In the past we’ve included both the WTB Volt and WTB Silverado in our group test, but this is our first look at the SL8. WTB doesn’t like to pigeonhole its saddles, so it says the SL8 can do a bit of everything – XC, gravel riding and even road. 

• Best mountain bike saddles: are you sitting comfortably? 

It features hollow cro-mo steel rails, but it’s not super light and we reckon XC riders will want something in the sub-200g category. It does however, come in three widths (127, 142 and 150mm) although oddly, importer Hotlines is charging less for the narrower saddle. No other company does this, but it does use less material, so it sort of makes sense.

Shape-wise the SL8 is pretty flat. There is a slight downturn to the nose and depression in the centre, but we did feel like we were sitting on this one rather than in it. Since the shoulders aren’t particularly deep, you do slide a round quite a bit when pedalling, and when pushing back on climbs there’s not a lot there to hold you.

It has a flex-tuned shell where the rails are offset on raised anchor points, and the area above the cutaway does flex, but the padding is very firm. Cross-country racers will probably appreciate that since they sit down a lot less, but if you like a plush perch this isn’t it.

WTB uses a glued and stapled microfibre cover. It’s tidied off with some plastic bumpers front and rear, but underneath this isn’t as neat as the SDG or Burgtec saddles. The cover is perforated and features two scuff-resistant Kevlar patches; both are mud magnets. Even after jet washing, all the pinholes were still full of dirt.

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