I used one of these saddles for a 4 month singletrack trail trip (the CDT). Most riders reviewing or using these seem to be more of the casual-rider type, and there isn’t much useful information available for mountain biking with them. Here’s what I’ve learned.

The good:
* No pressure on soft tissues that weren’t designed to support weight.
* Saddle sores are almost non-existent. You can a little bit of chafing if the temperature/humidity is just right, but it’s far less, and it’s in a much better spot to have it.
* Climbing steep trail — no nose to get in your way. It makes it easier and more comfortable to climb the steepies.
* You don’t get that sinking/dreading feeling of sitting on the saddle first thing in the morning after camp. You just hop on and go. Once you are used to it, it’s more comfortable than a regular saddle.

The bad:
* Descending steep trail. There’s no doubt it is hard to get behind due to the width. I can’t get my weight behind it enough to descend with confidence, unless… I have a dropper post. I use a standard Reverb dropper, and with that I can descend even the steepest trails with confidence.
* Hard to run a seat bag. Not an issue on a hardtail, but with a FS this saddle will decrease the amount of room you have for a bag before the tire rubs. With my setup (FS and dropper post) I can’t run a seat bag at all. Not too big an issue since IMO running this saddle allows you to run more weight in your pack, comfortably.
* You can’t ‘shred’ like you can with a normal saddle. Not much of an issue when touring, even singletrack, but I personally wouldn’t run one on a ‘big’ or ‘play’ bike for technical terrain. Any kind of aggressive singeltrack touring though? Yes. And I think the saddle is a no-brainer for dirt road touring.
* The saddle does put more weight on your hands than normal. No issue at all for touring, but something to think about if racing dirt roads (e.g. TD) and putting in 18 hour days.

As an aside, Kurt Sandiforth rides this saddle and has over 35,000 miles on one. He also set the Triple Crown (AZT, TD, CTR) record on one.

Done 4000km in 4mnths on a rd bike. Crashed early on, due to stupidity and handling issues caused by the lack of a nose, but have learned it is possible to drink and pedal. Quite hard to ride without hands on bars and my hands have developed new calluses due to additonal weight thrown forward. Took a month or more (1200km) before found best position. Seat has aliviated if not cured my prostate issues. Hope to resume racing in July.

Interesting, john. It took a couple weeks before I could trust it and ride no hands, but it is doable. One handed stuff is maybe a little harder but still quite possible.

You will be glad you stuck with it, John. In 2005 I had a brutal urethral/ perineum surgery. I was told to never ride a bike again. I got a Spiderflex Saddle instead (the best noseless saddle out there). I’ve put in a few miles since then (bikegreaseandcoffee.com). You can adapt and do everything you could before, it just takes time. Cheers and happy racing!

Kurt: I read about your injury in an LA Times, and I’ve looked at your blog and other accomplishments. Reading them was very uplifting. Recently I suffered inflammation of my urethra after a 200 mile ride and I’m concerned about scarring and my future ability to ride. You do the sort of rides that I aspire to do myself. Good luck riding around the planet.