Tune Speedneedle Saddle

The Tune Speedneedle is a super light and rather curious looking saddle. Ours was the wider ‘Marathon’ variant and it weighed just 103g. Most superlight fully padded carbon fibre saddles are 40-50g heavier. Of course the Speedneedle isn’t ‘fully padded’ but that’s the real talking point. Only the nose and tail of the Speedneedle are covered and the mid-portion is totally devoid of padding. While the shell does offer some flex it’s still stiffer than most nylon or nylon/carbon blended saddles.

I removed my padded 175g carbon railed saddle and fitted the Speedneedle Marathon, thinking that it’d only be a short-term exchange. There’s no denying that the saddle feels ‘different’ but once I got myself in the right spot, the Speedneedle was comfortable enough that it went by unnoticed. The harder central section only became apparent when sitting forward on steep climbs. The rest of the time I didn’t really notice the Speedneedle, and that’s quite a complement—it’s nowhere near as uncomfortable as I’d initially expected.

Compared to the other saddles in my collection, the rails are placed 10-15mm closer to the nose of the saddle. This can make it harder to get the saddle forward enough but it really depends on your individual bike setup. The carbon rails are wrapped in kevlar and proved durable but their ovalised profile won’t work with some seatposts. Finally, the leather covering is quite soft and scuff-prone; a clear issue for MTB applications. That said, Tune offers a re-upholstery service which returns any well-worn Speedneedle to as-new condition.

At $325 the Speedneedle is undeniably expensive but roughly on par with other fullcarbon saddles. It can easily lop 100g or more off a typical lightweight saddle, and while some super minimalist offerings can be a right pain it the rear, this piece of German made exotica proved to be quite a viable option.

Distributed by EightyOneSpices (08) 8388 3581 www.eightyonespices.com.au