1998 WTB SST Saddle review from Spoke issue 30
Great products are durable products. They gain the love of their owners through superior function and aesthetics. They weather fad and fashion and hold onto the love year in, year out. Hard earned dollars are spent on elegant design, quality materials and some good old-fashioned craftsmanship.
The WTB SST 98 saddle, sitting proudly atop my latest favourite bike, dates back ten years and cost over $250. Rumour suggests that production stopped after just two years because WTB still lost money on every saddle (they replaced it with the lower quality SST 2K). Features include chromoly-vanadium rails with elastomer shock absorption, Kevlar scuff guards and an Italian hand-crafted black leather cover with a sublimated logo. At least, the leather was black when it was new. Now it has a greenish-grey patina, and the logo was worn away many kilometres ago. My saddle has just reached its tenth birthday. It doesnt creak and continues to make each ride, short or long, a pleasure. I think it is wearing in, not wearing out.
The SST saddle shape is returning in 2009. I wonder if the new saddles will be as durable as my much-loved 1998 version? Paul Smith
