Initial thoughts on: DDK R-146 Saddle
By : Chris Sontag
Packaging: No packing was provided
Installation: This saddle has carbon rails and requires a
torque wrench to install it so the carbon is not crushed. Before this saddle I
was using a specialized romin pro. I noticed that this saddle has a smaller gap
to the seat rail than my previous saddle (figure 1). This smaller gap made it
difficult to put the top of the seatpost clamp on the seat rails. It was
achieved in only a slightly longer amount of time. The seat rails were slightly
tacky, so I opted not to use carbon assembly paste to see how it faired without
modification.
First Use:
The saddle has an almost identical curved shape to my specialized romin pro
(figure 2), so I concluded that the saddle should work fairly well for me. The
DDK R-146 saddle has some gel insert padding which is more than my previous
saddle (figure 3). Also instead of a cut out in the saddle the majority of the
interior of the saddle consists of a soft gel. When you look at the bottom you
see that the shell of the saddle is only on the perimeter of the saddle,
allowing the soft gel to deform beyond the shell (figure 4).
The
first ride I found the saddle very cushy. As a road cyclist I prefer a stiff
saddle. With the saddle moving each time I pedal I found it not as comfortable
as it could be. The saddle was not uncomfortable, but over longer riders I feel
that a stiffer saddle would be superior. I also found that having a cut out in
the middle of the saddle works better for my body geometry. I will keep riding
the saddle, and will see how it progresses, and breaks in.
Feedback: I think that removing a lot of the
excess padding would help the saddle be more comfortable for serious cyclists.
I also feel that having a central cut out, will increase comfort.
Figure 1 Visual difference in saddle rail height
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| Figure 1 |
Figure 2 DDK saddle and Specialized Romin Pro
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| Figure 2 |
Figure 3 DDK R-146 top
Figure 4 DDK R-146 bottom
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