July 20, 2018, 9:42 a.m. -  Andrew Major

@Shoreboy I covered it more in my two pieces on the 611, but it was at SQLab's recommendation that I tried my saddle without the elastomer. I think it's fair to say the saddle will probably wear out faster run like this - for example, my favorite road saddle the Specialized Romin relies on a lot of wing flex for comfort and they would only last me a year - but I've been using the 611 for a long time now and there's no shell fatigue (sagginess) yet. Certainly, I imagine there's going to come along a rider at a heavier weight (I'm ~185lbs) where the support of the elastomer is necessary for integrity. Trying to offer a product that works from riders between 100(-) and 300(+) pounds often requires things to be overbuilt and I can, based on my experience, imagine a 300lbs dude buying one of these saddles pulling out the elastomer and riding it offroad on their 'cross bike benefiting from the warning. . I know women who love the Chromag Mood (Moon) and use it for Shore-XC epics and I know women who mountain bike with the biggest saddle that Terry offers on their DH Bikes which informs my belief that anyone searching for their most comfortable saddle should ignore labels and try everything until they are either comfortable or have exhausted what they can find to demo. The good news is that, in my experience, many a rider has been there in the search-for-a-perch and aside from shops and brands offering saddle demo programs your wife's friends are probably happy to loan her saddles to try until she finds her fit. Happy hunting.