Now I’m not a fan of so-called “comfort” saddles. They’re for the more enthusiastic and, well, dorky riders. What I am a fan of is a nice throwback silhouette like the Turbos, Concors and Unicanitors. I’d pick one of those over a modern, SLR saddle any day. Maybe it’s because I feel what’s good enough for the pros of yesteryear is good enough for me and my riding habits. That’s where the Selle Royal Origins line comes in. Specifically the Contour saddle. This saddle was used in the pro peleton throughout the 1970’s and it even adorned Marino Basso’s bike as he won the Giro in ’77.

I recently received one of these saddles and immediately, I was impressed at the craftsmanship and general feel of this saddle. Check out more of my Initial Reaction below.

Like all of Selle Royal’s saddles, these are hand-made in Italy. You can tell by the craft! Selle Royal describes their Contour saddle as:

“Gorgeous in its simplicity but rich in its technically subtle function, the original 1972 Contour was the first saddle to consider the relationship between saddle fit, the human anatomy, comfort and performance. When introduced the Contour not only appealed to those seeking speed but also comfort and performance.”

I dunno if I’d describe this as performance by today’s standards. There’s no carbon and the rails aren’t Ti but it is a really comfortable saddle, akin to others from its era.

There are two models of the Contour. The Contour Leather and Contour Microtex. The $89.99 Contour Leather weighs in around 395 grams, has a nylon shell, chromed steel rails and comes in either white nubuck, black or brown leather. I chose black leather because I like black saddles and I consume dead animals.

Don’t fret though. Selle Royal thought of you vegans. The $59.99 Contour Microtex is identical to its leather counter-part but is covered in a microtex fabric. The weight is the exact same and comes in Microtex Black, Microtex Blue or Microtex White.

It’s not a bad looking saddle at all and after spending some time on it, I will say it’s the most comfortable one saddle that requires zero break-in time. I’ll continue to put some sweat on it and let you know how it holds up. I might even put it on my Bruiser.