The decision to call something ‘Perfect’ is a brave one. Especially when the items bearing that moniker (a saddle and some bar tape) are subject to personal preference. But that’s exactly what Genetic have christened their range of paired contact points.
The 266g Perfect saddle (£29.99/US$49.95) has chromoly rails and a plastic base with two star-shaped cutouts to provide extra give beneath your sit bones. The base has high-density padding with a central groove to relieve pressure on your perineum.
You can easily see the ‘star-cuts’ flex if you peer under the saddle and push down on it. But even though you get a comfortable ride it’s difficult to detect what difference they make when you’re pedalling.
What you do notice, though, is the channel running down the middle, as it’s deep enough to make you think you’re sitting on two distinct halves. It feels odd to begin with but is something you soon get used to. You’ll be glad it’s there, too, because the padding, while nicely supportive, is firm and you could easily imagine it causing numbness without that groove.
It’s quite a curvy saddle too, curling up at the back and dropping at the nose. You can make yourself comfortable almost anywhere, but the slim nose is a little more firm than most. If you’re perched on the tip when you hit a pothole, you certainly know about it.
Genetic Perfect gel bar tape
The saddle is sold separately to the Perfect bar tape (£19.99/US$29.95) but comes in the same colour combos so you can co-ordinate it. The tape also provides some cushioning thanks to a gel layer on the underside.
Like a lot of gel tapes it does make the bar thicker than standard tapes so you might want less of an overlap when you wrap it. Unlike most gel tapes, though, it manages to take the sting out of the road without the typical squirmy gel feel.
To describe either the saddle or bar tape as perfect would be pushing it, but they provide an impressive level of comfort at a fantastic price.