Cycling · Head-to-head
WTB Silverado vs Terry Butterfly Century Saddle
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Bike Saddles: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Silverado wins because WTB attaches a published sit-bone range to every size, so you can match the saddle to a number you measured at home. The Butterfly Century is the one to take instead if soft-tissue pressure rather than sit-bone support is what is hurting.
WTB Silverado
Buy itA slim, flat-platform saddle sold with a published sit-bone range for each width, which is the rarest and most useful thing on any saddle page.
- WTB states a sit-bone range for every version: 101 to 130mm for the 142mm Medium on steel or cromoly rails, 110 to 125mm for the Medium Fusion Form models and 90 to 110mm for the 135mm Narrow.
- Five rail choices in Medium, from a stated 308 gram steel version to a 187 gram carbon one.
- A flat top gives you room to move fore and aft as the terrain changes, on a shorter 265mm length that WTB says eases on-off transitions.
- Stated 265mm length and 142mm Medium width put it in the mainstream of road, gravel and trail fit.
- Padding is tuned for performance, so the flat platform feels firm if you ride fully upright.
- No full cutout, only WTB's shallow Love Channel down the centre, so it does less for soft-tissue pressure than a cutaway saddle.
- Only two widths, which leaves riders above 130mm of sit-bone width shopping elsewhere in the range.
Terry Butterfly Century Saddle
Buy itThe cutaway pick, with the largest centre relief in its line and a shock-absorbing layer that lets the foam be thinner rather than deeper.
- Terry states 262mm by 152mm and 268 grams, so the dimensions are on the page rather than implied.
- A Poron XRD layer sits between the base and the foam, which is how the saddle stays low profile without going hard.
- Widest cutaway in the Butterfly line, aimed squarely at soft-tissue pressure.
- Seamless Fibra-tek cover, which is there to reduce chafing at high cadence.
- Sold as a women's model, which puts off riders who would fit it.
- Terry publishes no sit-bone range, so the width has to be matched by measurement on your side.
- One colour and one rail spec, so there is no lighter or cheaper version of the same shape.
Side by side
The 9 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| WTB Silverado Our pick | Terry Butterfly Century Saddle | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Riders who have measured their sit bones and want a saddle whose maker publishes the range it was designed to fit. | Riders whose problem is numbness or soft-tissue pressure rather than sit-bone ache, on endurance rides. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$$ · premium |
| Stated width | 142mm (Medium); 135mm (Narrow) | 152mm |
| Stated length | 265mm | 262mm |
| Stated weight | 308g steel, 300g cromoly, 276g stainless, 245g titanium, 187g carbon (Medium) | 268g |
| Sit-bone range published | 101 to 130mm (Medium steel or cromoly); 110 to 125mm (Medium Fusion Form); 90 to 110mm (Narrow) | Not published |
| How the maker sizes it | Sit-bone width in millimetres | Anatomy and cutaway size |
| Top and shell | Microfiber over a flex-tuned shell or Fusion Form base, DNA or DNAx padding | Fibra-tek over gel and a Poron XRD layer |
| Centre cutout | Love Channel only, no cutout | Widest in the Butterfly line |
| Rail options | Steel, cromoly, stainless, titanium, carbon | Ti-316 |
| Stated use | Adventure road, gravel, cross country, trail, enduro | Endurance riding |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the WTB Silverado if
riders who have measured their sit bones and want a saddle whose maker publishes the range it was designed to fit.
Know before buying: padding is tuned for performance, so the flat platform feels firm if you ride fully upright.
Pick the Terry Butterfly Century Saddle if
riders whose problem is numbness or soft-tissue pressure rather than sit-bone ache, on endurance rides.
Know before buying: sold as a women's model, which puts off riders who would fit it.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the WTB Silverado - A slim, flat-platform saddle sold with a published sit-bone range for each width, which is the rarest and most useful thing on any saddle page. Choose the Terry Butterfly Century Saddle instead if riders whose problem is numbness or soft-tissue pressure rather than sit-bone ache, on endurance rides.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Bike Saddles: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).