Adlib HD Saddle

Same idea, bigger platform. The HD is 291 x 145mm and 335g; the Adlib is 281 x 128mm and 239g. The 17mm of extra width is the part you feel — it spreads your weight over more area, which is what makes the difference on a long day. Both run 7mm CrMo rails and both are shaped to stay clear of your thighs when you move around.

Saddle width is set by the distance between your sit bones, not by how big you are — small riders often need wide saddles and the other way round. Too narrow and your weight lands on soft tissue instead of bone; too wide and the edges rub your thighs every pedal stroke. Most bike shops can measure your sit bones in a couple of minutes. 145mm is at the wider end of our range; if you measure narrow, the Adlib at 128mm is the one to look at.

Because there is simply more of it — 10mm longer, 17mm wider, and a correspondingly bigger shell, padding and cover. 335g against 239g is a real difference on paper, but it is worth keeping in perspective: it is about the weight of a full water bottle's worth of nothing, and a saddle you can sit on all day is worth more than 96g on almost any ride. If grams are the priority, the Skinny is our lightest at 235g.

7mm round CrMo steel rails — the standard size, so any normal seatpost head will clamp them, dropper posts included. CrMo is heavier than titanium or carbon but it takes abuse without complaint, which is the right trade on a saddle built for long, rough days. The DJ is the only saddle in our range that differs, at 8mm.

Start dead level — a spirit level or a phone app laid along the top will do. From there, nose down a degree if you feel pressure at the front on long climbs, nose up a degree if you keep sliding forward. Change one degree at a time and ride it before changing again; this is a setting where a difference you can barely see is obvious after an hour. Get height right first, then angle, then how far forward the saddle sits on the rails.