This is my long term review of the SDG Duster Ti Saddle.

Longevity: 18 months

Overall Impression: Positive

Pros: Well padded flat saddle, easy to get weight off the back, comfortable all day long, durable.

Cons: Paint on front of rails and nose logo wears quickly, possibly a bit too well padded.

I have to admit I’ve been a bit of an SDG fan since I picked up my first mountain bike, a 2009 Orange G3, after getting back into cycling in 2010. That bike came with an SDG Bel Air saddle that was comfy from the outset, no mean feat as I was clocking about 20st at the time. That first Bel Air was replaced with another after being written off in a crash, and when worn out switched to an SDG Falcon which was a lot thinner but paradoxically even more comfy on all day rides. That one is still going strong today.

When it came to building a new Stanton Switchback up from scratch for my 40th it was natural to look to SDG again. I knew I wanted to look for a flat saddle to help keep it out of the way when shifting my weight over the back – no one likes flared saddle wings in the knackers on a steep descent.

Not knowing how I’d get on with a flat saddle on longer rides, and erring on the side of comfort I opted for the well padded Duster Ti. It didn’t hurt that I really liked the funky embossed design and it came in a wide selection of colours so I could match it to the bike.

The Positives

The SDG Duster Ti has been a cracking saddle over the last 18 months, soaking up the local DH, long XC rides, trail centres, uplift days, pump track sessions and my ham fisted jump landings with aplomb.

Very easy to get your weight off the back, I’ve never encountered any issues getting back forward over it either. Something I had encountered with the flared Bel Air design getting caught on baggy shorts.

It’s taken a beating and has been crashed, repeatedly thrown in the back of cars in a pile of bikes and wheels, ridden in all conditions through a couple of grim British Winters and subjected to all manner of abuse. No complaints there at all! I’ve finally taken it off the bike after a couple of crashes split the cover and tore the nose away from the base. Too much kodak courage for the camera and not enough skill 😆

The Negatives

That’s not to say it’s all gravy, once the padding wore in I found it a bit too plush for my liking, deadening trail feedback from the back of the bike a bit too much, very much a personal preference thing but it may be worth looking at the skinnier SDG Circuit instead if you prefer a saddle with more feedback. Also, a couple of purely cosmetic issues, in that the Duster logo on the sides of the saddle nose wore away very quickly, as did the coloured paint on the outside front of the saddle rails which looks tatty and would look better to my eyes left in raw Ti in the first place.

Would I recommend the SDG Duster Ti? If you want an all-day comfortable saddle that doesn’t get in your way on the steep stuff, and you like a well padded saddle then yes it gets a big thumbs up from me.