If you have an e-bike and are looking for a more comfortable perch, the Fabric Cell Elite Radius saddle would make a good choice.

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Fabric’s radical air-sprung Cell saddle caused quite a stir when it was first launched back in 2015. When we tested it back then, we said it was comfortable, but complained about the weight, and that means we haven’t seen much of it since.

As nothing has changed with the Cell in the interim, why are we testing it again now?

Well, with the rising popularity of e-bikes, Fabric reckons it’s been given a new lease of life. Partly because weight is much less of an issue when you have up to 500W of additional power on tap, and partly because most people tend to ride further, and sit down longer on an e-bike, so comfort and support is paramount.

So we bolted one to an e-bike and went riding, lots. And for the most part we’d agree that the Cell’s pockets of air are really well suited to the upright riding position and long periods in the saddle that are part and parcel of most e-bike rides.

The Cell’s classic rounded shape is excellent and the unique hexagonal air pads provide decent isolation from trail chatter, but we reckon the cell structures would benefit from more support as they seem to collapse too easily, and we ended up feeling like we were sitting on the base. Having said that, 60km rides were dispatched with no pain or discomfort.