Best gravel bike saddles: Comfortable and durable saddles for your off-road adventures

To many, the idea of a gravel bike saddle will sound like a marketing department that has jumped onto the gravel bandwagon in order to sell a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. 

However, a saddle is one of the most personal things on a bike, and the right saddle for you will come down to a multitude of things, including bike fit and the type of riding you are doing, which is why the best gravel bike saddle will differ from the best road bike saddles.

It’s important to continue your quest for the perfect saddle because you can have any of the best gravel bikes and wear the best cycling shorts available, but pair them with an ill-fitting saddle and your ride could be reduced to discomfort, pain, and worst of all, walking. 

If you’re the sort of person whose backside seems to agree with every saddle shape and size available, the best gravel saddles can offer something for you too. In the same way that neither your road wheels nor your mountain bike wheels are quite right for the job of gravel riding, the best gravel bike saddles are designed to offer that ‘goldilocks’ balance between weight, comfort, durability and comfort. 

The needs of a road cyclist or a mountain biker differ from the needs of a gravel cyclist. Unlike a road bike saddle, mud, dirt, trees, traction, hard impacts and branches come into play for gravel saddles. A mountain bike saddle will be a better fit than a road saddle for gravel cyclists, but even these aren’t perfect for the job. These can be heavier, built to withstand much harder impacts and incidents than a gravel cyclist is ever likely to need. 

And even within the gravel cycling umbrella, there is a huge range of different types of riding. If you are a gravel racer your needs are going to be a lot different than that of a bikepacker. If you like to take on the most technical trails a drop-bar bike can handle, that warrants a different type of saddle again.

Whatever your needs there are some general ideas to consider, which we run through at the bottom of this page, but first, we’ve gathered our pick of the best gravel bike saddles to help you find something that will work for you.

Quick List

Best gravel bike saddle available today

Best gravel bike saddle

Prologo Scratch M5 PAS saddle is a versatile saddle that has found itself at home across many of my gravel bikes and has been used for all types of riding from sharp and pointy efforts to more relaxed leisurely days out. 

Easy to set up, I found the short nose shape to be very comfortable and provide an efficient pedalling platform no matter your bike fit or position. The panelled design offers plenty of support and the rails absorb a decent amount of vibrations. Durability has also been impressive, showing little wear over the four years of use despite spending most of its time on my gravel and mountain bike.

Prologo offers several different iterations of the Scratch utilising different rail materials, padding and cut-out (PAS) or non-cut-out (Active Base). The only minor gripe is Prologo only offers a single 140mm width which may not suit everyone.

For more details, read the full Prologo Scratch M5 PAS saddle review.

Best performance

The Selle San Marco Shortfit 2.0 3D Racing saddle stands out with its futuristic 3D-printed design and excellent comfort. Its short, narrow shape with a noticeable rear kick helps lock you into the perfect riding position, while the central cutout does a great job relieving pressure. Thanks to the 3D lattice structure, the padding has been precisely tuned so it’s firm where you need power transfer, and forgiving where it counts for comfort.

What really sets this saddle apart is how smart the cushioning is. Different zones provide targeted support, meaning whether you’re hammering on the road or cruising gravel trails, it keeps you planted and comfortable. Even on longer rides, it holds up well without feeling too harsh.

The only real drawback? The price might make you pause, and the base materials (like the steel rails and nylon shell) don’t totally match the high-end look of the 3D-printed top. Still, if you’re willing to spring for the carbon rail version, you’re getting a lighter, sleeker setup that feels much more premium. If you’re serious about performance and comfort, this saddle is definitely worth considering.

For more details, read our full Selle San Marco Shortfit 2.0 3D Racing saddle review.

Best comfort

Specialized has released a multitude of saddle innovations over the years. The short-nose shape of the Power saddle, the grippy-yet-comfortable Elaston, the soft-tissue-supporting Mimic tech are just three, and they all feature here. 

The Mimic variation of the Power saddle line-up replaces the cut-out with a depression, paired with a much softer padding at the front. For gravel riding, this kind of saddle is going to work best for riding that falls into the all-road umbrella as opposed to drop-bar mountain biking. Gravel races with long hours of hard riding, where aerodynamics matter, is an ideal use case.

Check out our Specialized Power Pro Elaston Mimic Saddle review for more information. 

Best for size options

A saddle for everyone runs the risk of being a saddle for no one. The Verse line of saddles from Bontrager targets men and women and all surfaces and it works. Trek, and its accessory company Bontrager, is a company with a culture of data. An extensive dealer network helped Bontrager hone what was working for people.

Sales, returns, and fitment data from the dealer network showed the way forward. The most popular sizes and configurations of previous saddles have come together in a saddle designed for everyone. There’s a wide nose paired with a wide midsection and a generous central cutout. To further broaden potential users the Bontrager Verse saddle has four sizes available and an extra-long usable mount area on the rails.

Best value

The SR Pro Carbon uses a design targeted at men who ride in an aggressive position. Most companies who use a relief channel use a deep channel that splits the shell from the nose to the rear of the saddle. With the Ergon SR Pro, the channel is shallow with a rearward bias. Ergon claims this better reflects male pelvis tilt but it also maintains the integrity of the saddle. With only a small spot for water to drain the saddle is stronger and mud and dirt don’t have a way to get through from below.

A carbon composite shell and carbon rails can make for an expensive saddle. The Ergon SR Pro Carbon is a rare offering at just over $100 for top-of-the-line materials and low weight. 

Best for wider widths

When it comes to saddles there are few brands with the name recognition of Fizik. Like most brands though, it has made a real push to meet the needs of modern drop bar riders who are looking to push beyond paved roads. 

With the Terra Argo X3, Fizik understands that the requirements of traction on loose surfaces call for a more planted stance. There’s a centre cut out and it’s a short nose design that’s 5mm longer than the short nose design of the road version. The shape ensures you’re planted but keeps the saddle out of your way when you need to descend. On steep climbs when you need the nose for control there’s just enough purchase available. 

The saddle has a bit more padding which works really well if you are planning a long adventure, however, those looking for performance will likely prefer a more svelte saddle shape and weight.

For more details, head over to our Fizik Terra Argo X1 review.

Also consider

There’s a certain mystique about Brooks saddles. It’s just one of those brands that seem to show up on the bikes of the coolest people. Unfortunately, the traditional leather construction of Brooks saddles isn’t suited to off-road riding. The Cambium C13 is an answer to that need.

The construction of the Brook Cambium C13 is different from most of what’s out there. Instead of a shell with padding and a cover, there’s a carbon fibre frame covered with a thick piece of rubber. The unsupported nature of the rubber provides all the necessary shock absorption with more durability.

The Cambium C13 is so durable we can’t imagine it ever wearing out, even after a crash.

Selle San Marco’s AllRoad Carbon FX saddle is better suited to those whose gravel rides are more ‘all-road’ than drop-bar mountain biking. It’s lightweight at 160g, and comes with a waved profile to provide a locked-in feel. There’s a wide cut-out, medium padding and a carbon-reinforced nylon shell paired with carbon fibre rails. That all combines to create a saddle that’s good at taking the sting out of the rougher roads, without causing undue soft-tissue damage. 

San Marco has also given this saddle reinforced Cordura edges which shrugged off all of our untimely falls during testing. It’s only available in one size: 146mm wide, which means if you have particularly narrow or wide sit bones, then this won’t be for you, but for those it will fit, the AllRoad Carbon FX saddle is a great option. 

Read our review of the Selle San Marco AllRoad Open Fit CFX to find out more.

Weighing in at 209g the Prologo Dimension AGX is not what you would call heavy but the concept hinges more on comfort than outright performance. As a dedicated gravel saddle, the Dimension AGX is all about comfort and the Italian company has made a concerted effort to improve foam density by tuning the padding structure which is 10mm thick – all of which help negate high-frequency gravel-road vibrations.

As a visual package, the Prologo Dimension AGX gravel saddle looks rather refined and should complement your bike’s aesthetic pretty easily. The only thing missing from the recipe, however, is the paucity of saddlebag integration which has almost become a prerequisite on rival gravel-specific perches from Fizik.

For more information, check out our Prologo Dimension AGX gravel saddle first-look review.

We have already featured a Selle San Marco Shortfit saddle however the premium price point of the 3D technology is probably more than most can justify. Luckily Selle San Marco has more affordable options with traditional padding like the Shortfit 2.0 Racing.

It shares the same waved short nose fit as Selle San Marco Shortfit 2.0 3D Racing which we found promoted an efficient and comfortable pedaling position. I found the large cut-out did a good job of relieving pressure and ensuring good blood flow.

Although you don’t get the fancy 3D cushioning, the padding is still effective and, along with the Xsilite stainless steel hollow rails, does a decent job of filtering out chatter and vibration from gravel. 

Velo Saddles is the manufacturer behind many of the saddles from other brands on the market. It produces over 15 million saddles a year and is the largest manufacturer of bike saddles in the world. Despite that, until recently, they were almost unheard of and actually purchasing one was near impossible. New distribution avenues hope to change all that and if you haven’t taken a look now is a good time.

The Angel series of saddles is the highest performance saddles that Velo offers. The Angel TT starts with the Velo Angel Glide and shortens it. The two saddles are exactly the same, except that the Angel TT is wider and shorter. That means the same stiff padding and the same Y shaped cut-out that lets the shell flex with your hips.

How to choose the best gravel bike saddle

How we test?

Testing is the backbone of the tech department at Cyclingnews and how we test is taken seriously, so read on to find out more.

Saddles are a very personal item, a saddle might be the peak of comfort for one person yet someone else may have an entirely different experience. Luckily, the Cyclingnews team has reviewed and ridden saddles from every manufacturer so while we can’t guarantee a saddle will be comfortable for you, we can offer a recommendation on what saddle may suit you based on your preferences and our real-world experience.

Testing saddles involves time in the saddle, whether it’s long or short rides and over a variety of different terrains. Bike fit also plays a massive role in saddle comfort so all saddles are used across a variety of different bikes to determine how they perform.