Specialized Romin Pro Saddle Review

Saddles are very much a personal thing, what one person finds to be luxurious comfort can be perfect agony to another. To give you a bit of back ground I will summarise my recent saddle history, hopefully from this you can draw comparisons to your own experiences.

After a few years of struggling on a range of Selle Italia saddles, I was fitted at a trade show by a Specialized representative by sitting on some memory foam and measuring the distance between my sit bones. (This service is now available at many Specialized retailers.) The conclusion was I should be better suited to a wider 143mm saddle, most Selle Italia saddles are 135mm in width. Initially I’ll admit to being sceptical of another sales gimmick but I walked away with an expensive Toupe saddle. Within the first ride I was completely convinced; despite its scarily thin appearance I found this to be an astonishingly comfortable perch.

The drawback I found with the Toupe was its fragility. After breaking two I switched to the heavier but MTB specific and more robust Phenom. This was several years ago now and I can honestly say I have never looked back. For me the titanium Phenom offers exceptional all day comfort. I have never had any problems even on wet, bumpy all day epics.

When the 3rd Toupe on my road bike split I swapped across the Phenom as on the whole I spend more time and do longer rides on the road bike. I set out to find a lightweight alternative for my XC race bike. There is a new Toupe but my experiences of the previous carnation lead me to the Specialzied Romin Pro. Although 30g more than the Toupe the Romin is still a feather weight 163g. Available in 3 widths, including my favoured 143mm, this saddle features ovalised carbon rails. I admit to trying hard to find a titanium railed version as I was nervous of using carbon in such a high stress area where I have experienced failures before.

The carbon rails are ovalised vertically for strength, so will not fit all seatposts. I fitted mine to an S-Works post so no problems there and to date no problems with the durability either. The saddle shape is very similar to my beloved Phenom, flat with a wide nose good for keeping the weight forward on steep climbs. The pressure relief zone is also nice and large on the Romin if you are planning a family! The slight ski ramp shaping to the rear helps provide support in the saddle when getting the power down. All the edges are nicely rounded so I haven’t had any problem catching the saddle on shorts sliding off the back for steep descents.

Is it as comfortable as my Phenom? No - but it isn’t far behind! I have now completed 5 races including a couple of 4 hour enduros without a single distracting thought of the saddle. The carbon rails do provide an incredibly firm feel and there is very little flex in the body, especially compared to ti railed saddles. As a lightweight race saddle I have no doubts about recommending the Romin. The shape is perfect for me and it ensures 100% of your effort is directed to the pedals. If I was going on a weeks holiday or riding a 12/24 hour enduro I would certainly swap back to the faithful Phenom.