions and back support. Mountain bike saddles also weigh more mainly due to the materials used that increase their durability and comfort for the terrain.
Why do I need a relief channel on my MTB saddle?
Nearly all of the best MTB saddles on the market will feature some form of channel or a full cutout. These ergonomic features can greatly increase the comfort performance for all types of riding by removing pressure points in the most delicate areas and reducing numbness.
The big downside of having a hole in your saddle (particularly off-road) is that gaping hole will be perfect for splattering mud and water all over your butt, but there are options for covered channels too like the new Fizik Vento Argo X1 or the WTB Koda featured above.
How we test mountain bike and off-road saddles
We test saddles over several months, putting them through their paces on long, rough mountain adventures, fast trail blasts, and everything in between. We've rated specifically on comfort, but robustness, firmness, weight, and durability also come into play.
Meet the testers
Guy's been testing and writing about mountain bikes since the early nineties and we reckon it's a safe bet that he's tested more MTB saddles than anyone else in the UK.
With almost 20 years of riding experience, Graham has dabbled in downhill, enduro, and gravel racing, and has plenty of knowledge when it comes to choosing the best MTB saddle.
