Does Selle Italia Make any comfortable saddles?

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Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
of what saddles should I consider looking into. I presently have
mounted on my bike a Selle Tri-Matic, and this thing is just murder!
(Came with the bike, and yes, I've read the reviews about not trying
to raise a family after using this saddle)

Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.

I had considered the Selle Gel Flight saddle, but I'm unsure from what
reviews I've read if I'm going to be any happier with this one?

No it doesn't have to be Selle, and I couldn't care less about price,
so others are definitely considered here (Fiz-ik, etc)

I wish to stay with a road bike saddle, definitely do not want a
fat-ass mountain bike saddle on my Bianchi road bike! Thanks all!
Mark

Mark wrote:

> Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
> of what saddles should I consider looking into. I presently have
> mounted on my bike a Selle Tri-Matic, and this thing is just murder!
> (Came with the bike, and yes, I've read the reviews about not trying
> to raise a family after using this saddle)
>
> Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
> Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
> killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.

Yep, still the best! http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/saddles

> I had considered the Selle Gel Flight saddle, but I'm unsure from what
> reviews I've read if I'm going to be any happier with this one?
>
> No it doesn't have to be Selle, and I couldn't care less about price,
> so others are definitely considered here (Fiz-ik, etc)

"Selle" is not a brand name, it's the Italian word for "saddles." As
such, it is part of the names of several different Italian saddle
makers, including "Selle Roayal," "Selle San Marco," and "Selle Italia."

Sheldon "Not To Be Confused With 'Gant' Gloves" Brown
+-------------------------------------------------+
| Live near Boston? Want to learn to play jazz? |
| See my jazz site: http://www.artsforall.com |
+-------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

"Sheldon Brown" <captbike@sheldonbrown.com> wrote in message
news:4071BB90.5030900@sheldonbrown.com...
>

> +-------------------------------------------------+
> | Live near Boston? Want to learn to play jazz? |
> | See my jazz site: http://www.artsforall.com |
> +-------------------------------------------------+

You can't learn to play jazz, Mr. Sheldon. You can only learn to release it
from inside of you.

Chris

Chris wrote:
> "Sheldon Brown" <captbike@sheldonbrown.com> wrote in message
> news:4071BB90.5030900@sheldonbrown.com...
>
>
>>+-------------------------------------------------+
>>| Live near Boston? Want to learn to play jazz? |
>>| See my jazz site: http://www.artsforall.com |
>>+-------------------------------------------------+
>
>
> You can't learn to play jazz, Mr. Sheldon. You can only learn to release it
> from inside of you.
>

And I sometimes wonder from which orifice :)

Pete

On 5 Apr 2004 12:45:55 -0700, apoman60612@yahoo.com (Mark) wrote:

>Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
>of what saddles should I consider looking into. I presently have
>mounted on my bike a Selle Tri-Matic, and this thing is just murder!
>(Came with the bike, and yes, I've read the reviews about not trying
>to raise a family after using this saddle)
>
>Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
>Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
>killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.
>
>I had considered the Selle Gel Flight saddle, but I'm unsure from what
>reviews I've read if I'm going to be any happier with this one?
>
>No it doesn't have to be Selle, and I couldn't care less about price,
>so others are definitely considered here (Fiz-ik, etc)
>
>I wish to stay with a road bike saddle, definitely do not want a
>fat-ass mountain bike saddle on my Bianchi road bike! Thanks all!
>Mark


To answer the question, yes if your butt fits them. YMMV. FWIW, I
think the SLR is comfortable. There's no real way to tell if you will
without giing for a decent test ride.


Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

I've had a Tri-Matic on my Merckx for 5-6 years and it's one of my favorite
saddles. I've had 'em on other bikes, too.

Saddle preferences are very personal. This said, the Tri-Matic has a very
conventional shape by modern standards and should be comfy to many. Is yours
set up properly? Start with a level position (adjust the tilt so a
straightedge along the saddle's centerline is parallel to the top tube), as
nose-up can be really hard on your sit zone. Also, is yours leather or fabric?
I think most roadies, myself included, prefer a leather saddle that allows us
to slide. Generally I adapt pretty well to new (to me) saddle types, but
without exception I have been uncomfortable on embroidered or fabric-covered
saddles that do not allow me to slide and shift position easily.




Mike Yankee

(Address is munged to thwart spammers.
To reply, delete everything after "com".)

Sure Selle Italia makes comfortable saddles. So does Brooks, Vetta,
Terry and almost every other quality saddle maker. For someone, anyway.

Saddles are like shoes. Comfort is as comfort fits. try different makes
and models (A good LBS will let you try them out). When you find
something that really fits, buy it.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

I personally can't use anything from Selle Italia for more than
just a quick trip around the block... My personal favorite is a San
Marco Rolls.



--

I've ridden a lot of Selle Italia saddles and the Tri-matic is probably
the worst I've tried. The Flite Gel is a bit better and the Turbomatic 3
is a step up from that. But the most comfortable Selle Italia for me is
the old Turbo. Got one of them on my "brevet" bike.



--

>I wish to stay with a road bike saddle, definitely do not want a
>fat-ass mountain bike saddle on my Bianchi road bike!

Hmm. You shouldn't worry so much about looks and get the saddle that fits
your butt best. I presonally like the selle italia flite, but unless your
ass is just like mine, you might not like the fit.
--------------
Alex

"Mark" <apoman60612@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:68236fb6.0404051145.66f4c9f3@posting.google.com...
> Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
> of what saddles should I consider looking into. I presently have
> mounted on my bike a Selle Tri-Matic, and this thing is just murder!
> (Came with the bike, and yes, I've read the reviews about not trying
> to raise a family after using this saddle)
>
> Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
> Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
> killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.
>
> I had considered the Selle Gel Flight saddle, but I'm unsure from what
> reviews I've read if I'm going to be any happier with this one?
>
> No it doesn't have to be Selle, and I couldn't care less about price,
> so others are definitely considered here (Fiz-ik, etc)
>
> I wish to stay with a road bike saddle, definitely do not want a
> fat-ass mountain bike saddle on my Bianchi road bike! Thanks all!
> Mark

Oddly enough, I find the most comfort in their minimalist SLR model. I
tried 3 or 4 saddles before settling on this one, including a Bontrager, an
Avocet O2, and a Specialized Body Geometry Comp. The SLR was the most
comfortable, for me, by far.

Butt, as others have indicated, saddles are highly personalized and one
man's comfort is another man's torture. Perhaps your LBS or some of your
cycling buddies have some saddles they're not using that you could try out.

--
http://www.shastasoftware.com - Shasta Software - Consulting, Design, and
Programming Services
http://www.CycliStats.com - CycliStats - Software for Cyclists
http://www.StrideWare.com - StrideWare - Software for Runners and Walkers

On 5 Apr 2004 12:45:55 -0700, apoman60612@yahoo.com (Mark) may have
said:

>Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
>of what saddles should I consider looking into.

In my experience, the only answer is "try them and see". I have found
that two similarly-priced units from the *same* maker may have
dramatically different levels of comfort for me, despite relatively
similar appearance. I have had no Selle Italia saddles, but I've had
Titecs that fit and Titecs that were awful, ditto for some others.
This is one interface where the most important rule is "What fits
*you* properly and well is not necessarily what fits *anyone else*."

(I will note that there is one more or less glaring exception in my
personal case...I have yet to ride a Brooks that didn't manage to
become comfortable within 20 to 50 miles. Your experience may still
vary!)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

In article <68236fb6.0404051145.66f4c9f3@posting.google.com>,
apoman60612@yahoo.com (Mark) writes:

>Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
>Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
>killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.

Go back to the Brooks.

Tom Gibb <TBGibb@aol.com>

>Go back to the Brooks.

Or send it to me. I like 'em.
Phil Brown

Chris wrote:
> "Sheldon Brown" <captbike@sheldonbrown.com> wrote in message
> news:4071BB90.5030900@sheldonbrown.com...
>
>
>>+-------------------------------------------------+
>>| Live near Boston? Want to learn to play jazz? |
>>| See my jazz site: http://www.artsforall.com |
>>+-------------------------------------------------+
>
>
> You can't learn to play jazz, Mr. Sheldon. You can only learn to release it
> from inside of you.
>
Yeah, but somehow when I release the jazz from inside me it sounds a bit
different than when Charlie Parker released it.

Mark wrote:
>
> Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
> Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
> killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.
>
Get another Brooks (Pro), or try a San Marco Rolls.

Ningi wrote:

> Chris wrote:
>
>> "Sheldon Brown" <captbike@sheldonbrown.com> wrote in message
>> news:4071BB90.5030900@sheldonbrown.com...
>>
>>
>>> +-------------------------------------------------+
>>> | Live near Boston? Want to learn to play jazz? |
>>> | See my jazz site: http://www.artsforall.com |
>>> +-------------------------------------------------+
>>
>>
>>
>> You can't learn to play jazz, Mr. Sheldon. You can only learn to
>> release it
>> from inside of you.
>>
>
> And I sometimes wonder from which orifice :)
>
> Pete

I cant work out if you are being nasty about Sheldon or Jazz :)

Stan Cox

Saddles are the most personal item on your bike. Comfort to one is
torture to another. It depends on what type of sshape you are in,
how much you ride, how much of your weight is on the saddle (are your
bars higher or lower than your saddle?) When I was a well seasoned
rider, doing centuries, I found the San Marco Rolls to be the best for
me - leather cover and firm padding.

20 years latter, heavier and no longer a hard core rider, I have found
the Selle Royal - Forma Gel model to be the most comfortable saddle I
have ever had. Synthetic cover, excellent quality gel in the right
places, cut-away areas in the right places, elastomer suspended cro-mo
rails. At 450gr, it's not ultra light, but not that heavy considering
it's comfort level. They are hard to find, but it's available from
REI.com.




apoman60612@yahoo.com (Mark) wrote in message news:<68236fb6.0404051145.66f4c9f3@posting.google.com>...
> Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
> of what saddles should I consider looking into. I presently have
> mounted on my bike a Selle Tri-Matic, and this thing is just murder!
> (Came with the bike, and yes, I've read the reviews about not trying
> to raise a family after using this saddle)
>
> Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
> Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
> killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.
>
> I had considered the Selle Gel Flight saddle, but I'm unsure from what
> reviews I've read if I'm going to be any happier with this one?
>
> No it doesn't have to be Selle, and I couldn't care less about price,
> so others are definitely considered here (Fiz-ik, etc)
>
> I wish to stay with a road bike saddle, definitely do not want a
> fat-ass mountain bike saddle on my Bianchi road bike! Thanks all!
> Mark

Mark <apoman60612@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
>of what saddles should I consider looking into.
>Oh sure, it looks nice, but I can remember my ole '70's Motobecane
>Le-Champion with unpadded hard leather Brooks Saddle, and it never
>killed me the way this Selle does! Ouch.

Perhaps then you should consider another Brooks. The B-17 is available in
"narrow" (ie, only slightly wider than most plastic road saddles :-) if
you find the regular width _too_ wide, which I do - you don't want to pop
for one of the high-end ones when you don't know what you'll like, right?
--
David Damerell <damerell@chiark.greenend.org.uk> Distortion Field!

Hi Folks, Sorry for posting two threads on this subject. A server
must've been down, as hours later mt first post didn't show.

It appears that many of you "experienced" riders have run the
gauntlet, and have tried many different brands/models over time. I'm
hoping as I get back into the game, that I can perhaps avoid this
costly trial, and error method.

I understand what all you folks are telling me that no one saddle no
matter how costly, pretty, or high-tech will suit everyone.

I reckon we'll all find that no conventional road bike saddle/seatpost
can totally protect your butt from rough road conditions, small
potholes, etc. You are going to feel it no matter what.

It seems mostly everyone I have talked to/have gotten feedback from
about the Brooks Saddles all say basically the same thing, and that's
over time, the Brooks will conform/mold somewhat to an individual's
anatomy(Sure, there's always an exception to the rule)

Whoever wants my like new Selle Tri-matic Black w/yellow trim, just
drop me a line! I think for now, I am going back to Brooks. Mark

Werehatrack <rault00@earthWEEDSlink.net> wrote in message news:<s0p3709eiqe672o3i5f149p9uk5fpfkai2@4ax.com>...
> On 5 Apr 2004 12:45:55 -0700, apoman60612@yahoo.com (Mark) may have
> said:
>
> >Hi all, In my quest for a better saddle, I'd like to garner opinions
> >of what saddles should I consider looking into.
>
> In my experience, the only answer is "try them and see". I have found
> that two similarly-priced units from the *same* maker may have
> dramatically different levels of comfort for me, despite relatively
> similar appearance. I have had no Selle Italia saddles, but I've had
> Titecs that fit and Titecs that were awful, ditto for some others.
> This is one interface where the most important rule is "What fits
> *you* properly and well is not necessarily what fits *anyone else*."
>
> (I will note that there is one more or less glaring exception in my
> personal case...I have yet to ride a Brooks that didn't manage to
> become comfortable within 20 to 50 miles. Your experience may still
> vary!)