It’s hard to believe how time has flown, yet here we are, a month since we first received the Adamo Attack. And after putting significant mileage on the Attack, we’re ready to render our final verdict.

Let’s start with a brief recap. With their ergonomic saddle design, ISM, the maker of the Attack, is one of the kings of the triathlon saddle market. At Kona 2012 ISM had the second largest saddle count. And considering that multiple manufacturers—including Cervelo and Quintana Roo—are now making ISM’s saddles standard equipment on their bikes, we wouldn’t be surprised to see that number rise this year.

The Attack is the newest addition to Adamo’s road racing (not specifically triathlon) lineup and is the same length as the Podium and Prologue—two well-known Adamo stars. However, the Attack is a full 25mm longer than the Road, which is considered by many as the front-runner of ISM’s triathlon lineup.

In addition, the Attack actually lengthens the channel that Adamo has come to be known for. In fact, we measured the total channel length to be a full 20mm longer than that seen on the Podium. And for those that tend to experience numbness on rides, this is a huge win.

Mike’s Thoughts

In our first two articles (here and here), Mike provided the majority of feedback. Mike had come from the Adamo Podium, which as you see in the measurements below, possessed similar measurements to the Attack.

During his time with the Attack, Mike found it to be a truly exceptional saddle. He experienced absolutely no numbness, which is something he cannot even say about the Podium, and found it to be a great saddle for a road setup. However, Mike found that when his hips rotated into the TT position, the nose was about 10-20mm too long. To compensate, Mike moved his saddle forward. Although he did encounter some difficulty with this saddle position in a climb or sprint.

Devon’s Thoughts

Devon comes from the Adamo Road, which has a significantly larger difference in measurements compared to the Attack. The Road runs 25mm shorter than the Attack as well as an additional 25mm thicker. You can see the differences from 0-100mm in the chart below:

While the first 50mm are similar, by 100 mm we start to see the differences in the saddle. And at 55mm we reach the widest point (135mm). Obviously this shape is drastically different then that of the Attack. Therefore we were not surprised when Devon didn’t come away as happy as Mike. The Attack is just not the saddle for him. Because it was so thin, Devon found himself constantly adjusting fore and back in order to find a comfortable position. In contrast, Devon was able to find that sweet spot effortlessly with the Adamo Road’s wider, shorter shape.

However, Devon did feel that the Attack may be the perfect transition saddle for a road cyclist coming from a more standard full-nose saddle. Its shape is reminiscent of a traditional saddle but still provides the long, split nose that helps relieve common issues like numbness. In Devon’s words, this is a “great first Adamo saddle.”

Final Thoughts

When we first received the Adamo Attack our biggest question was, would a thinner saddle make for a better saddle? Well, we have our answer…Yes, but only if it’s the right saddle for you. For Mike it was close. But for Devon, it simply was not the right fit. Although they both agreed that the Attack is truly a high-quality saddle, and they’d highly recommend it to any rider looking for a great road racing saddle.