Specialized Power Arc Pro saddle review
Titanium railed saddle with carbon fibre hull
GBP £175.00 RRP | AUD $270.00 | USD $225.00 Skip to view deals
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The Power Arc Pro is a recent addition to Specialized’s Power range. It uses the same sizing (143 and 155mm widths), length and materials as the premium S-Works model, but features a hollow titanium rail instead of the more expensive FACT carbon.
The titanium doesn’t seem like a downgrade, though. It’s super-light, has plenty of compliance and will fit any seatpost design. Use Specialized’s fit system in store to find the ideal width for you.
The Power Arc’s hull is made using carbon fibre, with a bonded-on section that reinforces the edge of the long, deep channel. This bonded section houses the rear rail fittings and neatly incorporates twin-threaded mounting points for Specialized’s range of SWAT accessories — tube and pump wraps and tools, for example.
Specialized offers the Pro with its Level 2 padding. On the bike it feels deeper and softer than its minimal looks would suggest, and the deep, angular channel that runs the full length of the saddle, with a full central cutout, provides a pressure-free feel when you’re riding, making the Pro a seriously comfortable racing saddle.
As with any short saddle your ability to shift around is minimal, so setup is paramount, but when you get it right it’s a great place to be.
At 203.2g it’s light for this level of comfort too.
Specialized Power Arc Pro saddle specification
- Hull: Carbon fibre
- Width: 143mm and 155mm
- Length: 240mm
Authors
Warren Rossiter is BikeRadar and Cycling Plus magazine’s senior technical editor for road and gravel. Having been testing bikes for more than 20 years, Warren has an encyclopedic knowledge of road cycling and has been the mastermind behind our Road Bike of the Year test for more than a decade. He’s also a regular presenter on the BikeRadar Podcast and on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. In his time as a cycling journalist, Warren has written for Mountain Biking UK, What Mountain Bike, Urban Cyclist, Procycling, Cyclingnews, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike and T3. Over the years, Warren has written about thousands of bikes and tested more than 2,500 – from budget road bikes to five-figure superbikes. He has covered all the major innovations in cycling this century, and reported from launches, trade shows and industry events in Europe, Asia, Australia, North American and Africa. While Warren loves fast road bikes and the latest gravel bikes, he also believes electric bikes are the future of transport. You’ll regularly find him commuting on an ebike and he longs for the day when everyone else follows suit. You will find snaps of Warren’s daily rides on the Instagram account of our sister publication, Cycling Plus (@cyclingplus).
