Bontrager Inform WSD

Reviving this thread to say that I am kicking myself for not having tried this saddle a VERY LONG time ago! Ugh! But I'm glad I have it, now. I picked one up on eBay for $30 and figured it was worth a shot. Oh, I think it's worth every penny!

I have only done a 10 mile trainer ride, but saddles always feel worse on the trainer than they do on the road and this saddle felt actually pretty good on the trainer. During my ride I noticed that my sit bones hurt a little, for a change. Up front I had minimal pressure and ZERO chafing. Chafing has been the big deal-breaker with pretty much every saddle I've tried.

I had previously tried the Affinity on my road bike, but didn't love it. Though it works great on my CX bike, which has me positioned a bit more upright. I always thought the Inform looked too pear-shaped, which is what kept me from trying it earlier, but it doesn't actually feel that way when I'm on it, which surprised me.

I'm really looking forward to the roads being cleaner and warmer for a good outdoor ride on this saddle!

I got to put the new saddle through it's paces on Sat. during an indoor cycling event to raise money for Livestrong. I rode a total of 3 hours and the only thing that was an issue was the alignment where PI shorts seams and saddle disagree a bit. Today I did a brief ride with a pair of Shebeest S-Pros that I LOVE, but the seams on those were becoming destroyed by the edges of my previous SSM saddle. Interestingly, the Bontrager saddle and the Shebeest shorts seem to be much more compatible (no seams in contact with the saddle, as far as I can tell), which is awesome, since I prefer the Shebeest shorts!

I tend to favor a T-shaped saddle. I have the Jett though I find that I get pushed forward quite a bit, no chafing though. The cut out is so small that I don't think it even counts on the Jett. The SSM Aspide cut up the back of my legs pretty badly. I am looking at the Bontrager inForm RL WSD 2010, my sit bones are 135 center to center. Not sure if I should go with the 140 or 150 size. Also the trek site only has the 2010 saddle? Should I look for a more recent design?

I think the Inform is being phased out. They're all on clearance at my LBS.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

I think the Inform is being phased out. They're all on clearance at my LBS.

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Wha...NO!!! All Inform models? Just certain ones? They can't discontinue the only saddle that works for me! :eek:

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

Wha...NO!!! All Inform models? Just certain ones? They can't discontinue the only saddle that works for me! :eek:

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Take advantage of clearance prices and stock up! Another option is ebay -- bike gear tends to remain on there for way longer than it does in LBS's.

The Bontrager website still shows the WSD RL version, but not the R or RXL. My LBS has not gotten any new ones in stock in over a year.

You might want to contact Bontrager and ask them what's up.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

The Bontrager website still shows the WSD RL version, but not the R or RXL. My LBS has not gotten any new ones in stock in over a year.

You might want to contact Bontrager and ask them what's up.

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That is really odd. And I like my Affinity on my CX bike, but on my more aggressive road bike that dent is not deep enough. The Inform is much better.

I might have to check this saddle out. My fitting put me in a much more aggressive position than I am used to, and PAIN is the result. I'm not 100% sure it wasn't the shorts, but I'm resigning myself to the fact that I may have to buy a new saddle.

What year is yours, Zoom? And does anyone know what, if any, the differences are between the 2010 and 2009 versions? The 2010 is still 109. The 2009 is $24.99. The only difference I can see is the rail material (Ti vs steel.)

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Originally Posted by Owlie

What year is yours, Zoom? And does anyone know what, if any, the differences are between the 2010 and 2009 versions? The 2010 is still 109. The 2009 is $24.99. The only difference I can see is the rail material (Ti vs steel.)

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You know, I wish I knew what year mine is. I think I threw out the packaging. The saddle has blue swirly design...looks just like the ones I see on their site, but those are black swirls. I think mine has steel rails (but I'm not positive).

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

You know, I wish I knew what year mine is. I think I threw out the packaging. The saddle has blue swirly design...looks just like the ones I see on their site, but those are black swirls. I think mine has steel rails (but I'm not positive).

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2009: http://store.trekbikes.com/jump.jsp?...2C4%2C15%2C430

2010:
http://store.trekbikes.com/jump.jsp?...ProductID=2521
I have a feeling that the swirl color varies, depending on the width of the saddle...Though that would mean that if it was a 2010, they would be green..

Apparently they both have steel rails...I swear I was looking at something that said one has Ti...
Oh. Their own product page is confused. http://bontrager.com/model/09441. The part description says Ti, the product description says steel. Geez.

Hmmm...they look the same. I wonder if there is any marked difference, other than cosmetic...?:confused:

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

Hmmm...they look the same. I wonder if there is any marked difference, other than cosmetic...?:confused:

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Given the reputation that Bontrager saddles have had in the past, I'd really like to know!

If it helps, with the Affinity and Evoke, the RXL and RL have ti rails, while the R has steel rails.

Originally I think there were at least 2 different versions of the Inform, in terms of the amount of padding. So there might have been a difference in rails, too.

The 2009 has blue swirls, the 2010 has white. I have one of each and there is zero difference between them as far as I can tell.

Zoom-zoom - why am I not the least bit surprised that the InForm RL is the saddle for you, too? ;)

SarahMN - if you are 135 center to center, I'd go for the 140. I'm 138 or so, and ride the 140 on all of my road bikes.