Shimano’s in-house component brand Pro has one of the funkiest looking saddles on test with its Vulture.

It’s unclear if the wide rear/broad-nosed shape is named after its avian namesake, but the unusual curves and strange exposed rear segment certainly had the testers circling inquisitively.

Where outright comfort is concerned, our doubts proved unfounded, as the Vulture is flexible, soft and cushioned.

It’s likely that having the widest under-chassis cut-out helps it bend inwards, and thicker gel padding also aids in this regard.

This gel stuffing deforms nicely to shape, and combined with the shock-absorbing quality of the shell, delivers a very smooth ride, even on choppy surfaces.

The shorter, wider front portion is designed to add comfort during climbing, especially on bikes with slacker geometry.

This nose area is well padded and feels good to press your weight against when muscling the bike, but there’s not much wriggle room to edge forwards when grinding up really steep climbs.

Offsetting the comfort is the angular tail — it’s prone to snag shorts or loose material, and the area of exposed base behind the sumptuous padding feels pretty hard.

At 275g, the Vulture is also packing a few extra grams compared to the competition.

>>> The best mountain bike saddles