Skip to main content

Specialized Henge Sport 143mm saddle


The Henge is a popular perch among the our team, so it would be remiss of us not to include it here. Specialized claim that the ‘Body Geometry’ shape has been lab tested to ensure that blood flow to your privates is unaffected. When riding, it seems like the large, wide pressure-relief channel takes the load off those sensitive areas more effectively than most, especially in those technical situations where you’re not sitting perfectly straight and central on the saddle. The broad, slightly downturned nose makes it particularly good when sitting forward to winch up steep, technical climbs. Whether used for long days in the saddle in bibs or for casual rides in regular undies and shorts, the Henge is one of the comfiest saddles out there for our main tester. While not all our staff are quite as effusive in their praise, we’ve yet to come across anyone who really doesn’t get on with it. With steel rails, the Sport model is the heaviest saddle on test, but more expensive versions of the Henge are considerably lighter and offer similar comfort. For example, the $120 Henge Comp weighs a respectable 234g. But at $45, it’s hard to quibble about the base model! It’s heavily padded, which means it feels particularly comfy with a thin liner or even none at all, but can feel a bit mushy under a thick chamois. The more expensive versions use slightly firmer padding and so work better with bibs.

Weight 319g

Price $45

Popular posts from this blog

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

Nukeproof Vector AM Comp Cro-Mo saddle

The Vector AM is pretty race focused, with minimal padding. There’s a deep (if narrow) pressurerelief channel to keep the blood flowing where it’s meant to. Used with bib shorts, we found it pretty comfortable for shorter rides and suffered no pain or discomfort in the central region. On steep climbs the slightly downturned nose provides a reasonable forward perch, while the svelte profile and smooth edges make it particularly unobtrusive when moving about on the descents. It’s quite stiff though, and can feel harsh on long rides or bumpy ground. We definitely wouldn’t want to spend much time on it without a chamois. It’s heavier than we’d expect for such a lightly padded perch too. There’s a lighter Pro version with titanium rails for $105, but at 241g it’s only 10g lighter. Weight 251g Price $67

GT Zaskar Evolution

While some bike models last just a couple of years, others change with the times to stay at the top of riders’ wishlists. In the second part of this series looking at the evolution of bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders, we turn to the GT Zaskar – a bike that was at the forefront of our sport for a long time and still has plenty of appeal today.

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

Merida Big Seven 100

We've rolled up to our local woods, with a meandering blue trail, some natural wooded tracks and a bit of fire road chucked into the mix to see how the Big Seven 100 tackles trails that entry-level riders are likely to cut their teeth on.