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review

Repente Prime saddle

9
£174.50

VERDICT:

9
10
Excellent lightweight race saddle that's comfortable enough for endurance riding too
Weight: 
166g

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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I've previously tested Repente's top-end Aleena saddle and I got on well with it. The Prime, overall, is better: I found it more comfortable, it's better value and it's still very light.

  • Pros: Light, comfortable, RLS system allows cover changes
  • Cons: Expensive, cover options could be extended

The Aleena is a very, very light saddle at 130g, and you pay a handsome price for that. The Prime is over £100 cheaper but it's still impressively light at just 166g. Other similarly priced saddles we've tested recently – the Selle San Marco Mantra Full-Fit Carbon FX and the Fizik Antares R1 Versus Evo for example – are within a few grams of this Repente seat, so it's pretty much bang on the money.

> Buy this online here

The Prime is cheaper mostly because the materials used to produce it are. Instead of the full-carbon construction of the top-end saddle, the Prime uses a thermoplastic composite base. The rails are still unidirectional T700 carbon, and they're still taller than they are wide, so they won't necessarily work with seatposts that clamp side to side.

Repente Prime saddle-2.jpg

Repente's USP is the Repente Locking System. The base and the cover are two separate units; the cover locates into three holes in the base and is held in place with circlips. It's easy to unclip the cover and remove it, and because all the Repente saddles use the same system it's possible to swap the Prime cover for one of the others in the range. The base stays in place on your bike, so there's no need to fiddle about with your saddle position if you swap between covers.

Repente Prime saddle-5.jpg

It's a clever system. Currently the five covers offer a range of levels of padding with and without a cutout, but at the moment they're all quite similar in shape. Repente is obviously tied to using the same mounting positions for every cover, but it'd be possible to build up the sides of the cover for a flatter profile; some people prefer that.

I'm not one of those people. I found the Prime saddle, with its gently curved profile, a very comfortable place to sit. The Prime cover is more heavily padded than the more expensive Aleena, and has a similar cutout to keep the blood flowing to your undercarriage. It did that better than nearly any other saddle I've tried, most noticeably on the indoor trainer where you're holding the same position for a long time. That often leaves me feeling a bit numb, but it was never a problem with the Prime.

Repente Prime saddle-6.jpg

Out on the open road the Prime's padding is firm enough to feel racy with enough give in both the padding and the base to keep you comfortable on longer rides. It's nicely positioned in terms of comfort, and doesn't feel compromised for either racing or endurance riding.

> Buyer's Guide: 14 of the best high-performance saddles

Repente offers a 60-day return period for its saddles if you buy one and then don't get on with it. I won't be sending mine back in a hurry, though. Generally test saddles get fitted, and then after testing I take them off and stick a tried-and-tested seat back on the bike. This one's staying on the race bike, though.

It's still an expensive saddle, but the build quality and comfort levels are right up there with the best.

Verdict

Excellent lightweight race saddle that's comfortable enough for endurance riding too

road.cc test report

Make and model: Repente Prime saddle

Size tested: 275 x 132 mm

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?

From Repente:

Pressure relief as main characteristic.

Prime's main characteristic is the wide anatomical cutout, that helps to ease pressure on the perineal area.

A COMBINATION OF HIGH-TECH MATERIALS

The rail is completely in unidirectional carbon T700, while the main base consists of TEPEX®, a carbon fibre fabric in a thermoplastic matrix. The structure offers an exceptionally high resistance, together with a very low weight.

This saddle offers a perfect mix of rigidity and comfort, in order to satisfy both racers and those who prefer long rides. With its streamlined, minimal lines and 165 grams it is one of the very special articles in its segment.

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

TECH SPECIFICATION

COATING

Water-based microfiber

FOAM PADDING

Polyurethane foam

PADDING SUPPORT

Nylon

SUPPORT STRUCTURE

TEPEX® Carbon/PA12

RAIL

UD Carbon Fiber T700

DIMENSIONS

275 mm x 132 mm

WEIGHT (+/- 5%)

165 g

GRAPHICS

All Black, All White, Ghost Arrow, Titanium Arrow

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

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

It's an excellent saddle for racing or longer rides at speed.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

High build quality, comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Still expensive, currently all the covers are a similar shape.

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

There are plenty of saddles of a similar weight in this kind of price range, so the Prime isn't exceptional.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is an excellent performance saddle. The changeable cover is the USP, but the level of comfort is the stand-out really.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 45  Height: 189cm  Weight: 92kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Merida Scultura

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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