Initial Look: Wove V8 Saddle

Let’s get this out of the way: $595 is, indeed, a lot of money. But what does that $595 do for you? That’s the biggest question anyone needs to ask when they are looking at purchasing the Wove V8 saddle – what does this $595 price tag do for me? It’s interesting to me when people lose their minds at price tags on triathlon products. They are probably the same people that spend $1500+ dollars on “rounder,” lower friction ball bearings. Or $6,000 for a 4 spoke wheel so they can tell the local top pro when they see them, that they are “just like them.” At some point, the real question people should ask themselves is why not?

When I told my wife that this saddle cost $595, she started questioning me for buying it. I quickly told her that I didn’t buy it and that I was given it to review. She then had all sorts of questions for me about the saddle, because she is starting to get into cycling. I said, “Look. In the sport of triathlon (note: said this as it is a triathlon saddle), the most time you are going to spend is on the bike and by on the bike I mean sitting on a saddle. Saddles are super important. Probably one of the most important pieces of equipment you are going to buy.”

Why? Pretty simple. I don’t care how fast your bike is, or how it tests in the wind tunnel. If your undercarriage is uncomfortable, one of three things is going to happen. Either you will go numb downstairs, you’ll attempt to adjust on board and cause problems with your legs or your feet, or you put too much pressure on the bars and your hands go numb. You’re going to be hating life. You’re never going to be thinking about anything other than “what’s wrong.” And back to that point about the wind tunnel? Secret for all of you who have never been – the first thing you get told while riding in the wind tunnel: “HOLD THE F@#$%@#$ STILL”. Almost always, most if not all those movement issues are caused by your saddle choice.

So let’s talk about why this saddle might be worth $595.

Single piece carbon construction

What does this mean? Couple of things. First it means you’re never going to hear that little creaking you hear with most saddles, because most saddles use rail inserts in the top of the actual saddle. That means when you move, if there is any sort of friction you can probably hear it. Second it also means that you have pretty good weight reduction and, let’s face it, if you are paying $595 for a saddle you better be able to get your inner geek / weight weenie on. And lastly, you start to really understand that this saddle (assuming it works for you) really does have the engineering down.

The Design

The V8 has a an extremely solid carbon fiber base layer with a durable, strategically designed upper. The padding isn’t anything special but it’s super durable, yet soft and sticky. (Don’t ask. It just is.) To me the secret of the whole thing is what Wove was able to do in the design. Starting with such a stable baseline, they can control the movement of the pad on top of the saddle – as in, there isn’t any. They do this by being able to drill into the saddle and by doing so have a much stronger connection point to the pad. So, assuming the lining is as durable as it appears, the saddle won’t change over time.

Warranty

Let’s face it. The warranty is where a company puts confidence in its own product. And it appears Wove has a lot of confidence that its saddles will last based on their warranty terms.

“Wove saddles consist of the carbon fiber shell/rails and the foam pad/cover.
We warrant Wove saddle carbon fiber shells and rails to be free from defect in materials or workmanship for life.
We warrant all Wove saddle foam and cover materials to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the original date of purchase (proof of purchase required). If needed, Wove can replace your foam padding and cover as a service – please contact us for more information.
The warranties are only valid for the original owner and do not extend to third parties.

Basically, what that tells me is they are 99.9% sure the one-piece carbon fiber shell and rail construction should be bulletproof outside of some weird single-event defect. The pad portion of the warranty seems like they are still figuring out what that is going to do over time. It doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies like the lifetime warranty on the carbon, but at the same time, in speaking with the guys at Wove they haven’t had any foam claims yet due to normal use. (One unnamed customer got the saddle stuck on a T1 rack and, in the heat of race-brain, just pulled.) Wove does say that for $100 they will completely redo the upper portion of the saddle.

Would I buy this saddle?
My initial reaction? Nope. No way. $595 for a bike saddle? I’m just not that customer. After riding it, I would probably consider it, but still a hard choice. The biggest reason why I say I wouldn’t is because I’m just not at the point in my life where I’m spending a lot of time in the TT position. I’m also not the customer where I need that extra weight saving (mostly because I don’t care about my finish times that much). So, returning to the first question, what is $595 going to do for you?

My overall feedback is that the saddle is simply super comfortable. From a dude that weighs in at 185lbs these days, it just doesn’t make noise, and I didn’t have to spend a lot of time adjusting it to make it feel comfortable. Because I have a gravel triathlon to do in a couple of weeks, I have mostly had this saddle on my gravel bike (with aero bars) and I have really put the thing through the test when it comes to “BEATING THE SH@$” out of it. Gravel, road, on the hoods, or in the drops, I really like this saddle. That’s what really makes me say I would probably consider buying it.

If you are looking for a saddle these days, I would suggest you look at the Wove V8. While expensive, there’s a really good 2-week demo program and 30 day money back guarantee. It’s sort of a no-brainer, assuming you have the time and are willing to put in the effort to figure out your triathlon or TT saddle needs.

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