Designed to be anatomically forgiving and comfortable, the SDG Allure is a jack-of-all-trades, said to be ideal for all bikes and any discipline. I tested this saddle mostly aboard a relatively long-travel mountain bike, used for winching the ups, sprinting the flats and smashing the downs.
With its titanium-alloy rails and lightweight LPU foam, the Allure weighs in at just 260g. Ti rails are predominantly used to save weight and to offer slightly greater flex. Without testing the same design of saddle with both Ti and Cro-Mo rails back to back over the same terrain it’s hard to quantify the latter factor.
The saddle has a low-profile, minimalist design, which we like – it looks purposeful. The cutout is small but well placed to relieve pressure and the slim, long, downturned nose helps when adjusting weight to climb with plenty of room to get the balance just right. There's also a cutaway side profile that aids unrestricted leg movement, helping efficiency and comfort for either pedal smashing or just hassle-free spinning.
As mentioned above, I can't quantify the comparative rail comfort or flex – other to say that I found this saddle extremely comfortable. The padding is enough to cushion without being too much, and there is perceptible flex around the cutout to further relieve pressure. The saddle was a real treat to the behind from the off – there was no increased pressure or rubbing over long rides either, a testament to the 'less is more' school of thought.
I struggled to find any negative points regarding the Allure, other than that the long design did once or twice catch on baggy shorts when descending steeply – but not often enough to make it a real problem. It's relatively good value, with a mid-range price point, and the option of the cheaper, 55g heavier CroMo-railed version, which is identical in all other features and dimensions.
- Price: £70 / US$90 / AU$130
- Rail: Ti-Alloy
- Weight: 260g
- Size: 265mm x 143mm
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