Developed specifically for XC mountain bike racing, Prologo’s new Scratch NDR saddle reimagines their classic Scratch racing saddle, more tailored for off-road cycling ergonomics. Raced already on the XCO & WCM World Cups by 8 different MTB teams, you still get race-ready multi-zone support and light weight, but now a design optimized for pedaling up both steeper climbs and longer sustained power sections…
Prologo Scratch NDR cross-country mountain bike saddle
Many of the pro racers on cross-country and marathon teams sponsored by Prologo have tended to compete on the versatile Scratch M5 saddle, even with its on-road origins – but they asked for more MTB-specific performance. But working together with the BH Coloma, BH-Wallonie, BMC Racing, Cannondale Factory Racing, DMT Racing, Lapierre Mavic Unity, & Wilier-Pirelli Factory teams Prologo evolved the ergonomic Scratch for off-road racing demands.
What does that mean?
What’s new?
While the original Scratch had 3 core ergo zones – nose, mid-section & tail – to suit climbing, riding flats & descending, the new Scratch NDR cross-country saddle essentially can ignore descending since mountain bike downhills aren’t on the saddle. Instead, the new Scratch NDR gets a supportive tail that kicks up a bit to push against on longer pedal-ly sections, and a long & flat grippy nose for stomping up the steepest climbs.
XC Saddle Tech Details
The Scratch NDR keeps the same compact fit 250x140mm dimensions of the regular Scratch. But it does start its tail a bit further back for off-rad flexibility, moving the “anatomical center” position where the rider is assumed to sit back 5mm to allow for a bit more movement over varied terrain. The two smooth rear wings also slope up a bit higher at the back with 3mm thicker EVA padding than the road saddle for more rough-surface comfort, and something to push against on longer power climbs.
From the mid-section to the front though, the Prologo Scratch NDR is all-new. In order to get up the steepest technical climbs, the Scratch NDR features a longer, flat nose topped with ‘Grip Cover’ – a series of horizontally-textured ridges that help maintain grip on the mountain bike racer’s shorts so they won’t slide, more easily holding that forward position to negotiate steeper sections of the race course.
Throughout the saddle, Prologo builds the Scratch NDR with a long-fiber carbon composite shell for stiffness and light weight. While this mountain bike saddle omits a complete ergonomic cutout hole to protect the rider from mud & rear-tire spray, that carbon shell is cut out for pressure relief.
Two versions of the saddle are offered – an ultralight & ultra-stiff 166g Scratch NDR Nack with a 7×9.3mm oval nano carbon fiber composite rail structure reinforced by Kevlar & aluminum components…
…or a still light but more comfortable 217g Scratch NDR TiroX saddle with lightweight tubular steel alloy rails that is super strong and better at vibration damping.
Prologo Scratch NDR – Pricing, options & availability
The new Prologo mountain bike racing saddle officially gets its debut tomorrow at Sea Otter, but it is already available online to buy directly from Prologo.it or their partner retail bike shops. The top-tier Scratch NDR with carbon Nack composite rails sells for 219€, while the tubular steel-railed Scratch NDR TiroX sells for just 139€.
