Selle SMP Stratos 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Saddle

Selle SMP bills the Stratos as its most versatile pro tier saddle. Fitting, then, that it's one of the headliners of the brand's 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Saddle line. Selle SMP has always been obsessed with details, but the anniversary Stratos gets some additional love in the form of tricolor details, special branding, even softer embroidery, a hand painted baseplate, and special bolts machined in an Italian workshop. The result proves that versatility doesn't fade with age or, as Il Campionissimo apocryphally has it, age and treachery will overcome youth and skill. That's not to say there's no skill in the saddle's construction. Indeed, the contrary is true: it features SMP's signature drooping nose, which has won support both in the CC office and around the world for the way it spares soft, sensitive tissues the punishment of spending hours in the drops. A generous central channel also helps here, and the flat mid section and raised tail offer support and help to rotate your hips into a powerful tilt. Comfort shouldn't come at the cost of efficiency.