Review by
Mimbres Man
WTB saddles…I’ve been a user of their saddles for a long time. In 2006, when I was in the USA, on my list of things to buy was a new saddle for the Merlin. The Merlin’s old WTB droop nosed SST saddle was worn through the leather and down to the plastic shell. I bought a WTB Pure V at a bike shop in Las Cruces, NM on my way home to Silver City from the airport in El Paso.
I got the Pure V because it was the only saddle they had in stock that I liked the looks of. It was fairly light, had a good shape, the chrome stripes were interesting, and it was long. I liked the proportions…the length:width ratio.
When I picked up my Litespeed in Silver City, it had Selle Italia saddle. After the first ride, I found the saddle was extremely uncomfortable on my big ass. I tried tweeking it, adjusting the angle, the fore and aft adjustment and the seat height, but it was still too narrow for my butt. I reluctantly (only because I had bought it for the Merlin) put the Pure V on the Litespeed just to see if it would be any more comfortable.
Boy howdy! Immediately I was sold! That saddle was to stay on the Litespeed and when heading back to El Paso a few weeks later, I stopped at the same bike shop again and bought another Pure V for the Merlin.
Recently, I was letting friends in Venezuela ride my Merlin. They were curious about the whole single speed thing, but as soon as they got on the bike, they’d ask what kind of saddle I had. One guy said he was going home immediately to get on-line to order one. I am bringing another Pure V for one of my riding buddies in Venezuela.
My best friend and bike shop owner in Silver City, saw me looking at the Pure V’s (for my Venezuela friend) and he said he put one on his bike and once it was dialed in, it is the most comfortable saddle he’s ridden.
So there’s at least 4 people right there praising the comfort of the WTB Pure V. Highly recommended.
Details of the Pure V (race model*):
– covering: synthetic with Kevlar corners
– rails: chromoly (hollow)
– length to width: 277mm x 145mm (1.9:1)
– weight: 355 g
– price: about $60.00 retail
*Note: other Pure V models
– slt: leather cover, titanium rails, 240g, $150
– team: leather, titanium, 240 g, $130
– pro: synthetic, nicro rails, 250 g, $80