Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

review

Specialized Power Pro with Mirror

8
£290.00

VERDICT:

8
10
A high ticket price, but it's a cleverly designed saddle with great comfort and support
Very comfortable
Shape reduces pressure
Very pricey
Weight: 
254g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Specialized's Power Pro with Mirror saddle is its latest design with a 3D-printed upper, a honeycomb structure designed to keep your sit bones comfortable and supported. The comfort is great – after a bit of bedding in – and I got on well with the shape. It's one hell of a lot of money, though.

We first took a look at the Power with Mirror saddle back in 2020 when Mat reviewed the S-Works version.

This Pro version is a bit cheaper and a bit heavier as it has titanium rails as opposed to the carbon fibre of the S-Works, and a nylon-injected base (with 15% reclaimed carbon fibre) instead of the full carbon fibre of the more expensive model.

2022 Specialized Power Pro with Mirror - underside.jpg

The upper is exactly the same over both models, though. The Mirror pad is 3D-printed from a liquid polymer creating a matrix of 14,000 struts and 7,799 nodes, according to Specialized (I haven't counted them), which can deliver the right amount of support and comfort depending on where they are positioned on the saddle.

2022 Specialized Power Pro with Mirror - detail 2.jpg

As we always say with any saddle review, when it comes to comfort it’s entirely subjective – what I find comfortable might, to you, feel like sitting on a bed of nails, or what is uncomfortable for me might make you feel like you’re floating on a cushion of air. Here, straight out of the box, I wasn't too sure about the Power with Mirror's comfort.

There was plenty of movement – in fact I'd say more than you'd find on most race-orientated saddles with traditional padding, so it wasn't that it was overly firm or anything.

For the first 100 miles I didn't really get on with it; in some places I had hot-spots from pressure, and some numbness. I stuck with it, though, and I'm glad I did because from then on either I adapted to the Mirror or it adapted to me.

Like Mat, I was originally worried that it was going to be too soft as I generally like quite a firm saddle. The Mirror pad compresses a bit when you sit on, but Specialized has managed to stop just shy of making the saddle 'bouncy'.

2022 Specialized Power Pro with Mirror - rear.jpg

Once the saddle and I had made friends I covered another 300 to 400 miles on it on various bikes for all kinds of riding. Some hard, shorter efforts of an hour or so, and lengthier rides out into the countryside, and it suited them all.

When you're pedalling hard the saddle upper doesn't flex any further than it does just from sitting on it, so you don't feel like the power is wasted, but there is just enough give there for it to be comfortable on longer trips.

2022 Specialized Power Pro with Mirror - rear 2.jpg

Most importantly, it takes out the road vibrations without losing any of the feedback you get from the bike.

Specialized says that titanium rails bring more durability to the Power Pro, making it trail-ready. I used it about 50 per cent of the time on my gravel bike and it was here that I found it to work very well thanks to the Mirror pad acting like some form of minimal suspension.

> Buyer’s Guide: 16 of the best short saddles

I spend a fair amount of time in the drops, so another bonus is the short-nosed design as I find it's more comfortable when in a crouched position, with less material in the way.

2022 Specialized Power Pro with Mirror - nose.jpg

Price and weight

Since Mat tested the S-Works version the price has jumped up to £390, with this Power Pro coming in 100 quid cheaper at £290.

Okay, not cheap at all, but it is certainly very well made and the Mirror upper is looking to be highly durable, showing no signs of wear and seeming resistant to daily scuffs and scrapes.

At 254g on our scales it's no bloater, if not exactly what I'd consider a lightweight saddle.

> Buyer’s Guide: 29 of the best high-performance saddles

There aren't many 3D-printed saddles on the market to compare it with, although Fizik does offer the Adaptive range, which are a similar design. Its Vento Argo R1 Adaptive is probably the most similar shape and build, with a carbon fibre-reinforced nylon base, but it does have carbon rails. It's priced at £299.99.

On sites such as Aliexpress there are other options out there – this ZTTO 3D-printed liquid polymer saddle with titanium rails and what looks to be a nylon/carbon fibre base costs around £105, plus fees. We haven't tested it, though, so can't say how it compares.

Conclusion

It took a bit of getting used to, but overall, I'm impressed with the comfort levels and the shape of the Power Pro with Mirror. It feels different to a standard padded saddle, but in a good way, offering that feeling of suspension thanks to the small amount of movement in the upper, while still being supportive.

Verdict

A high ticket price, but it's a cleverly designed saddle with great comfort and support

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Specialized Power Pro with Mirror

Size tested: 143 mm

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Specialized says, "Mirror goes Pro. Our best-reviewed saddle technology, based on two decades of Body Geometry research and development, is now available on the Power Pro saddle. Looking beyond foam, we developed Mirror technology. By 3D printing with a liquid polymer to create an infinitely tunable honeycomb structure, Mirror saddles perfectly reflect your anatomy to keep you comfortable, powerful, and healthy in your unique position."

The Power Pro with Mirror is a high quality saddle that gives a comfortable ride on all kinds of terrain.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Specialized lists these details:

Patented Body Geometry design is lab-tested to ensure blood flow to sensitive arteries.

Mirror technology utilizes 3D printing from liquid polymer to create a one-of-a-kind honeycomb structure that offers superior sit-bone support and comfort.

Reclaimed carbon fiber and nylon-injected base. 15% reclaimed carbon fiber.

Titanium rails.

SWAT™-compatible mounts molded into the saddle base allow for sleek and integrated storage solutions.

Approximate weight: 245g (Size 143mm)

Approximate weight: 251g (Size 155mm)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It performed well on all kinds of terrain.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Great comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Its price.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Specialized and Fizik are probably the only large brands delivering saddles like this at the moment, and they're around the same price.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly. it comes down to price.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Power Pro with Mirror has a great shape and offers impressive amounts of comfort, making it suitable for all kinds of terrain and riding. It's not cheap, though.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 44  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the Tech Hub here at F-At Digital, our senior product reviewer Stu uses the knowledge gained from putting well over a 1,000 products through their paces (including hundreds of bikes) to write in-depth reviews of a huge range of kit. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 160,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. Although, as he spends a fair bit of his time reviewing ebikes these days he's becoming an expert in letting the motor take the strain. He's also waiting for 23mm race tyres to make a comeback!

Add new comment

2 comments

Avatar
Steve K | 1 year ago
2 likes

I thought the 'mirror' was going to be a way of checking for saddle sores.

Avatar
TheBillder | 1 year ago
0 likes

Call me back when they can 3D print something to fit the precise contours of my derrière*. Then they can have £300, possibly.

*I have to admit that precise contours are not the usual description of my arse.

Latest Comments