Specialized and Fizik are in somewhat of a 3D-printing saddle arms race at the moment, both brands released their takes on the futuristic padding around the same time and since then there has been a bit of a duel as each brand expands the tech across its ranges and price points.
Specialized's Mirror padding uses a 3D-printed honeycomb structure which allows greater control over padding densities to offer more support and comfort over traditional foam. Specialized Mirror has until now been exclusive to the brand's premium S-Works saddles but in its latest move, Specialized has trickled its Mirror tech down to its Power Pro saddle.
That means you get the same Power shape and Mirror padding as the top of the range saddle, but it's mounted on titanium rails rather than carbon. Specialized says that speccing the titanium rails means that the Power Pro with Mirror is the strongest saddle with the Mirror tech and is now rated for use on trail mountain bikes, not just gravel and road.
Specialized says it has also started to make inroads in improving the sustainability of the saddle. To reduce the effect of the carbon used in manufacturing, Specialized is building the Power Pro with Mirror's carbon base using a new reclaimed carbon process. The process uses carbon scraps from factory production which is combined with injected nylon. The base may only contain 15 percent reclaimed carbon fiber, although Specialized points out that this is just the first step to maximizing efficiency in production and minimizing waste.
The saddle will be available in two sizes, 143 and 155, and our test saddle (143mm) weighs in at 255g. The Specialized Power Pro with Mirror is now available in-store or from Specialized's website and will retail for $325/£290/€370.
