WTB is known for making some of the most comfortable saddles around. In fact, I’ve been a big fan of the Laser V Team for years. The only drawback for me has been durability. Traditional seat rails and me don’t seem to be a good combination. Lightweight ti rails don’t hold up well to 165lbs of rider coming down on them when feet miss the pedals. These days, I tend to run iBeam saddles on my DH and all mountain set ups, since they hold up to the aggressive abuse I often unintentionally dish out.
Because of these factors, the Silverado is not the usual type of saddle you would expect to find on one of my bikes. As a self-defined all mountain rider, I live for flowy downhill sections of trail, and tend to prioritize comfort over light weight performance. The Silverado with its sleek lines, minimal padding, and carbon rails is all business and clearly aimed at the elite road crowd or cross country racers. With a light amount of padding, you aren’t going to want to stick this on your urban bike and roll around in your man-capris either. However, if you’re in the market for a performance saddle made to go-fast, definitely read on.
First impressions upon lifting this saddle out of the box is that it’s just wicked light. WTB pulled out the stops in putting this baby together. We were playing catch with this thing, throwing it back and forth, and simply amazed at how little heft there was to it.
Profile of the WTB Silverado saddle.
It retains the traditional profile WTB saddles are known for, with the slightly dropped nose, and scrotum-saving Love Channel. Since it is clearly an XC saddle, I did the right thing, and installed it on my rigid retro 29er. She comes in on the portly side, and could stand to shed some weight. On my first foray out and about, we put on our knickers and rolled around town, sans chamois. That was a bad idea- my ass did not enjoy that one bit. However, after suiting up for a real ride and putting some saddle time in, my attitude changed drastically. While the Silverado doesn’t compare to Laser V in comfort, under hard rides while wearing a comfortable chamois, I didn’t have any issues with it. In fact, I actually felt faster. There’s a sweet spot on the saddle you end up in, and I feel like I’m able to put more power to the pedals.
The Silverado mounted up on the Retrosled.
That said, I’m still not sure I’d want to run it on an all day trail ride, especially the way I break stuff. I’ve finished rides in the past with duct tape holding seat posts and saddles together before, and my current setup prevents that situation. Instead, I’ll be saving it for use on the XC bike in short track racing and the like. If I can get my fitness back to a competitive level this season, I’ll definitely run it on the Super D bike. This thing wants to be used in competition, and the least I can do is take it there. Did I mention it’s like bling for your seat post? I could also see it mounted up to a dual slalom or MTX set up for the rider that wants to lighten up and pimp his ride. ‘Cause this saddle definitely looks the part.
Obligatory marketing spiel from WTB:
- Listed weight: 158g
- carbon composite shell
- comfort zone
- kevlar corners
- microfiber cover
- Narrow x long (133mm x 274mm)
- USAGE:Elite Road / Cross Country Racing
With a sticker price of $250.00, seat post bling and race performance doesn’t come in cheap, but hey, Brian Lopes uses it and has his own signature model. Although his utilizes ti rails, and weighs a bit more. I’ll report back in a few months with how this bad boy holds up.
