The Shark Fin Saddle

I know this has been all over cycling social media, but I still feel I would be negligent if I didn't chime in as well.

There are fads, and then there are gimmicks and aberrations. The elliptical chainrings that are supposed to help you pedal circles, a fad - admittedly, one that seems to be resurgent every twenty years or so, but still a fad. Riding bikes in skinny jeans, a fad. Soft beam frames and shark fin saddles, aberrations. Does that photo not just make you wonder what was going through the mind of the designer, what made the company think that fin would ever be a good idea. Curious about the purpose to all this weirdness, I checked out the review at Cycling Weekly where I found that the fin is intended to center your sit bones on the saddle, and evenly distribute your weight. 

Now, I have written about the occasional ride where I feel like I am not sitting quite right, like maybe I am slightly off to one side or the other. But those days are rare. Mostly, the saddle does that very job itself, sans fin. With one leg on one side, the other leg off on the other, it is kind of difficult to sit anywhere other than somewhere near the center.

Cycling Weekly gives it a fair, to good, review, and  the Spanish manufacturer, Essax, says data support its proclaimed benefits. Honestly, no one is going to care about any of that - there is just too much wrong here. Some designs just shouldn't make it past the first rough sketch.