Submitted by
Mikey Lord
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakeport, Michigan USA
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2007
Strengths: durable, matched color of bike.
Weaknesses: concrete comfort, Heavy!
Bottom Line:
no padding what so ever. Younger, skinny riders under 100 pounds might get some use out of it. I switched to a wtb real fast. much better options available for less money, like, ANYTHING- even a walmart velo is better!
Submitted by
ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Sodus, NY
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2005
Strengths: fit, price, looks, durability
Weaknesses: none at all.
Bottom Line:
SDG bel-air is the best saddle ive ever used/sat on. I have the cro-mo rails but i would think that any rails are gonna be good. got mine for about 12 dollars, had i known it was this good i would have picked up another 2 for future bikes and stored them away. i dont understand how ANYONE here has broken the saddle, you guys must be beating the bikes, cuz im slightly over 200 pounds and this saddle has stood up to some crazy trails with me! then again, mountain biking is about finesse ;) overall excellent value!
Similar Products Used: cheap seat that came with bike, and then a cheap bell "ergonomic" seat...
Bike Setup: mongoose a50r frame, lx components throughout, manitou sx-e fork, titec stem and handlebars, TIME atac pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2004
Strengths: Weight (Ti Rail version)
Weaknesses: Not one. Even if you buy the wrong color.
Bottom Line:
After riding many I've never chosen another saddle on four bikes in six years. I made the ultimate weight sacrifice once and got one of those thickly padded Specialized split seats just to avoid a suspension seat post. It felt good but added two pounds. Overall it sucked compared to the SDG Bel Air. This saddle is the ultimate middle ground in weight and comfort. I just got my latest one brand new off ebay for $17 including shipping (and it has titanium rails). I put it on a 280 gram Race Face seatpost and BLAM! Light and comfortable. Find one and add ten more miles to your ride - no lie. I would honest to god not ride happily if someone took this seat and I couldn't find another one. This is me swearing by the SDG Comp Bel Air Ti.
Strengths: Very light- my seat tube is heavier than the seat!
Ultra strong Ti rails survive all the impact my 150 lbs. can dole out.
Super styling, good stitching and durable materials survive my catastrophic mistakes at speed. Crash survivability has been perfect so far, with two major skid-to-a-stop get-offs that chowed my last two seats.
Foam is just right for me!
Weaknesses: A little spendy. Foam may be a little soft for someone 200+ pounds...
Bottom Line:
Value is top notch if you can afford it. You get what you pay for with this one, folks.
Submitted by
Johnny Brouwers
a Weekend Warrior
from Wouw, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2003
Strengths: looks, comfort!
Weaknesses: Weight, maybe? But I don't care, since this is the most comfortable saddle I've ever had. I thought Cr-Mo rails wouldn't hold up on me, but they do...
Bottom Line:
The most comfortable saddle I've ever had. I got the red/black one. It's from 1998 but it rocks!
Strengths: Lite weight, sturdy, comfy, good shape, looks good
Weaknesses: Broke a rail doin something dumb, more my fault than the saddle, and supprised nothing else broke.
Bottom Line:
Works great! Takes a few rides to break in good, but once it is, its great for long XC rides. Its not too big, so its easy to sit back off of it on steep downhills, and its well padded up front for the uphills. Broke my first one almost face planting myself into concrete last night (its even still rideable, just gets annoying with one side alittle lower) , already ordered another to replace it.
Similar Products Used: WTB Tri-Lite, lotsa cheapo saddles
Bike Setup: 18" Hardtail alum frame, all XT, Deore Disc + Mavic 223 wheels, grimeca mech discs, avid disc levers, bontrager race seatpost, duke xc race fork.
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Submitted by
MARK
a Cross Country Rider
from MONTEBELLO
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2003
Strengths: Light, durable and very comfortable.
Bottom Line:
This saddle is the most comfortable saddle I've ridden. I realize that everyone is built different and comfort is a individual matter. Several friends & I bought the SDG Belair from Turner Bikes because it had the Turner logo and match the bikes. We all agree that it is the most comfortable saddle we've ridden. No numbness when in the saddle climbing for miles like other saddles I have used. The saddle is easy to move around on and has just enough padding up on the nose to scoot-up when climbing steep technical sections. I hope they continue to build this saddle.
Similar Products Used: WTB Lazer , WTB ROCKET, Italia Sella MAX Flight.
Bike Setup: Turner O2, XTR, Hope Mini Brakes, Chris King Hubs laced to Mavic 317, Thompson post and stem.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Kade Stackman
a Cross Country Rider
from Amherst
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2003
Strengths: -fits my toosh perfect -looks good
Weaknesses: are you kidding me?
Bottom Line:
this is the perfect saddle, the cover does rip easily if you crash...but i would never buy any saddle thats different from this one. i have a selle italia flite gel saddle on my road bike, a fancy $75 saddle, my SDG saddle is MUCH better!
Bike Setup: Giant Warp DS, Boxxer team front fork, hell bent bar, hutchinson tubless tires, avid disc brakes, shimano XTR components.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Dave Thomas
a Cross Country Rider
from Brighton
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002
Strengths: The comfiest MTB saddle I've ever ridden
Weaknesses: Not the lightest
Bottom Line:
This really is the comfiest saddle available. Did a 24 hour enduro a couple months back and I was the only one on an SDG and the only one who could walk properly the next day! Plus, I have the UK limited Tiger skin version which is the Pimp Daddy of ALL saddles!
Similar Products Used: Flite, Fizik, Azonic (poop)
Bike Setup: Cove Handjob with Sids and Race Face
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Rick M
a Cross Country Rider
from San Fran
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2002
Strengths: comfy
Weaknesses: ripped cover in wreck
Bottom Line:
originally replaced it with more expensive and lighter product, realized after a few months that it hurt so much i wasnt riding as much. since i switched back to the old $15 bel air i couldnt be happier. sometimes price point doesnt matter, this seat works great...
Submitted by
trev
a Weekend Warrior
from fukuoka, Japan
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2002
Strengths: Comfortable
Weaknesses: bends easily
Bottom Line:
Comfortable saddle I could ride in all day. Good cross country and trail riding, didn't like it on downhill stuff. This is not the titanium rail version, but the cheap steel rail version (no listing so have to review here). It originally came on a Giant ATX 840 which I rode last year. The tail of this saddle was too high for downhill stuff, so I changed it for something flatter. When I built up the Fisher as a cross country bike, I went through a few different saddles, but couldn't find anything I could ride all day. Thought I'd try this and liked it a lot. Very comfortable. But then my huge ass Canadian friend (he's 97 k.g., I'm 78 k.g.) borrowed my bike and bent the crap out of the rails on the saddle on a small drop. We usually have different preferences on saddles, but we both liked this. If it was stronger (I guess the titanium versions are) I'd say it was great. Would not recommend this to anyone over 70 k.g. doing jumps or drops. You'll bend it on your first ride.
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher Paragon, set up for cross country/ trail riding.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
STEVEN TROTTIER
a Racer
from LEWISVILLE, n.C, U.S.A
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2002
Strengths: WELL IT LOOKS GOOD AND IS COMFORTABLE. IT IS SORT OF LITE
Weaknesses: I HAVEN'T USED IT LONG ENOUGH TO TELL ANY
Bottom Line:
I LIKE THIS SEAT MORE THAN MY LAST ONE(A WTB). i PURCHASED THIS SEAT BEACAUSE IT WAS CHEAP ON EBAY AND MY FRIENS RECOMENDED IT. NEXT TIME I WILL GET A SLR BUT I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH $. i LIKE IT BUT I JUST HAVE TO POSITION IT RITE.
