Ritchey’s Trail Comp is a bargain-priced, stitched and panelled trail saddle with a traditional shape.

For the money, it gets features you’d expect from more expensive saddles, such as a carbon-fibre injected base material, abrasion-resistant side panel shoulders and a patented vector wind housing at the rear of the saddle rails that aims to more evenly suspend and spread rider weight.

The Trail Comp uses high-density, superlight foam padding to relieve sit bone pressure, but it does lie at the firmer end of the comfort spectrum.

7mm diameter steel rails are used to clamp the seat in place, and presumably contribute to the Ritchey being the heaviest saddle here.

That aside, there’s little evidence of the harsh ride that cheaper saddles can sometimes exhibit — maybe due to the suspended Vector Wing design.

Even on huge climbing days in the Spanish mountains, comfort was high, with no areas that irritated or provoked pressure points or sore spots.

One observation, aside from the key point that it’s considerably bulkier than some, is the brand logo started to rub off the side after a couple of rides in gritty conditions, which doesn’t bode well for long-term durability.

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