Aaron “Rambo” Harrison is Bike Gallery’s long-time fit services manager and resident expert on cycling comfort and efficiency. If you’d like to learn more about our fit services, ask for Rambo at our Beaverton store, or visit our fit services page.

The new Bontrager Affinity RXL with carbon fiber rails

After nearly 6 years and 25,000 miles split between two Bontrager “original” inForm RL saddles I decided it was time to try something new on my go-fast bike. At the Trek dealer show, Trek World, in August, Bontrager introduced a new 157 gram (in the medium width) version of the Affinity RXL saddle with carbon rails (the 2011 version had tubular titanium and weighed 65 grams more). I decided that this seat was the perfect replacement for my dearly-loved “original” RL and set to installing on my trusty Co-Motion Ristretto. Unfortunately, I made this decision the first of September, with only a couple of weeks to go prior to Cycle Oregon, where I am proud to be a member of the Bike Gallery crew and try to ride my brains out over the span of the ride.

So, even though I generally caution my own fit clients not to make major changes to their bicycles prior to a big ride (like their saddle!), I mounted up the RXL Affinity, being especially careful to match up the position I had previously with the “original” RL. But, in my own defense, I’ve been riding a 2011 Affinity RL on my winter fixed-gear since December of 2010, so the shape and general padding profile of the Affinity saddle wouldn’t be that big of a shocker.

The special 7mm x 10mm ears required to make the RXL Carbon fit on a Bontrager side-bolt seatpost (in this case, a RXL carbon)

One important item to note, is that much like a majority of the carbon-railed saddles on the market, the Affinity RXL (and its sibling the Evoke RXL, which also gains carbon rails for 2012) have very specific requirements as to how they can be mounted to your bicycle (this is what ultimately delayed me on installing my RXL Affinity). First, you are required to use a side-bolt Bontrager seatpost, such as the Race or RL aluminum, RXL or RxXxL carbon posts, or one of the mast-caps on the 5-and-6-Series Madone bicycles. Second, you need special rail clamps (Bontrager calls them “ears”) that are designed to work with the 7mm x 10mm carbon rails on the RXL saddles (this is what delayed me; we didn’t have the ears in stock yet, so I had to order them for my own RXL seatpost).

So, with my nifty new RXL Affinity mounted up on the Ristretto, I managed to squeeze in two short rides before the Bike Gallery Cycle Oregon crew hit the road for Sutherlin, OR, the starting point for Cycle Oregon 24. Both of these rides were shorter than 35 miles, so I wasn’t expecting any real problems (nor did I have any). My major concern was Day 2 on Cycle Oregon, from Cottage Grove to Reedsport, traversing 90+ miles largely on BLM roads.

From the top you can just make out the Contour Relief Zone, a small depression near the center of the saddle that relieves pressure on soft tissue.

Day 2 of Cycle Oregon started off cool and overcast in Cottage Grove and I got an early start since I had an early shift with the Bike Gallery crew in Reedsport with lots of mileage to cover. Having already ridden a little over 45 miles on the traditional Day Zero Bike Gallery staff ride and Day 1, I was already feeling fairly confident about my new seat (also hedging my bets, I had my trusty RL in my bag, just in case). The first couple of miles out of Cottage Grove were fairly smooth, but this quickly changed when the route entered land managed by the BLM. From my experience on eight Cycle Oregon rides, BLM roads can either be glassy smooth, or some of the roughest chip-seal you’ll ever experience. Unfortunately, this road fell under the latter category (I found myself steering onto patches in the pavement as they were generally smoother). While the new RXL Affinity generally felt a little stiffer in its shell and padding than I was used to on my RL Affinity and “original” inForm RL, I wasn’t uncomfortable at any point during the long, rough ride.

As the week progressed, I was able to ride every single mile of the 2011 route (except for the 26 mile option on Day 1) and ultimately fell in love with the RXL Affinity. It was comfortable for all 509 miles I rode in 8 days as part of the Cycle Oregon crew, looked great, and was even a little lighter than the saddle it replaced.

As I’ve mentioned in prior blog postings, the Affinity line utilizes size-specific curvature to best fit the skeletal structure of the rider. Thus, it is available in three widths for men and three widths for women, which are color-coded by size: red (narrow), yellow (medium), and blue (wide) for men, and pink (narrow), light green (medium), and light blue (wide) for women.

However, the Affinity inForm has been designed for the unique support needs of someone riding a modern road bike, where the torso angle is a little more upright than that of your average bike racer. But, this doesn’t mean that this saddle can’t work for folks that ride a more aggressive position as well. Blessed with great flexibility and better-than-average core stabilization, I generally ride with my handlebars well below the level of my saddle and still find my yellow (medium) width Affinity saddles to be extremely comfortable.

To further maximize comfort, Bontrager has integrated the Contour Relief Zone (a relieved section on the top of the saddle that removes material that would otherwise create pressure on soft-tissue [this feature was originally offered on the original inForm WSD performance saddles and later the Evoke mountain saddles]) as well as Zone-Density padding (on the RL and RXL models) that offers firmer padding under the sit-bones for support and softer padding in the nose of the saddle for increased comfort. On top of the Zone-Density padding, the RXL-level saddles also include Bontrager’s proprietary Temptech high-performance breathable microfiber cover.

Determining your correct size is crucial as an apparently large-framed rider may take a small size and a small-framed rider may require a wider saddle, based upon the structure of their pelvis, which isn’t always readily apparent. Fortunately, figuring out your correct saddle width is simple thanks to a special sizing device that takes an imprint of your sit-bones in a material called Z-FLOW. A color-coded slider then helps determine what width of inForm saddle you need.

Trying one out comes with almost no risks as well. Between Bike Gallery’s 100% satisfaction guarantee and Bontrager’s 30-day comfort guarantee on the inForm saddles you have to time to experience the inForm saddle yourself and discover how it works for you.

I’ve very much enjoyed my time on all the Bontrager inForm saddles I’ve had over lots of miles and the last several years. I would strongly recommend them to anybody looking for a better seat for their bicycle. The Affinity RXL carbon has become my new personal favorite!