Carbon railed saddles, yay or nay?

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Kraaf
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Location: Netherlands

by Kraaf

I think it's not about the material, but about engineering, manufacture and quality control. That said, love my Bontrager HiLo with carbon rails. So, yay!
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DaReef
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by DaReef

Yay. I have the Selle Italia SLR in Ti and carbon. The carbon is much more comfortable.

Mep
Posts: 516
Joined: Fri May 28, 2004 4:11 pm

by Mep

No issues with carbon rails. I think it really depends on the saddle and rail combo. Some you might feel a big difference, but if you're lightweight like me I don't really notice it.

track01
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 5:41 pm

by track01

Using a Specialized Romin Evo Pro since years and everything fine with its carbon rails.
Comfy and stiff.

racingcondor
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 4:22 pm

by racingcondor

I've used several Anteres and I found the flex in the Kium railed one annoying. The carbon railed / reinforced Anteres are definitely stiffer and the carbon reinforced shells sag less over time as well in my experience.

fromtrektocolnago
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by fromtrektocolnago

I haven't noticed much difference except the carbon ones cost more
Colnago C-59 (Dura Ace)
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Colnago C-64 disc(ultegra) with Bora 35 wheels

em3
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by em3

...most carbon rails will flex LESS compared to Ti or steel, however, the advantage of carbon is the dampening or road vibrations/road buzz....YMMV. For example, I use Bontrager Serano saddles on my bikes in both Ti and Carbon rails. I find that Ti rails flex enough to actually feel like a spring underneath me, while the carbon rails are stiffer...what results is my ass stays planted on the saddle with the carbon rails as opposed to jumping around on the Ti rails. Over long miles, the carbon rail saddle feels more comfortable. FYI....my fighting weight is only 154lbs
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Shrike
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Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

Bit weak of me not updating after you guys took the time to reply :x

I did take a punt on the Antares carbon braided R3 in the end. Can't believe how comfy it is compared to how it looks. Really glad I gave it a shot, will stick with this model from now on. Was riding a San Marco Aspide all last year and now that feels like a rock in comparison (have it my trainer bike and it's killing me - need to eBay it).

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kgt
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by kgt

em3 wrote:...most carbon rails will flex LESS compared to Ti or steel, however, the advantage of carbon is the dampening or road vibrations/road buzz....YMMV.

that

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BRM
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by BRM

Often its not only the rails what differs but the whole saddle is build bit differently.


And don't forget that the human mind like to fool itself.
When people spent more money on an item, their expectations will be higher.
Which result in a focus on small differences which then are enlarged to riddiculous proportions.

jih
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Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 12:54 pm

by jih

I've ridden both, often the same model. No noticeable difference. Nothing that couldn't easily be placebo anyway.

jih
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Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 12:54 pm

by jih

kgt wrote:
em3 wrote:...most carbon rails will flex LESS compared to Ti or steel, however, the advantage of carbon is the dampening or road vibrations/road buzz....YMMV.

that


Curious - how can damping happen without the part flexing? If the frame is moving and the saddle platform doesn't move to match, something between the two must be flexing, right? Or am I not seeing something here?

Btw, If you're getting dampening on the saddle, that's a different issue entirely. :lol:

MyM3Coupe
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Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:32 pm

by MyM3Coupe

I love the matte carbon rails on my Prologo saddle.

AW84
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Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2014 7:04 am

by AW84

I've got an Antares R3 carbon; as others have said, it noticeably smooths out the road chatter. Rode a manganese version for a few weeks prior to buying it, so I was able to directly compare. Haven't had any concerns about its durability, but I typically sit up over big bumps just to mitigate any chance of breakage.

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reknop
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Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:15 am

by reknop

Shrike wrote:Tried the Fizik Antares with plain old manganese rails. Really comfy saddle! Wish I tried one before.

Anyway it's white going to sell it. Saw they have a posh version the R1 with carbon rails that I can use some Ritchey oval clamps to get it on my seat post.

Reckon it'll be harsh? Saw some guys say carbon rails are a bit rough on the saddle as they're too stiff. Also, can they take a bit of abuse from someone who moves around a lot on the saddle?


I use a Fizik Arione VSX with carbon rails on a Canyon VCLS seatpost (the single piece version).

- This seatpost has a good level of comfort. http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... -11-45082/
- The VSX channel works well and the padding is slightly thicker compared to the Arione VS version;
- No additional adapters are needed to fix the carbon rails;

So for me this combination of seatpost with some flex and the VSX saddle is the ideal balance between comfort and performance. However saddle choice is something really personal, and comfort on long rides is crucial.
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