E-specific products have to contend with prejudices. Critics say it's "pure marketing hype". Half-baked arguments fuel this discussion. Want an example? "E-bikers sit on their bikes for longer than organic bikers. That's why they need a different saddle" That's nonsense, of course. The fact is, however, that e-mountain bikers have different ergonomic requirements in some respects. For us, for example, it was a real aha moment when we sat on the Canyon Spectral:On with its own E-MTB saddle for the first time.
The big difference: the saddle is raised at the rear and offers the rider strong rearward support. On steep climbs, where you would fail on a normal bike, this gives you a lot of control and saves energy. Whenever we get on test bikes with curved saddles without a rear bend, the difference becomes particularly clear. On steep ramps, you have the feeling of sliding backwards. And why do you only need the miracle saddles with motor support? Firstly, significantly steeper climbs are possible (and common) with an E-MTB than with pure muscle power. Secondly, the extra power of the motor provides thrust to the rear - without maximum muscle tension in the body, which fixes the biker in the centre of the bike when riding at full throttle with pure physical strength. This allows the e-mountain biker to maintain a more relaxed riding position. Control of the riding situation and grip on the rear wheel increase.
This is what distinguishes E-MTB saddles from normal models:
- High rear: Steeper climbs, more thrust to the rear, higher cadence: On the E-MTB, more power is directed to the rear. Raised saddle ends make steep climbs more comfortable.
- More is more: weight tuning is out of place on the saddle. The few grams of weight saved definitely don't make up for the losses you suffer from a slippery, poorly supported saddle.
- Long nose: Extremely steep climbs are the salt in the soup of an E-MTB tour. If you want to test the limits, you have to push your weight far forward. A long, wide saddle nose helps.
In EMTB 4/2018, we tested three specific E-MTB models in detail. We also give tips on the right saddle set-up to improve climbing performance.
The E-MTB saddles in the test:
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
