Saddle Course: Welcoming Ergon and Dash Cycling Saddles
You connect to your bicycle at three points: the hands, the feet, and the, um, crotch. As with any system of three, it's pretty hard to say one is more important than the other, since removing one makes the entire process moot (unless you're a unicyclist), but the saddle probably gets the most attention from a comfort point of view. Hands drive upper-body relaxation, and your cleat configuration has major implications for pedaling dynamics, but if your butt isn't happy, well, then you aren't going to be happy. You'll be so unhappy, actually, that you are unlikely to continue riding a bike. If you're not riding a bike, you can't go fast on a bike, so we are understandably concerned with making you able to ride your bike.
At Output, we're committed to the comfort = power = speed maxim, and a giant portion of your comfort comes from the saddle. That's why we carry, as of this printing, 20 different saddles for you to try out when you come in for a fit. All of the saddles carry a 30-day money back guarantee, too, so you settle on a saddle here, take it and ride it for a month, and return it no questions asked if it's not working for you. We call it our Saddle Course, playing off of the Service Course in our business name.
We're especially excited about some new arrivals from Ergon and Dash Cycling. Ergon makes professionally-tested road and MTB saddles, and we brought in several of the mountain bike versions to support cyclocross season. That said, we've put several athletes on those saddles on their road bikes to glowing reviews.
We've also brought in two models of Dash Cycling saddles. Dash Cycling is Colorado-based, and makes insanely light and comfortable saddles for road and triathlon. If you'd like to read a glowing (but very in-depth!) review of the Stage, then head here before coming on back.
The Dash Strike
The Dash Stage
The saddle exists to do as little as possible, really. We want you to be able to rotate your pelvis anteriorally (forward) to alleviate low back strain and to accomplish a more aerodynamic position. We also want the saddle to support you so you feel like you can put as much power into the pedals as possible. A good saddle is like a solid handshake: supportive and reassuring, but quickly forgotten.
If you're interested in simply coming in to try out saddles (and utilizing our super cool saddle pressure analyzer by itself), that is a service we offer—simply select "Follow-up/Consultation" from our menu of services.
