PRO Stealth Saddle Review: a Jack of Most Trades
Pro has quietly become one of our favorite saddle brands in recent years. They’ve found their way on road bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes, and everything in between. Part of this is thanks to the 30-day fit guarantee each Pro saddle comes with, allowing riders to try new shapes and profiles without necessarily sinking in much money. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this is the Pro Stealth saddle, which have the friendliest shape of our group of snub nose saddles. To be clear, saying that the Stealth’s best attribute is it's fit guarantee is sure to do this (and the other saddles here with similar guarantees) a disservice. It is arguably the most impactful Pro saddle to date. Their range consists of traditional road saddles and a triathlete-specific saddle, and the Stealth is the bridge between the two. It has the widest nose of all our snub-nose saddles; Pro says this provides extra support for riders to stay in the drops for longer, no doubt shaped by the testing and data found from owning bikefitter.com and working with the Giant-Alpecin ProTour team. The result is what might be the most versatile saddle on test, ready for rides of varying intensities on and off pavement. The profile here has a wide, flat nose, a profile that follows all the way to the back. This gives the center cutout plenty of room, measuring in at a substantial 31.5mm at the widest point. And while the cutout runs 130mm lengthwise with an additional channel through to the front of the saddle.
We tested the Pro Stealth with its stainless steel rails, in a 142mm width.
Riding the Pro Stealth
A combination of a flat profile, as well as channel relief regardless of where you place yourself means it is possible to spend extended time perched on the nose or on the saddle’s haunches as opposed to the locked-in nature of other saddles. Versatility like this is what sets the Stealth apart from the other saddles here in our eyes. Though not everyone’s preferred saddle, riders of all kinds found the Stealth to be a good place to be. Most enjoyed the saddle’s arching curve, which provides good support and stability, especially while climbing, while some found that it could’ve provided more support. Further, the wider nose helps support pelvic bone weight as you rotate forward, but that also makes it more prone to inner thigh rub. Interestingly enough, we’ve seen people use the Stealth on everything from road bikes to gravel bikes to mountain bikes; we can’t say the same about the other saddles here. This is without considering the new Pro Stealth Offroad saddle, which adds a bit more padding to the Stealth profile. Overall, the Pro Stealth is the most versatile saddle in the group. It worked with more cyclists than any of the other saddles, it's profile allows riders to sit on the nose of the saddle for extended periods of time, and the wide cutout meant there was plenty of relief for riders of varying sizes. The saddle could have a bit more softness to it for those riding anything but fast road, but that is something the Stealth Offroad can rectify.
Have any questions about the Pro Stealth Saddle? Give us a call during business hours or send us an email at any time to [email protected].
There are a few directions one can go here. If you’re feeling pressure while being long and low, many of our clients have found success with the Stealth saddle. Much of that has to do with the Stealth’s wider nose which people find gives good support when in the drops, as well as an ability to move around the saddle a little bit more than a Specialized power.
The other alternative if you wanted to stick to Specialized (which we don’t carry) would be the Power Mimic saddle, which has a similar shape to the standard Power, just softer at the nose.
We carry PRO, Fizik, Selle SMP, Selle Italia, CADEX, and a few others. Happy to help wherever I can. Thanks!
Alvin - Contender Bicycles on
Track cycling sprinting events at national level. I’m masters category. Please recommend what saddle I should use. I’m using power saddle by specialized. Forward and low is too painful. Thanks Paul yazolino
Paul Yazolino on