After a month of riding the Cobb Cycling Gen 2 saddle, we come back on our initial thoughts – that this is a fine road saddle but not a saddle built specifically for triathlon. However given the right amount of time and adjustment, this has the potential to become the saddle for the most hardened triathlete.

It is unarguably an excellent road saddle that solves the perineal pressure problem that plagues so many of our fellow riders, and it makes those long hours in the saddle plenty comfortable for a roadie riding in the drops or on the hoods equally. When it comes to triathlons, however, we found that while this saddle does so much for our drop-bar brethren, it is more finicky than comfortable in the aero position to us. We found this has to do with the “dip” in the middle of the saddle and getting “locked in” to that position seemed to be hit-or-miss and required more conscious effort to get into, and stay there, than other saddles we have found.

When the saddle works and you find yourself in the sweet spot for the TT position setup, the Gen 2 is like riding with a full-on cradle for a saddle; it is every bit as comfortable and natural as a rider could want. But getting to that point took our fitter more than a handful of sessions, adjusting by fractions of degrees to get it right for us. If you haven’t found a saddle that supports you like you want, give the Gen 2 a try and point the nose firmly downward, but prepare to spend time with the wrench to get it perfect.

For our road riding readers, however, this is the saddle we’ve all been awaiting. It would be a disservice to your sit bones to not give the Gen 2 a try on your bike and see what you’re missing in terms of connectedness to your saddle position. Where there is some vagary in setting up a TT bike with a Gen 2, it is almost impossible to set it up on a road bike uncomfortably, especially if you have been riding a solid nose saddle. The cradling that the Gen 2 possesses self-corrects any issues in sit bone position in the hoods and a shift forward to the drops naturally pulls your hips into some of the most comfortable miles at the head of the peloton we’ve had in a long while.

The bottom line on the Gen 2 is this: if you’re a road rider who occasionally participates in triathlons, go find this saddle and give it a test. You’ll go home a convert to John Cobb’s genius. If the bike you pull out on Saturday and Sunday mornings has an aerobar and you just can’t find a saddle that offers that connectedness that you’ve been looking for, spend a couple sessions with your fitter… and a Cobb Cycling Gen 2.