PEATY’S MONARCH SADDLE REVIEW

August 13, 2026

Saddles are one of the more personal items on a mountain bike, and finding the saddle that works for you is essential to ensure a comfortable time on the trails. Peaty’s decided that they could bring a saddle to market with some unique features and their typical attention-to-detail, hoping to give a perch suitable for even the mountain bike royalty. After a couple of months logging some real saddle time on board the Peaty’s Monarch Saddle, it’s launch day, and time to share how it has performed so far.

ABOUT THE PEATY’S MONARCH SADDLE

Peaty’s embarked on the production of a saddle with the aim of creating something eco-friendly, serviceable, and comfortable for a wide range of riders and terrain. Rather than trying to make something crazy and polarizing, instead they focused on refining the details, and so far the result has been pleasing our butts on the trails.

The party piece of the Peaty’s Monarch Saddle is the serviceable, removable rail system. A bolt-on plate under the nose of the saddle can be removed to expose the rails, allowing them to be separated from the rest of the saddle. The interface can then be cleaned and lubricated with ease. With this design, Peaty’s not only hopes to remove the struggles of a creaky saddle, but also to allow the rails to be replaced in case of damage, boosting the saddle’s lifetime.

Peaty’s settled on a 45mm stack height, giving space for the base to flex for improved comfort, and for easier fitment and removal. The length is 260mm, and the width is 145mm to suit the largest proportion of riders. Through the center of the saddle is a 40mm-wide pressure-relief channel to boost comfort. The nose of the saddle is flat, with a smooth ramp at the rear to offer support on steeper climbs.

The base is made from a 3D-contoured glass-filled Nylon, allowing for this controlled flex while remaining light and durable. Padding is handled by the Throne Foam core, which is topped with a seamless PU topper. On the shoulders are crash-resistant and grippy bumpers to add further durability. There is a choice of CrMo or Ti-Mx rails, with the latter shaving 22g from the overall weight.

Available in a one-size-fits-most and a choice of five colors (Black, Grey, Blue, Red or Orange), the Peaty’s Monarch Saddle retails for either £69.99 / €79.99 / $99.99 with 4130 CrMo rails or £89.99 / €109.99 / $129.99 for the Ti-MX version. Peaty’s backs the Monarch saddle with a 30-day Comfort Guarantee, allowing riders to return the saddle for a refund if they don’t find it comfortable.

THE DIRT

I’ve been logging some good saddle time over the last few months on multiple Peaty’s Monarch saddles, from the original which found its way onto a Canyon Strive:ON eBike, to eight additional units that were fitted to the bikes in the upcoming 2026 Loam Wolf Enduro Bike Group Test. So, it’s safe to say that I’ve become quite familiar with these saddles, and am very much thankful that my rear end agrees with them.

It’s important to remember that no two butts are the same, and so a comfortable saddle for me is not necessarily going to be a comfortable saddle for you. While Peaty’s has struck a good middle ground with the singular size offering of the Monarch saddle, it would be great to see multiple width options to allow riders with different anatomies to get the perfect fit. Not everyone’s butt is going to be as unfussy and average as mine.

With this in mind, it’s great to see Peaty’s offer a 30-day comfort guarantee, with a refund offered if that 145mm width and its shape doesn’t suit your backside. Speaking of the shape, riders familiar with the SDG Bel Air saddles are likely to feel some similarities. The two saddles are not identical, but their shape is quite similar in feel overall. And that’s no bad thing – the Bel Air has been popular for a long time for good reason.

The handle on the rear of the Monarch saddle made carrying and moving the bikes that little bit easier, and was surprisingly effective. Given how discreet it is, I’d say Peaty’s have done a great job here.

In honesty, I didn’t find myself thinking about the Peaty’s Monarch Saddle much during these last months. It had been more of a background dweller, and quickly became a familiar place on which to park my butt and cover ground. Rarely did I feel the need to adjust my position on the bike during a climb, and not a single time did I hear a peep from any of the units, following a barrage of everything from dust to gloopy mud. I played with the removable rail design to test its operation, and it was suitably easy to pop the saddle apart to service, so I’m confident Peaty’s has achieved their serviceability goals, too.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Peaty’s has delivered a saddle with a well-considered design and a much-welcomed serviceability element. While it would be great to see width options, the majority of riders are likely to be pleased by the size, proportions and shape of the Monarch saddle, and the 30-day Comfort Guarantee makes it an easy saddle to recommend. I wasn’t blown away by the Peaty’s Monarch Saddle, but the lack of thought it demanded throughout testing was impressive, and I don’t think you can ask for better than that.

Price:
4130 CrMo: £69.99 / €79.99 / $99.99
Ti-MX: £89.99 / €109.99 / $129.99

Website: Peatys.com