Does Selle Italia Make any comfortable saddles?

Jay Hill

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.

Stan Cox

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

rocketman58

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

David Damerell

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!

Mark

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!)

John Everett

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.

Since I have Selle Italia Flite Ti saddles on five of my six bikes I'd
guess you'd have to conclude I find them comforable. Your ass may
vary.

My PX10E has a Brooks Pro, but it's a restoration so I wanted to be
historically accurate.


jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

Jay Beattie

"Chris" <chrismccreary@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:brqdnVbKctT9XOzdRVn-gg@comcast.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.

Just keep telling yourself that while trying to make the changes
on Giant Steps.

As for saddles, YMMV. My wife loved her Brooks, and I hated
mine. My favorite saddle is the old Selle Italia Turbo, although
I have not tried any of the newer Selle Italia saddles. The old
Cinelli and Ideal 2002 were nice, too. -- Jay Beattie.

Rick Onanian

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

The "Selle Italia Prolink Leather w/ composite rails" (pasted from
spec page) that came on my bike fits my ass surprisingly
comfortably. Your ass may vary.

>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!

"Mountain" and "road" designations for saddles are meaningless. Your
saddle must fit _you_.
--
Rick Onanian

onefred

Re: Does Selle Italia Make any comfortable saddles?


Yes, I use their Flight (or is it Flite) and their SLR. The SLR was
excruciatingly painful until I got it adjusted just right. Now it's fine.
The flite is more forgiving to poor adjustment.

Just my opinion here, your mileage may vary.

Dave

Ryan Cousineau

In article <d0731d03.0404112231.59756d42@posting.google.com>,
adamrush@mail.com (Adam Rush) 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)
>
> For all of you in Sweden, Biltema has a cheap and very comfortable
> Velo sadel:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2ar6s
>
> Apparently, I'm not the only one who likes it--I've gotten two of
> these stolen this year. But, at ~20US, it's not that much of a loss.

I am fixated on the Selle Italia Nitrox, a classic plastic narrow racer
saddle that just happens to fit me perfectly. I own five copies, of
which one is black and the other four are burnt orange. Yesterday at a
race, a fellow rider recognized me from some other races because of that
orange saddle. The burnt orange helps make the saddle undesireable and
cheap; My purchase prices ranged from either C$7 or C$15 down to a low
of C$2, or less than a tall mocha frapp. Components that cost less than
non-alcoholic beverages rock.

Most bike makers make a wide range of saddles because saddle fit is very
personal. Some people swear by Brooks, some require cutouts, and some of
us ride four hours at a time on a narrow piece of of nylon topped by a
tiny pad of foam and covered by an ugly swath of vinyl.

Selle Italia claims the nylon is what makes the saddle comfy:

http://www.selleitalia.com/products....php3?itemid=30

Also, they think "Forged" is the name of a material. Hm. Is "Vanox" the
fifth element? After the Willis/Jovovitch movie, I thought it was love.

Ooh look! Hollow manganese rails! And I'm an aggressive cyclist!

http://www.selleitalia.com/products....php3?itemid=18

But I don't think I can recommend the, er, Selle Italia "Zero Comfort"

http://www.selleitalia.com/products....php3?itemid=23

I am not making this up, or the "Zero Man,"
--
Ryan Cousineau, rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Tom Sherman

Ryan Cousineau wrote:

> ...
> Most bike makers make a wide range of saddles because saddle fit is very
> personal. Some people swear by Brooks, some require cutouts, and some of
> us ride four hours at a time on a narrow piece of of nylon topped by a
> tiny pad of foam and covered by an ugly swath of vinyl....

And some choose no saddle at all. I regularly see a commuter who rides a
MTB without a saddle.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

Ryan Cousineau

In article <c5fejh$12i2t$1@ID-81487.news.uni-berlin.de>,
Tom Sherman <tsherman@qconline.com> wrote:

> Ryan Cousineau wrote:
>
> > ...
> > Most bike makers make a wide range of saddles because saddle fit is very
> > personal. Some people swear by Brooks, some require cutouts, and some of
> > us ride four hours at a time on a narrow piece of of nylon topped by a
> > tiny pad of foam and covered by an ugly swath of vinyl....
>
> And some choose no saddle at all. I regularly see a commuter who rides a
> MTB without a saddle.

Whoa! You sure this isn't a misidentified modified trials bike?

I guess that's possible, but it doesn't seem right. Maybe he has some
misbegotten calorie-burning theory going on there.

--
Ryan Cousineau, rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Adam Rush

> But I don't think I can recommend the, er, Selle Italia "Zero Comfort"
>
> http://www.selleitalia.com/products....php3?itemid=23
>
> I am not making this up, or the "Zero Man,"

Oh my god, did you get a close look at that link?

"FeC Alloy"

I honestly don't know what to say and will be shortly arrested for the
murder of a Marketing student.

Adam Rush

> For folks who have sensitive parts and need good clearance of their soft
> bits while still getting good support under their sit-bones: The old
> "Pops" or what is now known as the BiSaddle.
> <URL: http://www.bycycleinc.com/ >
> Their marketing stinks, but I know lots of serious riders that swear by
> them.

Are they called "hygiene saddles" in English, too?

> For folks who have the same issues as the folks who use the saddles above,
> but also like to ride with no hands:
> A good cut-out model. Unfortunately, these pretty much have to be padded
> to take away from the sharp edges of the cut-out hole. I've had great
> luck fitting friends and folks with the Serfas Rx Men's or Women's.
> <URL: http://www.serfas.com/rx_saddles/index_rx.html >

The Serfa Rx was a fantastic saddle for my roadster. Well, until it
got stolen. Granted, it isn't as macho as the 50lbs of steel I was
riding on, but now I've moved on saddles made of authentic river-worn
balsam.