Peaty's Monarch Saddle

Peaty’s is at it again, jumping into yet another new product category. This time they’re having a go at making a saddle, or as they like to call it, a throne. Yep, when your aim is to be fit for a king, you have to go all out, and that’s what Peaty’s did for this one.

Peaty’s Monarch Saddle Highlights

• PU topper made from 24% recycled bottles, “Throne Foam” core, 3D-contoured glass-filled nylon base
• Flat nose and ramped tail 
• Rail options: Ti-MX (silver) or 4130 CrMo (black)
• Serviceable and rebuildable
• Width: 145mm 
• Length: 260mm 
• Stack height: 45mm 
• Pressure relief channel: 40mm
• Colors: Black top with Black/Red/Turquoise Blue/Mango Orange/Slate Grey base
• Weights: Ti-Mx 240 gram, 4130 CrMo 262 gram
• MSRP: $129.99 USD (Ti) / $99.99 USD (CrMo)

Initial Impressions

At 145mm wide and 260mm long, the one-size Monarch should fit a majority of riders. It has a flat nose and a ramped tail, which provides support for the climbs while getting out of the way on the way back down. It’s got a wide comfort channel running right through the middle to provide relief for everybody’s sensitive bits, and suspended rails with lugs that cushion impacts and reduce trail chatter.

One of the aspects that Peaty’s wanted to focus on was serviceability – there is nothing more annoying than a creaking saddle. The Monarch can easily be fully disassembled for cleaning and greasing, and individual spares are available if it needs to be rebuilt. 

On The Trail

Saddle shapes are of course subject to individual preference, but we can definitely say that Peaty’s new Monarch saddle is among the more comfortable we’ve ridden. The foam offers the right balance of comfort and firmness, and the shape meshed perfectly with our test rider (and author of this article). The raised tail gives a little extra support for the climbs, not quite as much as an SQlab saddle for example but also not far off.

As befits a saddle made in the UK, the Monarch is easy to clean, without too many nooks and crannies where mud can hide. Also, the top layer of the saddle is perfectly clamped around the entire periphery by the base, which should mean that the top layer cannot start to peel off from the edges as sometimes happens with other construction methods. Additionally, the rear edge is rubberized to provide a little extra protection in an area subject to much abuse.

What’s The Bottom Line?

All in all, the Monarch saddle is a thoughtful and well executed product, and although it’s a brand new category for Peaty’s, it has some features that make it not just another me-too saddle. Check it out if you need a new throne!

More information at: www.peatys.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 53 // Years Riding MTB: 21 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan 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.

Photos by Johan Hjord