All Arround MTB

The 158g I-Fly 2.0 is a super-light and minimal seating option for those wanting to shave grams. It’s constructed from rigid glass-fibre-filled nylon and the rail-less ‘I-Beam’ design means there’s zero flex up and down. Combined with minimal padding and no pressure relief channel, this means it’s not the comfiest perch, but for DH or 4X duties it’s great. Despite being very light we’ve found it to be pretty tough. Kevlar edges do a good job of stopping scuff damage. New on the 2.0 version is ‘buzz-cut’ shaping, to keep it out of the way of the rear tyre. The saddle needs to be paired with a matching I-Beam post, and we’ve been using SDG’s featherweight carbon option. It’s expensive (an alloy post is available for $97) but the clamp is secure, with a wide range of adjustment, and at 400mm it should be long enough for nearly everyone. Price $120 (saddle) $150 (post)

With a fairly conservative design, the Circuit Mtn has no unnecessary padding or weight, but many testers found it very comfortable. The shape is fairly flat, with a pretty deep channel down the middle to take all the pressure off your sensitive parts. Your weight is held by the firm padding on either side, which we found worked well with a chamois, but felt a little too firm without. The saddle really benefits from being tilted downwards at the nose, which aids comfort and support when pedalling uphill. Because the pressure-relief channel extends into the fairly broad nose, it’s particularly forgiving on steep scrambles. The low-profile upper delivers a direct feel when pedalling hard and makes it easy to move fore and aft on gnarly descents. It’s pretty light too. Weight 214g Price $120

SDG’s Bel Air has finally been updated and its user friendly, universal fit appeal is definitely still intact. The new shell is thinner and there’s less side skirt too but the rounded nose and raised tail are still present, keeping you naturally centred on the saddle even when grinding a gear round.

SO GOOD The relatively light ( 217g ) Circuit is SDG’s all-rounder offering. Originally a road design, off-road refinements make the MTN version an option for everything from all-day enduros to DH use.