I bought a pair of Fizik Antares Kium saddles this fall and have loved them - the shape, and the minimal padding work really well for me.

However, at a 'cross race two weeks ago, while remounting, the shell of the saddle split in half where the shell begins to fair out towards the back.

Would something like a Fizik Tundra, which is similarly shaped, be stronger? Is splitting the shell a common problem with Fizik saddles that I just haven't noticed? I have seen people riding Alientes in 'cross with no problems, so I wonder if it is just something about the Antares.

I've been using Tundras for a couple seasons for 'cross, I weigh 77-78kg and have not broken one yet. The new-ish Tundra 2 is only 200g for the Ki:um model, so not a big weight penalty.

Pretty much any Fi:zik saddle with the "wing flex" notches in the shell will crack eventually, Ariones are notorious for that. Of course, a cracked saddle does not mean the end of a race, so it's really just a matter of buying new saddles and keeping them around.

I have had pretty good luck with the Fizik saddles and had been usign the Antares w/braided carbon rails on both road and CX bikes. This season I opted for a little more comfort and went with the Fizik Alliante w/braided carbon rails for the cx bikes. Never had any issues with the Antares but the carbon peice bonded to the underside of the shell that the under nose fairing screws into, broke off on one of the Alliantes last month but it may be repairable. Topic drift, but I am somewhat curious to know how one of the new Fizik Kurve Snake (or Bull) would fair for CX racing but am concerned it would not do well because of the design.

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Michael - The Anaerobic Threshold is neither...

Just in case anyone is shopping RIGHT NOW, Competitive Cyclist is having a sale on saddles.

I have three years of mtb riding on a Kium and a carbon Antares and neither show any wear other than to the cover. I'm 70kg and the bikes are used for training and xc/marathon.

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"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."