Here is my review. Thanks for the opportunity. Marcy... It’s funny how first impressions can be deceiving. When I first opened the box containing the TERRY “SPLITZ” saddle, my first impression was that it felt heavier and looked larger than the CODA saddle that came standard with my 2001 Cannondale F800. The TERRY saddle weighs in at 14.7 oz, a few less than the CODA. That is probably because the rails in the TERRY saddle are titanium compared with manganese rails on the CODA. I also liked the fact that the banana split yellow cover matched the decals and headshock cover of my bike (I’m a girl...what do you want?) In an effort to position the saddle easier, I marked the current position of my CODA before removing it. That really didn’t seem to make positioning the TERRY any easier. I hit the trails, and before the trailhead was out of sight I had to make my first of what would be many adjustments to the saddle. Once I got it adjusted, however, I was very impressed with the feel of the saddle. It is about the same length as the saddle I was using (the Terry is 10.7 inches) but was a bit wider (5.7 inches across). At first, I found the extra width on the seat to be awkward, kind of like riding on a Lazy-Boy. It didn’t take all that long to get used to it, and did find that I was a lot less sore the day after a long ride. One feature of the TERRY “SPLITZ” saddle is an elastomer suspension. I’m not sure if it really serves any purpose. It didn’t seem to make any difference in the bumpiness (or smoothness) of my ride. I had two “misses” with the saddle. At first it seemed to squeak a lot, but once I finally got it adjusted correctly and rode on it more, the squeaking seemed to go away. My uneducated guess is that the squeaking came from the suspension, but I couldn’t pin down the actual cause. The second “miss” is the fact that the saddle is vinyl not leather. Before even putting it on my bike, I was concerned about a “sweat” factor. While it did not seem that I sweated any more than usual (or in any other places), the vinyl has a much different feel than the leather, and I felt it made the saddle look a bit cheap. The TERRY “SPLITZ” is available in 5 “flavors”, Cherry, Blueberry, Licorice, Marshmallow and Banana Split, and retails for around $45. On a scale of 1-5, I would rate the “TERRY SPLITZ” saddle at a 3.5. While I initially didn’t like the extra width, once I got used to it and positioned it correctly, it really was quite comfortable. I didn’t see any advantage to the elastomer suspension, and the vinyl covering makes the saddle look cheap. |
