Liv Alacra SL saddle

Liv's Alacra SL is its performance saddle with a mid-range price tag, featuring trickle-down technology from Liv's premium option, the SLR. It's a firm yet comfortable ride, with a shape intended to suit a range of riding styles.

Of Liv's 14-strong saddle range, the two Alacra models are touted as the high performance, distance-focused options. The Alacra SL (Super Light) tested here is positioned as more of an all-rounder while the SLR (Super Light Race) has a lightweight road focus.

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At first squeeze the SL is pretty firm, but under its microfibre outer lies a range of comfort-focused technology, including Liv's 'rebound' foam, a lightweight padding with high elasticity designed to provide a custom feel, and 'particle flow', which aims to distribute weight across the main area of contact, and is claimed to reduce pressure points by more than 20%. This comfort-aiding tech is bolstered by a very generous cutout design that extends towards the tip of the nose.

The SL claims versatility – from laid-back days to racing – and its geometry echoes this: at 155mm it's on the wider side, making it supportive to the average woman's sit bones across semi-aero and more upright riding positions, while its wide, short nose aids forward-focused riding.

It's worth pointing out that the Alacra SL shares almost all of these key design elements with its range-topping sister, the SLR, with only one key difference for the £60 saving: an extra 40g owing to steel rather than carbon rails.

But at 222g, the SL – as the 'Super Light' name suggests – is still respectably light. Quite a bit lighter in fact than other similar saddles tested at this price point, including the SDG Allure at 268g and the Fizik Luce at 267g. Bonus then, that it comes in a bit cheaper than the aforementioned two, and a lot cheaper than the £129.99 rrp of the SLR.

But does all this fancy tech stack up in action? On first sit, the Alacra SL felt very different to my usual saddle, owing to its gently curved, as opposed to pan flat, mid-section. As such, it felt pleasingly ergonomic to my behind, shaped as if it were meant for me – a promising start.

Heading out on the road for 2.5 hours, I was impressed with the level of instant comfort it afforded, given how firm it feels to the touch. The pressure relief channel was a win for me both during and post-riding: the cutaway is both wider and longer than I'm used to, and the result was very little soft tissue pressure in action – a crucial factor to saddle success.

I did, however, feel some pressure to the sit bones, which was apparent to the point of some discomfort on the first ride, although not enough to cause any discomfort afterwards. I put this down to bedding in, given that this saddle is the correct width for my measurements, and the feeling of mild discomfort improved somewhat with subsequent rides. By the fifth outing and on rides of up to four hours, I had all-but forgotten the saddle was there which, ultimately, is the aim of a saddle.

The Alacra SL's aesthetic is smart and sporty with a minimal design overlay to the surface. It will be interesting to see how this fares over time – my other Liv saddle has white design elements that have rubbed off over time. But as an all-black design, the SL should fare better. It has scrubbed up alright after post-ride washes, but one thing to note is that there is a little ridge within the cutaway, between the padding and the carbon composite base, that's already collecting tough-to-shift dirt.

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For me, the SL did need some bedding in but, overall, despite being a little on the firm side with minimal padding, it impressed on comfort across multiple riding positions from laid-back miles to putting down some power on the drops. It's certainly not the lightest saddle out there but for this price it feels like a good weight and handy all-rounder. It's just a shame that it doesn't come in multiple width options to suit more riders.

Verdict

Firm yet comfortable all-rounder with some impressive elements for its price – one width only though