Cobb Cycling Saddle Review | Speed And Comfort | 2018
We caught up to Cobb Cycling and their saddle line at last year’s 2017 Interbike. To be honest I didn’t know much about Cobb other than name recognition, which was probably from my triathlon days. Somewhere in 2018 Cobb Cycling ran into some type of legal battle and as a result lost their website Cobbcycling.com URL. I had to do a bit of searching, but found the Cobb Cycling name has changed to Speed And Comfort (https://speedandcomfort.com/). I am sure this was sort of a letdown considering how much time was spent building up the Cobb Cycling brand.
Cobb product lineup consists of saddles, short cranks, apparel and some accessories. Their bread and butter though is saddles.
Cobb’s Mission Statement | Speed And Comfort
Cobb’s mission is simple – to increase the comfort and performance for bicycle riders of all levels.
Their goal is to design better saddles, along with innovative products, such as different length cranks and technical performance clothing.
Cobb Cycling Saddles Arrive
After Interbike 2017 we reached out to Cobb Cycling to get a few of their saddles for review. Cobb sent us 3 of their new 2017/2018 line including the One Fifty One, San Remo and Tenace.
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Cobb Cycling One Fifty One Saddle Review
For those who love Carbon everything, you will absolutely love the One Fifty One. The first time out on the saddle and I was like “Wow what have I been missing”. The One Fifty One is pure enjoyment from start to finish. I am not sure if it’s the carbon rails or the wider cutout or the overall design, but whatever it is, the One Fifty One is my new favorite piece of cycling equipment.
When you think about it, people spend thousands of dollars on bikes, groupos, watt meters, indoor trainers but often skimp out on saddles. Many times people just go with whatever saddle happens to be on the bike they purchase.
For many, bike saddles are often a love hate relationship, where you tell yourself it’s going to take a few hundred miles to brake in a good saddle. Well I am here to tell you the One Fifty One required zero break-in period and felt great from the start.
The One Fifty One is cushioned with 3mm of padding, which for me is just about perfect. It’s not too stiff and not too mushy.
Are there any negatives?
If you’re a big fan of Italian style and colors, the One Fifty One is rather plain in appearance. It’s definitely not a bad looking saddle, but it isn’t anything that really pops. Our saddle came in classic black without any color accents, so it sort of blends into our black Felt AR1. There is another color choice, black/silver, so if plain black isn’t your thing, you do have options.
Price point will be another issue for some. The One Fifty One retails for $329.95, which many riders may have a hard time swallowing. When you think about it though, how much is it worth being comfortable on the bike. Considering high end road shoes like the Vittoria IKON or Fi’zi:k R1 cost $300 – $500 dollars, the saddle’s price tag is much easier to justify.
Cobb One Fifty One Specs
The Cobb One Fifty-One is built with the same carbon fiber shell and rails and the same shape as the Cobb Carbon One, yet this one has a lightweight 3mm memory foam padding. The saddle is designed for high mileage road riders who demand comfort as well as top-level performance.
The anatomic shape includes a long narrow nose to eliminate chafing on your inner thighs and a long cutout for pressure relief on your soft tissue. The cutout bridge adds strength and stability for consistent comfort.
- Weight: 180 Grams
- Seat Rail: Carbon
- Rail Length: 80mm
- Retail: $329.95
Cobb Cycling San Remo Saddle Review
A Little Race History
The Cobb Cycling San Remo saddle was named after the longest World Tour road race, the 298 km (~185.2 miles) Milan-San Remo. Other names for the race include “The Spring classic” and “La Classicissima“. The cycling race goes from Milan to San Remo, in Northwest Italy. The race was first held back in 1907 and continues to this day.
Milan–San Remo is considered a sprinters classic because of its mainly flat course, whereas the other Italian Monument race, the Giro di Lombardia, held in autumn, is considered a climbers classic.
John Cobb had mentioned that the saddle was designed to give a little Italian flare and I think he achieved that with the cool white racing stripes.
The San Remo dimensions are the same as the One Fifty One, but a few things have been swapped out for less expensive parts. Instead of using carbon rails, the San Remo uses hollow chromoly rails. The carbon construction has been replaced with a composite based material that flexes a bit more than the One Fifty One. The padding has also been increased to provide some extra cushioning.
Using both saddles, my preference is to use the One Fifty One for road riding and the San Remo for mountain biking, although this is purely subjective.
I really dig the color pallet of the San Remo, being a big fan of tastefully done colors that aren’t over the top.
Are there any negatives?
For those that are weight weenies, the San Remo (240 grams) is 60 grams heavier than the One Fifty One (180 grams) and 120 grams heavier than the ultra light Carbon One (120 grams).
If you are looking for a firm seat, you might want to opt for the One Fifty One instead with it’s firmer 3mm padding.
Cobb San Remo Specs
The San Remo saddle features a long narrow nose to eliminate chafing on your inner thighs and a long cutout for soft tissue pressure relief.
Where the more expensive Carbon One and One Fifty-One use full carbon construction, the San Remo employs a Cobb composite base tuned with a bit of flex for comfort and hollow chromoly rails. The shape is the same and it gets the same memory foam padding. The cutout bridge adds strength and stability for consistent comfort.
- Weight: 240 Grams
- Seat Rail: Hollow Chromoly
- Rail Length: 80mm
- Retail: $199.95
Cobb Cycling Tenace Saddle Review
The Tenace saddle pronounced “Ten A Che” is Cobb Cycling’s answer to high mileage rides. Tenace, Italian for tenacious, is a different direction in saddle design for Cobb. Rather than a traditional long nose saddle, the Tenace design goes shorter and wider at the front and more rounded at the back.
What makes the Tenace really cool is it’s longer than normal rail (105mm vs 80mm) that most saddles have. That means you have an extra 25mm of travel to adjust the saddle fore and aft.
For me the saddle just didn’t feel right. The front of the saddle felt too wide and I felt it rubbed my thighs too much. That said, most saddles boil down to user preference and what I might like, others may have issue with, so it really comes down to getting on the saddle and going for a ride.
Cobb Tenace Specs
The Tenace has a cutout for soft tissue pressure relief. It’s a great choice for riders who employ a slightly more upright road position and for those requiring greater ischial support. A durable, lightweight, forgiving Cobb composite base and hollow chromoly rails keep the weight to a minimum so your comfort need not mean a costly sacrifice in weight.
- Weight: 265 Grams
- Seat Rail: Hollow Chromoly
- Rail Length: 105mm
- Retail: $199.95
Cobb Saddles Final Results
Out of the 3 saddles tested, the One Fifty One is definitely my top choice for road cycling and is in fact my favorite saddle right now. It’s so good I felt a shot of it with a dragster was more than appropriate.
The San Remo is another great choice with a price drop of $120 over the One Fifty One. At roughly $200 retail, the San Remo is another fantastic option.
While I didn’t find the Cobb Tenace to my liking, the fact that it has a 105mm rail means those who do find it comfortable are going to have a ton of adjustability over most saddles.
Be sure to check out Cobb Cycling | Speed and Comfort (https://speedandcomfort.com/) for saddle and other gear.
Update: 8/16/2018
I have been riding the One Fifty One now for over 8 months and have been extremely satisfied with the build quality and how long the saddle has lasted. Many of my previous saddles would develop wear spots along the edges and thus far I haven’t seen any wear at all. The saddle looks like it is brand new, which to me is amazing. It’s is definitely the best saddle I have ever owned for both comfort and quality.
Tom, what a fantastic post! That is such a detailed article, I can`t wait to dig deep and start utilizing the resource you have given me. By the way, I recently got a new electric bike I wonder what your opinion about these kinds of bikes is?