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review

Giant Contact SLR Neutral saddle

7
£129.99

VERDICT:

7
10
A great saddle for those who like to ride hard, and decent value too
Weight: 
188g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Giant's Contact SLR Saddle has a carbon shell and carbon rails, and comes in three shape options to suit your riding style. For £129.99 it's not a bad deal, as long as you can put up with its firm ride.

  • Pros: Decent price for full carbon saddle, light too
  • Cons: Might be a little too firm for some

So, I've mentioned the firmness a couple of times already and we aren't even 100 words in yet... so safe to say it's one of the defining factors of the Contact. Giant says that it was in development with top pro road and off-road teams during its design stage, and that translates to the finished product.

> Find your nearest dealer here

My first ride on the Contact was a 90-minute blast between the rain showers and the pace was pretty high; the harder the ride, the less weight you are putting on the saddle, as most of it is on the pedals.

I got on with the Giant quite well, arriving home without any numbness or noticeable pain. I liked the shape – the slightly curved profile as it swoops down from the rear – and the way the nose drops ever so slightly for when you are crouched down on the bars.

> How to choose the right saddle: 20 of the best

The next day, though, when I climbed aboard I had quite a bit of tissue soreness from the previous day, made worse by having to set off a little more sedately (more weight on the saddle). Things settled down a bit after a few miles, helped by the fact that the shape of the Giant means you don't need to shift about much, but if I hit a bump in the road I sure knew about it.

The padding is firm and not exactly thick, but after about 300 miles of testing I've got used to it and things have settled down. While I definitely think the Contact SLR is aimed at those riders who travel at a quick pace, it didn't quite gel with me.

Giant Contact SLR-2.jpg

As I mentioned, Giant, like many others – Fizik and Fabric, for instance – offers slightly different saddles depending on how you ride and your position. The Contact SLR is available in Forward, Neutral and Upright, the Forward for those who have good flexibility and spend a lot of time in a race position, with the Upright being aimed at those who like a more endurance-based position.

Even though I don't hang around on the bike, I don't spend much time in the drops, preferring to crouch low on the hoods, so the Neutral that we were sent should be a pretty good fit for me.

The main difference between the three saddles is the length of the pressure-relief channel running down the saddle. The Forward has a much longer channel than the Upright, for example, taking into account the position of your pelvis and body in relation to the saddle.

When it comes to value, £129.99 isn't bad for a saddle with a carbon fibre shell and rails.

Giant Contact SLR-3.jpg

The Selle San Marco Mantra Full Fit Carbon FX saddle that I recently tested costs £179.99, and for that you only get a carbon composite shell, albeit with a little less weight. I was a massive fan of the shape and comfort, though.

For the same money you could go for the Syncros Tofino 10 Cut Out Saddle. Admittedly it's a short-nosed design, but it has the same level of firmness and a full carbon fibre build.

> Buyer's Guide: 13 of the best high-performance saddles

If you aren't too fussed about the whole carbon fibre thing then you could take a look at the Contact SL versions, which use a carbon composite base and metal rails. They'll set you back just £69.99.

On the whole, the Contact SLR isn't really for me – I can forgive its firmness but the shape didn't quite suit. We are all different, though, and when it comes to build and quality, for the money it can't really be faulted.

Verdict

A great saddle for those who like to ride hard, and decent value too

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Giant Contact SLR Neutral saddle

Size tested: Neutral

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Giant says, "Giant performance saddles feature Dynamic Cycling Fit philosophy to help you find the perfect fit for your body, your position and your riding style. Developed and raced by Giant pros, including 2017 Giro d'Italia champion Tom Dumoulin of Team Sunweb, each Contact SLR and Contact SL model is available in three different options (Forward, Neutral or Upright) based on the unique contact angle of a rider's pelvis while riding."

It delivers everything a performance saddle needs, as long as you get on with the shape.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Giant lists these features:

Pelvic position: Men's neutral riding position

Material top: Vacuum formed microfibre cover

Material base: Carbon base

Padding: Foam and particle flow technology

Rails: Carbon fibre rails

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's light and offers a slender profile which is ideal for a race saddle.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Very good quality build for a decent price.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Quite firm even when bedded in, and the shape didn't quite suit me.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

For a full carbon construction it offers good value against a lot of the competition.

Did you enjoy using the product? I didn't quite get on with it, to be honest.

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, it offers decent value and the shape may suit.

Use this box to explain your overall score

With a full carbon construction at a decent price, this is definitely worth considering. Obviously saddles are a very personal thing – if you like yours firm and it suits your shape then it's an 8. I didn't get on with the shape but objectively it's a good quality, well made saddle and a decent price, so I've gone with 7. At the end of the day a review is a subjective impression that gives you as much objective detail as you need to make up your mind about buying. Hopefully.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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