A while back, Specialized introduced Mimic technology – a new padding material, but it was mainly relegated to Women’s saddles as it was designed to address soft tissue pain, specifically. More recently however, the padding has made its way into Men’s saddles as well. For years now, I’ve been a big fan of the Phenom saddle, but lately I’ve been more drawn to the slightly shorter and wider Bridge model that I’ve ridden as OEM spec on a handful of Specialized bikes I’ve tested. When Mimic padding became available in the Bridge saddle, a sample inevitably found its way onto my bike…
Details
- 143mm (tested), 155mm & 168mm widths
- Chro-Moly rails
- 313 grams (our scale)
- SWAT compatible
- $130 USD
At the heart of just every Specialized saddle is generous relief running down a center channel – a concept the brand pioneered many moons ago.
While some Specialized saddles are fully open in their central channel, the Bridge Mimic is not, though the hard plastic shell does have an opening that allows the soft padding to compress even more freely.
The hard plastic shell wraps up slightly at the corners, offering some added protection in the event of spills. However, it doesn’t wrap fully and the corners of the cover are left to fend for themselves in some places.
The Bridge Mimic is offered in three widths, and are labelled accordingly underneath. Also note the two holes, where you can attach a SWAT style storage wrap.
Our Chro-Moly railed Comp level saddle tipped our scale at a 313 grams.
On the trail
Much like the OG Bridge – which isn’t very OG at all, rather it’s fairly new – I personally got along very well with the Bridge Mimic. Disclaimer: saddles are a highly personal piece of equipment and everyone is different, so it’s worth taking this, and any review of one with a grain of salt. Anyhow, the Mimic model is definitely more plush and has substantially more padding than I’m used to in a mountain bike saddle. This also adds a few grams – roughly 50 compared to its non-Mimic counterpart. With that said, it doesn’t feel mushy and does still derive its comfort from the most important aspect of any saddle: contour.
Where I noticed the padding most was actually where I wanted it most: in the nose and just behind it. On steeper climbs where I had to shift up to the rather uncomfortable position of sitting right up on the nose, I was relieved by the softer feel. Another aspect that I really love about this saddle, and the Bridge model in general, is that it’s not quite as long as the Phenom and it’s slightly wider throughout its whole silhouette. The support at the rear of the saddle is excellent and plays nice with the “sit bones”. Props to Specialized to offering 3 widths, so that people of all shapes can find a model best suited to their needs. So far the durability has been good and it has survived a few small slide outs, although in fairness this seat will not fare as well as some competitors’ saddles that feature kevlar side panels.
Overall
For long days in the saddle, this model is my new personal favorite and I’m thrilled to see Mimic work its way into the Men’s models. If you’re looking for just a bit more padding without things going overboard and getting bulky, this is a great option. If you want something slightly longer or shorter, then the Phenom and Power models are also very much worth a look, respectively and they now offer Mimic models. The only foreseeable downsides are the slight weight penalty and the fact that it would be beneficial to see Specialized implement some sort of crash resistant material to the cover at the rear corners. Regardless, on the topic of comfort and shape, it’s a 10/10 from me.
