While the Adamo Attack is designed primarily for road racers, we can all be sure that triathletes took notice of the release of this saddle late last year.  The Attack is the newest addition to ISM’s saddle lineup.  While more and more companies offer cutout saddles, ISM has staked out the claim for VIP in a room full of superstars.  At each race AG sees more and more Adamos on the racks of T1 and at Kona 2012 ISM was the second largest saddle count.

Be forewarned with this Adamo, though: this is not your casual triathlete’s saddle: when ISM labeled this a road racing saddle, they weren’t kidding.  The saddle is thin, almost an inch thinner than the Adamo Road (and 20mm thinner than their Podium).  So thin in fact that it appears that ISM had actual trouble fitting the Adamo brand name on this saddle.

Check out this comparison of the Podium, Attack, and Road (from left to right).

At $249 ($50 more than the Adamo Podium) this is not a cheap saddle, and unfortunately this is not a light one either.  At a reported 265 grams it is 50 grams lighter than the Podium but still not a svelte light weight.  For comparison sake the Fi’zi:k Arione K1 is 192 grams and the Arione K3 weighs in at 235 grams.  (Editor’s note: Normally we would be providing our own weights, but unfortunately the AG scale is currently broken. The new one is already on order.  In our final review article we will provide actual weights of the Attack as well as the Podium and the Road.)

So the big question is: what does the Attack bring to the table?  From speaking with many Adamo owners, friction can be a problem due to the nature of an open nose saddle (the width of the front prongs can cause friction for certain riders).  Some athletes have gone so far as to tighten the gap between the front ends with zip ties (unfortunately voiding the warranty) to get the benefits of the open nose without the issues associated with it.  With the Attack, riders should be able to avoid this issue entirely.  In addition, ISM lengthened the front channel, which they say will help increase blood flow.

But to really know the saddle requires us to ride the saddle, so that’s the plan.  For the next two months we’ll ride the saddle to get a feel for it.  Our goal is to determine if the Attack is the right saddle for long course triathletes.  Be sure to check our Facebook and Twitter feeds to see updates on how the review is coming along.