Fizik Antares Versus EVO 00 Adaptive Review

[justonwo]

The review is pretty short and sweet. It's the most comfortable saddle I've ever used.

I've ridden many miles on a bunch of different saddles (mostly because they came with whatever bike I bought)(. I've never had any particularly horrible experiences, but I've always known I was on a bike saddle when riding. It's not like I ever felt I was sitting on my sofa. After 60 mile+ rides, I was usually less than thrilled to still be sitting on one. I've had a handful on various bikes:

Selle Italia SLR XP
Selle Italia SLR C59 (not built for comfort!)
Specialized Romin
S-Works Power
Phenom

Various widths and various half-hearted attempts to get comfort without a lot of weight. At 147 grams advertised, it's more than twice the weight of my SLR C59, but it's about 15 times the comfort. I completed a 65 mile ride today with the Fizik atop my Pinarello and ended the ride without ever really thinking about the saddle. The 3D printed foam matrix is intelligently designed, with lots of stiffness in the areas where you need it and more squish in the edges of the saddle. The green foam is probably polarizing for some, but I think it looks kind of cool. I'm also guessing there is some added cooling benefit in hot weather, but I haven't had a chance to prove that out yet.

[fogman]

I keep hoping that fi’zi:k will release a black version of the Antares Versus Evo 00 Adaptive saddle. Mainly for esthetics. That green sticks out like a sore thumb.


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[FactoryMatt]

i pm'd you, sorry i didn't see you had a review up. how do you think the material will treat bib shorts over time?

[justonwo]

I keep hoping that fi’zi:k will release a black version of the Antares Versus Evo 00 Adaptive saddle. Mainly for esthetics. That green sticks out like a sore thumb.


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Yeah, I hear you. I'm not sure why they went for such an odd color. I imagine it's only a matter of time. It does grow on you . . .

[justonwo]

i pm'd you, sorry i didn't see you had a review up. how do you think the material will treat bib shorts over time?

It's not abrasive or sharp in any way. I don't think it'll have any negative impact on bib shorts.

[AnkitS]

I'm guessing the color is for recognition/marketing?

edit: is this the same material as the adidas 4d mid sole? It has the same greenish color and look.

[eric01]

The green color is eye catching. I’m sure they can figure out how to dye it black. I’m guessing they don’t need to now if demand for green is outstripping supply.

I’d very curious but have a mild case of tryptophobia. Freaks me out a little looking at it.

[MikeD]

I wonder if keeping that saddle clean would pose a problem?

[Dan Gerous]

I'm guessing the color is for recognition/marketing?

edit: is this the same material as the adidas 4d mid sole? It has the same greenish color and look.

Yes, same material, it's just it's natural color but they chose to keep it that color, perhaps to make sure people notice the new tech more. Specialized uses the same material manufactured by the same company in it's Mirror 3D printed saddle but it's black.

Fizik says you just hose it and any dirt will come out but I'll be curious to see one after a year used by someone who rides even when it's raining.

[justonwo]

Yeah, I'll have to give it some time before I can confirm the clean-ability. I rode in the rain/muck on Friday morning and everything came off fine, but it'll take months before we know for sure. It doesn't look porous, but we'll just have to see.

[TheMalahat]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this saddle. I'm somewhat seriously looking at it, $520 Canadian is pretty serious cash though, so I'm still a bit reserved. My LBS appears to have gotten one in, so will go and check out that green in person.

Right now my other consideration, which is probably my more likely selection is the Cadex Boost. We'll see!

[justonwo]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this saddle. I'm somewhat seriously looking at it, $520 Canadian is pretty serious cash though, so I'm still a bit reserved. My LBS appears to have gotten one in, so will go and check out that green in person.

Right now my other consideration, which is probably my more likely selection is the Cadex Boost. We'll see!

It's a tall order price-wise. There is no doubt. But this 3D printing really is something special. I rolled my eyes the first time I saw it, thinking it was a gimmick. When I got to see one in person and feel the stiffness of the material in various places, the idea that it might actually be quite comfortable kept growing. I decided my Pinarello build would be a good opportunity to try something a little out of the box. I'm really glad I did.

[aosjimzaw]

Hi guys,
my first post on here, though I've been lurking for a while. Glad I'm posting on this great forum.

Anyhow, thanks a million to the OP for the first unbiased review of this saddle I spot. I've been looking around for reviews of this saddle other than the usual big websites and I think I'll hit the bullet soon. As I'm training for ultraendurance stuff, saddle is a matter of life and death. I currently own a Fizik antares versus evo 00, which is perfect for anything below 250-300km. In fact, I love it until I hit that mileage mark on a ride. Then, I start wishing something even better would come out. Which is why the adaptive immediately caught my attention, hoping it would push comfort even past that mark. Dear OP, would you mind sticking a whole day on the bike and reporting back?

The colour is rather gross, yes. And yes I confirm it's exactly the same of Adidas 4D as I own a pair--hugely comfortable shoes but I'm not that connoiseur about running footwear to finely judge the 4D impact. (On the white shoes the colour is still ok if you ask me. On the black ones and on any bike, ugh...) The shoes also clean very easily by just tossing them in the washing machine once every couple hundred kms, I can't see why it would be different for the saddle. Soap would probably ease and improve the job, as it does in the laundry with shoes.

[justonwo]

I've spent about 5.5 hours in the saddle at one time. With 3 kids and very little free time, that's about as long a day as I'm going to get any time soon. Perhaps I'll do a century in the next few months, but I can't promise.

[TheMalahat]

It's a tall order price-wise. There is no doubt. But this 3D printing really is something special. I rolled my eyes the first time I saw it, thinking it was a gimmick. When I got to see one in person and feel the stiffness of the material in various places, the idea that it might actually be quite comfortable kept growing. I decided my Pinarello build would be a good opportunity to try something a little out of the box. I'm really glad I did.

I've decided to purchase it. Would buy it today but I'm awaiting the clamp for a 9.6mm rail first, which is hopefully nearing me - no interest in a $500 purchase with no use

I did check it out in person today. The green is, weird, but I like it in a good weird way. Obviously very subjective there.

Excited to try it!