Weight Weenies

Pieter wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:47 pm

I was thinking about:
- Fizik aliante
- Specialized power ARC
- Brooks cambium (not sure what width)

Any more suggestions?

As you are in search of something narrow & flat, I would add Prologo Zero to the list. Although if weight is a concern, Prologo will disappoint as even the higher end Zeros are about 200g. The Zeros are 134mm wide, should suit a rider with narrower than average sit bones.

My road bike saddle choice has evolved in five years like this:
- Specialized Toupe basic model (some skin irritation, no numbness)
- Tune Komm-Vor (fine for rides under 1,5 hours but generally quite uncomfortable on longer rides as I got back pain on top of general discomfort from sitting)
- Specialized Toupe Expert (same issues as before on Toupe)
- Prologo Zero Nack PAS (fine for rides under 1,5 hours but on longer rides discomfort around sit bones or numbness depending on riding style)
- Fizik Antares R3 (for testing purposes) and quickly after R1 (when riding dynamically, ie. getting on the top tube regularly, no major issues but some minor occasional skin irritation)

So far, for me the Antares is the only one I would approve for consecutive long days on the saddle. Originally, based on product pictures, I thought Fizik saddles would never fit me. I came across the Antares on a rental bike during a cycling holiday, and may have found the best (but not perfect) saddle for my sensitive ass.

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

to me, a good set of bibs far outweighs differences between saddles...

that said...
Brooks Cambium all-weather on my commuter
Bontrager Montrose Pro on the incoming Emonda build

Berk Lupinas on all my bikes

Similar situation. Had a toupe for ages, various versions. Kept breaking the non s works versions. Ran 2 s works toupe (oroginal) light one for ages. Then got an injury yo my knew and coukdn't get comfortable on it. Only grip is it has a slight rise at the nose so you sit in a groove which is great fot stability when climbing but not great for a low position. I have subsequently tried berks but found they weren't flat enough side to side for me. Now i am on an ax leaf. Which is great but i may need a small amoumt of padding on the wings to stabilise me a bit more.

been on the Fizik Arione R1 for ages. Now I'm on a padded Berk Lupina. Absolutely fantastic. Very noticeably comfortable even on the trainer for two hours. Don't let the boutique image/price and weight reduction scare you away, it's actually superbly comfortable, even compared to the Arione K1.

Been lup is the best ive found after trying 10+ saddles

themidge wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 04, 2018 3:25 pm

Flite's are pretty lightweight aren't they? I've heard of them being 185ish with Ti rails, light enough for comfort to be the main consideration I'd say. If the Flite is comfortable enough then keep it, they look cool as well .

I’m with you on Flites looking cool but I’m afraid the lightest original style Flite (with ti rails of course) I’ve seen weighed 212g and that was an Alpes model with the sides cut off. Usually normal Flites weigh a lot more and I’ve been through about 15 of those. Can’t see why reissues with those higher rails would weigh less.

(Okay the Flite TT weighs about 170g but that has no padding so quite hard compared to the regular model.)

What about SMP? They just released new flat profile models.

Not only flat, but quite wide with a sharp flare. This is basically their take on the Specialized Power, Pro Stealth, etc.

I prefer this new one:

Yeah, I’ve been looking at the Nymber, which is the padded version of the Vulkor. The Glider seems to work alright for me too.

Huh, I thought original Flites were lighter than that. As mentioned somewhere up-thread, the Fabric scoop is quite similar, and has some fairly lightweight versions.

Only saddle i would love to test is ISM PN 3.0 carbon and have access to a handyman working on padding/ wrapping or what the correct term is!?
Then i could have the saddle padded just as i like it.
Personally i feel the noses on most saddles are to narrow in width.
Before i focused to much on actual rear width and versions of the nose width/ design.
Now i have learned it's the full form that matters.
Though i guess that if we move too much, no saddle is perfect.

So askng someone what saddle you should buy is like asking someone what flavor of ice cream you should eat for the next 6 months. It's all very personal and nobody is going to be able to give you the perfect answer. Best thing to do is find a shop with a really good selection and a good return policy. Try one for two weeks, if it doesn't work, swap it for another one.

That being said....

Personaly, I'm a big fan of the Brooks Cambium. I've been through two generations of Specialized Toupe, Specialized Romin, Specialized Power, Fizik Arione, a few others that I forget what they were; all of them gave me pressure point or saddle sore issues until I got on the Brooks. I have been using a C15 for a few years (both carved and more recently non) and recently moved that to my CX bike and got a C13 (130) for my road bike. I Tried a 145mm C13 for a couple weeks, but it felt a little too wide for me. On the specialized scale, I'm right about in the middle for 143, but the smaller C13 feels perfect for me on the road, which I do have a fairly agressive position.

I have been using Sworks power and SMp dynamic, for 3+ hours ride I prefer to use the SMP

Sent from my SM-G9650 using Tapatalk

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com