Review Ergon SM E- Mountain Core Prime Black 278 X 160mm Saddle

Pyr0

E*POWAH Master
Sep 22, 2019
503
369
Wirral, UK
I fitted one of these to my Levo the other day.
Previously I had the Ergon Emtb Sport saddle which I was fairly happy with, but I was quite surprised at the difference.
The flexing of the sides really helps with the comfort and makes the saddle feel softer on my sit bones.
Happy.

Anyone want to buy an Ergon SM Emtb Sport saddle? :p
 

irie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
May 2, 2022
1,942
1,873
Chichester, W.Sussex, UK
If it's comfortable though , I'm willing to pay it
So is it ??
It's Bliss !! 😍proper arm chair feel
The worst I've had is mild discomfort on a long ride , about the same level of discomfort I'd get if I sat on my sofa for as long
I was able to manage this by shifting my weight around fairly regularly
The raised rear helps with this , although it's designed to help secure your butt when climbing ( which it is does really well ) it also doubles up as an alternative perch position and takes some pressure of the sit bones
I'm not sure if it was so designed for that but it works
There is a relief channel running through it which stops pressure on the "Taint" which works well.
...

Background: on Sunday did a 37 mile ride and the last 10 miles were excruciatingly painful on a Selle SMP TRK saddle, so decided to try a different saddle.

Just got a Ergon SM E-Mountain Core Prime saddle M/L. My sit bones measure 11.8cm for which Ergon recommend S/M but I opted for the larger size which turned out to be the right size for me. Went for a ride yesterday and although it's firmer than the Selle SMP saddle had no sore bum problems. Result.

As said above, the raised rear "also doubles up as an alternative perch position and takes some pressure of the sit bones". You tend to move around a bit which helps to relieve pressure on the sit bones but you do need to carefully adjust fore/aft position and tilt. Took a hex key with me and stopped 5 or 6 times to tweak the position.
 
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sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
548
204
San Diego, CA
Background: on Sunday did a 37 mile ride and the last 10 miles were excruciatingly painful on a Selle SMP TRK saddle, so decided to try a different saddle.

Just got a Ergon SM E-Mountain Core Prime saddle M/L. My sit bones measure 11.8cm for which Ergon recommend S/M but I opted for the larger size which turned out to be the right size for me. Went for a ride yesterday and although it's firmer than the Selle SMP saddle had no sore bum problems. Result.

As said above, the raised rear "also doubles up as an alternative perch position and takes some pressure of the sit bones". You tend to move around a bit which helps to relieve pressure on the sit bones but you do need to carefully adjust fore/aft position and tilt. Took a hex key with me and stopped 5 or 6 times to tweak the position.
I had just opposite result and found the Selle to be my salvation, lol. The Core didn't do anything for me and my saddle sore issues, which now seem to be a thing of the past with the Selle.
 

irie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
May 2, 2022
1,942
1,873
Chichester, W.Sussex, UK
I had just opposite result and found the Selle to be my salvation, lol. The Core didn't do anything for me and my saddle sore issues, which now seem to be a thing of the past with the Selle.
From what I can see you were not using the saddle which is the subject of this thread.

bought the non-ebike version for my ebike and while not really bad, didn't give me the change and comfort I was seeking, much like all the other high end saddles
 

Rickster

Well-known member
Subscriber
Feb 19, 2022
280
262
Ok BC Canada
I purchased the SM E-Mountain Core prime and love the comfort but… considering the price , the rail paint is very poor. After a year it looks like shit !
1ACB8A26-A409-407B-BE24-50050153DB22.jpeg
7965D14D-582F-4D03-B793-51ADD3D2C350.jpeg
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
548
204
San Diego, CA
From what I can see you were not using the saddle which is the subject of this thread.
Yes you are correct. The e-mountain version does have the uplifted back while the standard core doesn't, which is what I bought (same high price), but it does incorporate the same general thicker padding. And I guess I'll never know if the e-mountain version would have solved my issues. I think for me it was less a padding issue and more a shape issue with the flatter saddles causing me over a year of pain. I did also try many other very expensive saddles along the way and have a very expensive collection now.
 

irie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
May 2, 2022
1,942
1,873
Chichester, W.Sussex, UK
Yes you are correct. The e-mountain version does have the uplifted back while the standard core doesn't, which is what I bought (same high price), but it does incorporate the same general thicker padding. And I guess I'll never know if the e-mountain version would have solved my issues. I think for me it was less a padding issue and more a shape issue with the flatter saddles causing me over a year of pain. I did also try many other very expensive saddles along the way and have a very expensive collection now.

Why don't you sell your collection of saddles as a 'job lot', would be really useful for riders wanting to change their saddle to be able to try a few ...
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
548
204
San Diego, CA
Why don't you sell your collection of saddles as a 'job lot', would be really useful for riders wanting to change their saddle to be able to try a few ...
Not a bad idea, thanks. Maybe I should start a saddle rental service, lol? I know when I was looking I would have subscribed to one and saved hundreds of dollars. I also have the smaller Hybrid Selle but have not tried it yet. The TRK is wider than recommended by my 11.5-12mm sit bone width but maybe that's why it brought more comfort for me. It took me so long to find something that helped and tried a LOT of conventional internet wisdom first.
 
Last edited:

Ark

Active member
Mar 8, 2023
384
321
Newcastle Upon Tyne
@N.R.G. You aren't supposed to hold your bike by the dropper I thought?


I bought one the other day also, Loving it so far, only done about 20 miles on it though.
the saddle that came with my bike was nicely padded, doesn't feel much different when squashing it with my fingers but it was the wrong shape for me and not wide enough.
I used to end up sitting really far back on the saddle to try and feel comfortable.

With the Ergon SM-E Mountain Core Prime it feels perfect as soon as I first sat on it.
Paid £117 Sold by Amazon, bit expensive but seems worth :)
I went with the M/L size the Smaller size must be more popular as it's about £15
more expensive on Amazon
 

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