Tested: ANVL Forge Stealth Saddle
Vital ReviewReview by Johan Hjord // Photos by Johan Hjord and Tal Rozow
Born from the Transition crew’s desire to make better bling, ANVL popped on the components scene a couple of years back and they drew a fair bit of attention with a range of seemingly well-designed parts that look good too. Curious to go beneath the appearance, we laid our hands on the new Forge Stealth saddle a couple of months ago, and we’ve been resting our weary behinds on it ever since. Read on to find out how it treated us.
ANVL Forge Stealth Ti Alloy Highlights
- RAIL MATERIAL: Titanium
- COVER MATERIAL: Leather + Kevlar corners
- PADDING: Superlight EVA Foam
- SIZE: 278mm x 138mm
- USAGE: Elite Gravity, Enduro, XC Racing
- WEIGHT: 214g (actual)
- MSRP: $119.99 USD
Initial Impressions
ANVL was founded (by the Transition Bike Company) to create functional as well as aesthetically pleasing products suited for modern day mountain biking. With the company and team hailing from Bellingham, WA, that essentially means shredding hard and earning your turns are both going to be on the riding menu most of the time. The goal for the Forge saddle was to create one of the lightest and slimmest saddles available that would still be comfortable enough for long days out. Call it trail riding, call it XC, call it enduro or call it riding your bike – the Forge was made to do it all. The classic version has been around for a couple of years now, the Stealth version tested here was introduced as an update for 2016.
Weighing in at 214 grams (just below the claimed weight), the Forge Stealth Ti certainly felt light when we first picked it up. The slim profile and thin padding had us wondering how compatible the design would be with the stated objective of making a comfortable saddle for all-day adventures, but more about that later.
The construction of the Forge is based on the standard 2-rail system, with a flexible base and a custom shape designed by ANVL. There is a channel going down the length of the saddle as well as a cut-out portion in the base (also called the “hammock”) for extra relief from perineum pressure points.
The overall dimensions of the Forge are on par with “standard” trail saddles. The shape features rounded edges and tapers off both fore and aft, to allow for extra mobility on the bike. The materials inspire confidence and the saddle certainly appeared to have been put together with care and attention to detail. The understated design with just a splash of color on the logo reinforces the overall impression of quality. And to make sure you can match the Forge to your budget and performance requirements, three versions are available: standard CroMo rails, Ti rails (tested), and carbon rails (the lightest and of course the most expensive of the three).
On The Trail
With its sober finish the Forge is easy on the eye, and should complement pretty much any build. Installing the Forge was uneventful as one would pretty much always hope for in a saddle – a couple of minutes with a hex key and we were ready to hit the trails.
Having ridden a lot of different saddles recently, some of which proved harder to live with than others, the Forge saddle had us convinced pretty much from the get-go. As much as saddle fit is a personal thing, this tester was certainly stoked on the levels of comfort provided by the Forge. Soft but not mushy, with curves in all the right places, we felt instantly at home and ready to roll.
The shape of the Forge is pretty much perfect for all kinds of riding. If all you do is ride park or hit the dirt jumps, you’d probably be better off with something significantly smaller (like ANVL’s Sculpt, shown below for reference), but for anything else, the Forge does a great job.
When it came to putting in the miles, the Forge proved up to the task at hand – namely giving us somewhere comfy to park our posteriors for a few good hours on end. The Forge turned out to be among the more comfortable perches this tester has ever tried, especially noteworthy considering the slim profile and relatively modest amounts of padding used. The shape of the base is spot on, and the built-in flex helps take the sting out of rougher fire roads and the like. As if to hammer this point home, the smaller, rounder and stiffer ANVL Sculpt saddle that we tested for reference was significantly less comfortable for longer rides.
Things That Could Be Improved
Nothing significant to report here. And even though we’re usually the first to call manufacturers out on their prices, at $118 MSRP the Forge Stealth Ti is well placed given its performance. You can drop a few grams with the $180 carbon railed version if you want to, or save a few dollars with the regular CroMo version.
Long Term Durability
After two months of riding in every condition, the Forge still looks and feels fresh. It shows no excessive wear and tear despite some shuttle days and the odd tumble, with Kevlar reinforced side panels providing extra peace of mind here. It is also still blissfully quiet and squeak free. At this point in time, we have no reason to believe we’ll get anything less than a few seasons of use out of the Forge. And that’s a good thing too, we’re in no hurry to get rid of it.
What’s The Bottom Line?
ANVL set out to create the lightest and slimmest saddle that could still be ridden in comfort all day. With the Forge, they succeeded. It is a quality product that not only feels great but looks good too. If you’re in the market for a saddle that won’t break the scales nor the bank, and that will add a little understated bling to your ride, the Forge should make your shortlist.
More information at www.anvlcomponents.com.
About The Reviewer
Johan Hjord loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.
