When it comes to saddles, choosing the perfect one can be very tricky. With so many various shapes and sizes the options seem limitless. Over the last ten years I have ridden approximately fifteen different saddles. I’ve tried short, long, skinny, wide and everything in between, with each one giving me just enough trouble to want to try a different one. Fortunately, I may have found my Holy Grail of saddles – the Specialized Romin Expert.
The Specialized Romin comes in a few different options including; the Pro which is the carbon railed version, the Expert which has the same carbon body as the Pro with titanium rails and the Comp Gel which is a slightly more padded version with a Cr-Mo rails. All three versions come in three different sizes 130, 143, and 155 giving riders with different sit bone widths maximum comfort. The saddles are light weight ranging from 153 grams up to 245 grams.
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The Romin was designed to give a rider the most comfort while still being able to put the power to the pedals. On my first ride using the Romin Expert, all I could think about was how comfortable it was. Once I found the sweet spot within the slight curves of the saddle, I no longer felt like I was sitting on a 2 x 4 unlike most high end performance saddles. The curves combined with the wide cutout allows for optimal hip angle and blood flow. With other saddles I felt like I had to compromise a comfortable hip angle just to relieve pressure from main arteries. With the Romin Expert this compromise is no longer necessary.
The last feature is the wide nose of the saddle. Whether you are racing or just a recreational rider, suffering is somewhat of a requirement in cycling. The wide nose allows the rider to sit all the way forward on the seat giving you the full support needed when riding on the rivet.
With comfort and class, the Specialized Romin Expert saddle passed with flying colors. You can pick one up at your local Specialized dealers or at Specialized.com.
By Andrew Bosco
