The last time we posted on the Bontrager Inform RL I mentioned that I needed to do some mountain biking to see how the Inform RL fared in that capacity. I have managed to do this on two different bikes: a single speed and a soft tail. I also logged another seven hour ride on gravel roads. Here is my take so far.

In a mountain biking scenario, one of the feared situations that a rider might have is becoming entangled in their saddle. It always happens at the wrong time and usually, but not always, ends up in a crash. Sometimes this is more “wardrobe malfunction” than the fault of a saddle, so keeping this in mind, we’ll move forward here.

The Inform RL has some protruding lobes that are seen in the photo above. (The silver colored part) These were the offending bits in my experience, but I must say that I was extremely off the back of the saddle both times it happened and then I only got hung up for a moment. Mind you, this was with bib shorts, so a baggies rider would be affected much more possibly. This might be a concern but the Inform RL isn’t really the AM/FR/DH saddle in Bontrager’s line up either. That role goes to the Rhythm saddle, which I would recommend as a great saddle for those activities and/or baggy shorts wearers.

For general trail riding, or XC racing, I think the Inform RL would be a great choice. 99.9% of the time, the saddle isn’t in the way at all. Again, I only caught my shorts in a minor fashion twice in the test period so far. (And for the record, I have ridden the Inform RL successfuly several times with baggies on) In my estimation though, the saddle really shines through on longer rides. If you have a full suspension bike, or find yourself just out trail riding for hours where being in the saddle for long periods of time is a high probability, then the Inform RL is a saddle you should be looking at.

I bagged another multiple hour gravel road ride the other day. The roads were rough with freshly graded gravel for most of my 65 plus miles. (I eventually had my non-drive crank rattle loose!) The Inform RL isolated me from most of the chatter and even though I rarely got a chance to get out of the saddle on my ride, I didn’t even feel any soreness the next day, nor did I have any saddle related issues such as chafing, saddle sores, or numbness.

My only nit with the Inform RL is that I would like to see a model a bit more geared towards mountain biking. Something with a bit more “short friendliness” designed into it with maybe a bit here and there to help protect the edges in a crash. Perhaps a more rounded off, dropped nose would do good as well. Otherwise this saddle works as advertised and works well.

Stay tuned for a final assessment of the Bontrager Inform RL saddles coming soon.