Reviewed by Brian Mullin aka Gram and MTBR.com Pastajet
http://www.gramslightbikes.com/
I have been out riding the Prologo Vertigo Max saddle for several months now on multiple bikes, and on terrain varying from smooth singletrack, to rough technical rock gardens and everything in between. The Vertigo Max has been incredibly comfortable, and it has made my usual forays into my favorite All Mountain terrain much more enjoyable. “More Cush for the Tush”
Prologo Company
Prologo is an Italian saddle manufacturer based in Cavenago di Brianza, just north of Milan. They burst onto the scene (or is that rode) in 2006, and made themselves a niche in the very competitive road saddle market. They solely focus on saddles, which allows them to invest, research, test and develop with lots of innovation, technology and flair. They sponsor several professional teams, such as Saxo Bank, which gives them a great test and feedback gallery to help refine their product suite.
Prologo Vertigo Max
The saddle is constructed with a Microfiber and Protex cover, which provides abrasion resistant, with enough tackiness for controlled movement. It has the atypical mandolin shaped body of a modern saddle, whose technology has been morphed over from the road racing world. The saddle uses what they call light foam padding, and it has engineered in multiple density areas in different portions of the saddle. The front or nose zone is a low density (softer), the central or perineal zone is a medium density, and finally the back or seating zone is a higher density (firmer). The saddle has been designed specifically for the trail rider, and its styling and functionality blend a freeride and cross country saddle. It uses a Carbon Fiber Injection Base which provides excellent structural rigidity, along with their PRO TI 1.4 Nickel-Titanium alloy rail, which has a 1.4 mm wall thickness.
Weight Weenieism
Being a weight weenie has long been considered a disease by the cognoscenti of the mountain biking community, and although I am a devoted disciple, my bikes have been slowly evolving towards a more All Mountain setup. One of the places I have saved weight, was by having a lightweight saddle. I have been through my share of saddles, and on occasion the weight weenie versions just plain hurt my butt. I had one particular saddle that actually gave me short term nerve damage, and I kept getting numb legs, and subtle aches and pains until I stopped using the saddle. I slowly evolved towards a heavier and more comfortable saddle, but I still tended towards the lightest vein possible. Of course my weight weenie crowd subjected me to torment when a barely 200 gram saddle I was using, was considered a boat anchor! I have found that most of the more cross country oriented saddles allow a more aggressive pedaling style, and their structure allows a lot of useful movement, control and leverage, especially up on the nose of the saddle. Sticking your cheeks right up on the nose of the saddle is paramount in really hard and steep climbing, else traction and power loss occurs, along with control.
Been on one of these for over a year now and it is the best saddle I have owned since the Avocet 0 2 Series. Bombproof, comfortable and a pleasure to ride. I have not had a problem with the nose. I find it super comfortable and can get on the nose for climbs quite comfortably. Never a cumbersome moment with this saddle, and I run a pinned post on a mostly XC set up in the Rockies.
Nice Review, Great Saddle.