Specialized rolls out Mimic tech to more women's saddles

Specialized has released two saddles with the Mimic technology it released in 2018, building the female design focused material into existing men's models - the Romin and Phenom - whilst discontinuing the women's specific Oura and Myth.

The brand championed a 'beyond gender' ethos when it did away with the female specific bikes in its ranges, instead advocating women ride unisex frames with adjusted touch points.

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Now, it's replaced the women's Oura and Myth saddles with the WMN Romin Evo Mimic and WMN Phenom Mimic saddles.

Mimic is short for ‘biomimicry’ – the practice of designing based on biological entities and processes. The fabric replaces a cut out design and features three different memory foam densities designed to account for changes in the density of female soft tissue.

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The aim is to reduce discomfort felt my women who 'fall into' the cut out, creating serious discomfort, which can even result in surgery. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdroZNYqHJk

The discontinued saddles and their replacements share similar design ethos' - the Romin Evo provides a long nose and curved profile like the Oura - this is ideal for racers who like to move around a lot between efforts.

Comparatively, the Phenom is a long nose, flat profile saddle like the outgoing Myth - it's popular among mountain bikers but has been used to success on the road.

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The rest of the saddle shape will remain the same, so female Oura and Myth fans who would rather use a cut out can opt for the standard Romin or Phenom, and vice versa.

The move away from the separate men's and women's saddle families will tidy up the offering from Specialized, though could be a disappointment to fans of the outgoing models.

The price point structure will work as per other perches in the Specialized range, with the top end S-Works, then Pro, Expert and Comp rungs on the ladder. The Phenom Evo Comp WMN with Mimic will cost £84, at Expert level it will be £105. The Romin Evo Pro WMN with Mimic will cost £58.

Each of the new saddles will come in 143, 155 and 168mm widths. Alongside this news, by popular demand the brand has also announced a new Power Expert saddle, in a 130mm width.