Chromag Juniper saddle review

The Juniper is the women’s specific option in Canadian brand Chromag's six-saddle lineup and is aimed at gravity riders.

It features chromoly rails and a robust synthetic outer that's emblazoned with a purple Chromag logo as well as purple and white stripes, making it one of the very few decorated saddles on the market.

For those who don’t like purple, there is also a black/white and black/blue version available.

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The saddle is 269mm long x 140mm wide with a central channel that’s 150mm x 33mm, which runs from near the rear point of the saddle to 50mm from the nose.

From the side, the profile of the saddle has a slightly bulbous, down-turned nose and a raised tail. From the back, the very rear of the saddle is flat, but towards the front of the saddle wings the shape becomes more convex. The high points on the saddle are the ridges that mark either side of it.

Chromag Juniper saddle performance

Saddle angle is particularly important to get right with this saddle because of that bulbous nose, which can put pressure or rub uncomfortably against the front of the undercarriage.

This isn’t helped by the channel shallowing-out to reach the nose, so there’s little to relieve pressure.

The smooth outer and chunky shape make sliding on and off the saddle easy, with nothing for clothing to catch on. Padding either side of the long nose also provides a softer surface for bracing against.

While the raised rear of the platform area provides a good surface to push against, the narrowness of the saddle in this area combined with the convex profile can be uncomfortable on the sit bones.

There aren’t different width options available, so if you have wider sit bones you may find that more of your weight sits on the raised area of the saddle and through the soft tissue, which can be uncomfortable.

The combination of the profile, shape, padding and smooth outer of the Juniper make it well suited to downhill riding. For cross-country riders, or riders who spend more time in the saddle , if the width doesn’t fit your sit bones this saddle can be very uncomfortable.

It’s really a question of if the saddle fits you, then fine, but if not, look elsewhere.