I ride a great deal of miles on a variety of different bikes both for work and leisure. My riding ranges from commuting, to being a cycle courier, racing and leisure riding. When I received my Saddle Donut in the post, I was so intrigued.

How can this oddly shaped product improve my riding comfort and performance at such a low cost and with such ease of use? I had read the testimonials and product information and watched the very informative fitting and instructional videos on the website – so now it was time to ride! Fitting the Saddle Donut was so easy, thanks to the easy to use instructions on the packaging and the very useful a fore mentioned videos. So, I fitted 4 on all my regular bikes, the Single Speed, Gravel Bike, Road Bike and my Frankenbike Work Horse. This meant that whatever I was riding, whatever set up, I would be riding using a Saddle Donut and I wanted to see if it would work with different types of saddles and styles of riding!

When I first fitted it, I thought it had an unusual aesthetic and wondered – how could this ‘knobbly’ product improve my performance, comfort and ride position?

It did feel a little weird or different at 1st, but that’s to be expected with anything new… right?
My 1st impressions, were: ‘this feels odd’, but I do feel planted in the bike with the Saddle Donut offering grip and encouraging a dynamic and economic ride position, would this then translate to an improved ergonomic position – only time and miles would tell.

After some time on the saddle you get used to the discreet aesthetic as the black plastic blends with most saddles, it can’t be seen when seated or from distance and it really doesn’t impact on any clean lines of your bike! I started using the Saddle Donut daily on both long and short rides and became really impressed with the comfort and ride position it encouraged.

Positioned directly beneath the sit bones you really feel like you can push into the saddle with confidence giving you additional power and control. It’s grippy, but not so grippy that you can’t move on the saddle should you need to. I know some riders like to ride on the nose for climbing or over the back of the saddle for steep descents and the Saddle Donut does not hinder this movement in any way. I have been using the Cushion Aid Saddle Donut on my race bike with bib shorts and on my city bike in normal clothes, and it performs with both; it really helps you to engage with the bike and ‘ride in the moment.’

Read more @ https://pedalnorth.com/saddle-donut-cushion-aid/