Bontrager Aeolus Comp Saddle

The Bontrager Aeolus Comp is a unisex shorty saddle with a large cutout that's designed to take the pressure off soft tissues in an aero position – which it does very well. It's comfortable for both long road rides and short, intense turbo sessions thanks to its well judged level of padding and flexible shell. As the entry-level Aeolus saddle in a range of three, the price is competitively low, but the weight is on the high side.

Shorty or 'boost' saddles are increasingly popular because they make holding an aero position more comfortable by eliminating the traditional longer nose that can put pressure on soft tissues for both men and women. The penalty, however, is that they have to be set up exactly right because shuffle space is reduced. In addition, because you're more 'locked' in position they have to fit your sit bones more precisely. So at this point, as usual, I'll point out that saddle is always a personal thing and one person's feather bed might be another's bed of nails.

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For me, the Aeolus Comp was much closer to the former. The shape looks simple but it's very effective. The sit bones are well supported on flat sections either side of the cutout, while the nose, which is wider than the noses of other shorty saddles such as the Selle Itala SLR Boost Superflow, lets you perch on it in a stem-chewing situation in more comfort than Selle Italia's SLR shape does, maximising available space. And the semicircle of padding at the tip, which closes off the cutout channel, cleverly stops you from sliding too far forward.

Although the Aeolus Comp might be approaching feather-bed comfort as far as shorty saddles go, it is a long way from being feather light, and that's my only criticism of it. As I mentioned, the Aeolus Comp is the entry-level version, with the Aeolus Elite (£89.99) and Aeolus Pro (£149.99) above it. What the extra dollar mostly does is reduce the weight. The top saddle with its carbon rails and carbon-reinforced shell weighs 173g, over 100g lighter than the Comp, while the Elite weighs 222g for the 155mm size.

However, for the price, the Comp is not bad. The Fizik Tempo Argo R5, the cheapest in that range, is lighter at 245g but at £89.99 is priced at the level of Bontrager's mid-range Aeolus Elite. Another shorty we reviewed recently, the Fabric Line-S Race Flat, weighs 235g but costs £79.99.

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Setup is pretty straightforward, but obviously since it's shorter than a traditional saddle you need to measure from the rails rather than the tip. Bontrager also recommends a two-degree downward tilt because the Aeolus kicks up slightly at the rear, which I found to be accurate.

I tested the 155mm size, and while my sit bone structure on paper would be more compatible with the 145mm version, it worked perfectly, allowing a full, unimpeded pedal stroke even when sitting further back and riding on the tops. (Riding a wider saddle than your sit bone size is generally deemed OK, but not a narrower one.)

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The padding is neither too squidgy nor too firm: you don't feel the edges of the cutout – as I did with the SLR Boost – but you don't lose connection with the bike and the road either.

I also found there was a perfect amount of flex built into the shell along the whole length of the cutout. As I noted with the SLR Boost, a shorter saddle tends to be stiffer, but the Bontrager Aeolus Comp supplies a good level of suspension despite the short length, and on rougher roads I experienced none of the sit-bone pummelling of other shorty saddles.

Finally, build quality is great. Despite it being entry level, this saddle has a good quality look and feel and I would expect decent durability from it. The steel rails and sturdy shell are certainly bombproof, while the cover seems tough enough too.

Conclusion

The Bontrager Aeolus Comp offers excellent performance for the price. It is one of the most comfortable shorty saddles I've ridden. If you're looking to move over to the this style of saddle but don't want to commit to spending a lot of money at first, this saddle is a great way to find out if it works for you. The only thing to bear in mind is that it's heavy for a modern saddle.

Verdict

Budget shorty saddle which offers an exceptional level of comfort, but the low price means more grams