Have short-nosed saddles finally won?

It's taken 10 years for shorter saddles to take over, but are we sitting any prettier?

- Simon Fellows

Long before our modern saddles had a nose-job, the typical road cyclist's saddle was a long, flat, not very comfy option for many. In a bid to improve matters for cyclists who literally couldn't bear it, brands like ISM and SMP stepped in with ergonomic solutions that solved the problem.

The difficulty was that while they did excel in supporting our most delicate areas - transforming the cycling experience for the many who benefited from them - they were not pretty to look at. And in an industry where style and appearance does a lot of heavy lifting, that was a problem.

Enter Specialized, which in 2015 introduced its short-nosed Power model. Wide and stubby, unusual for the time, the press questioned its appearance at first, but the shape is now so popular, it is ubiquitous.

Trek, Specialized, Wilier, Cervélo, Canyon, Pinarello and Van Rysel all fit short-nosed saddles which look great. So, how did this design become so wildly popular, and does this mean the ugly saddle has gone for good?