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Salsa Zona Tres Saddle
By Jon Sharp
The most important quality a saddle should possess is comfort.
A saddle can be lightweight, a saddle can be tough, with Kevlar™
sides to protect it in a crash. But if the saddle isn't comfortable, then
none of these features matter. Salsa cycles has been known for a long
time for its quality, innovation, and rock-solid performance, and their
Zona Tres saddle is no different.
The Zona Tres saddle is named for its three comfort zones. The first
is readily apparent when the saddle is flipped upside down. There are
slots cut out of the saddle in various "strategic" locations to allow
it to flex and relieve pressure in certain areas, such as directly underneath
your "sit bones". The second "zone" is equally obvious—a recessed
center section to reduce pressure on the perineum. The last of the three
"zones" is the Adjustable Stiffening System (A.S.S.™). By turning
a 4mm hex key on the nose of the saddle, the stiffness of the saddle shell
is tightened or loosened. This was designed to allow the rider to fine-tune
the ride
Because I ride a hardtail, I immediately loosened up the A.S.S.™
system to give myself the most comfortable ride possible. Instead of a
plush pseudo suspension-like ride, it merely changed the areas that received
the most pressure from the saddle. It took me a few rides to get it to
where I wanted it, but once there, I realized that it wasn't near the
loosest setting. In fact, I tried to set it up as neutral as possible,
because I realized that there were drawbacks to a saddle that is either
too stiff or too flexible.
As far as the recessed perineum patch, I could definitely feel a relief
from pressure there. This was especially noticeable when I climbed back
on some other saddles lacking this feature. Unfortunately, in order to
decrease pressure in a certain area, pressure must be increased in others.
Accordingly, I found that I felt more pressure directly to the sides of
this recessed patch. By adjusting the stiffness of the saddle, however,
I was able to minimize this pressure.
Which brings me to the slots cut out of the shell of the saddle. It is
difficult to tell whether this makes the saddle more comfortable than
softer padding or a more flexible shell.
Saddles are funny because sometimes the simplest of saddles can be very
comfortable, depending on their shape. As with many other components of
bicycles, the comfort of a saddle is a matter of personal preference.
This saddle has stiff padding, so it isn't for everyone. If you are willing
to invest the time necessary to get used to a different saddle—one
without much padding, but with a pretty good shape—this could be
the one for you. There were times when I really wished for a little more
cushion. On longer rides, I really appreciated the central recessed "comfort
zone".
Summary: No saddle is for everyone, but for those people that feel too
much pressure along their perineum will find the relief offered by the
Zona Tres to be a blessing. It looks cool, and if you have no problems
with the firm padding, then you will enjoy the fine-tuneability offered
by the A.S.S.™. The Zona Tres saddle comes in four different models.
The cover is either all leather or leather with embroidery and Kevlar
sides. In turn, each of these is offered with titanium or cro-moly rails.
The titanium version weighs 228 grams, and the cro-moly weighs 339. They
range in price from $69.00 for the all leather, cro-moly model, to $104.95
for the embroidered, titanium model.
Jon Sharp is a Contributing Editor to GearReview.com
specializing in mountain biking.
For more information, contact:
Salsa Cycles
6400 West 105th Street
Bloomington, MN 55438
800.762.4688
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