Available at www.forcethepace.com What Saddle Is Best For Me? Not everyone has the same requirements for comfort, fit, looks, etc. With that said, the following information is offered in an effort to help you find the most comfort in a saddle for you. The final shape, cover, material, padding is like the color - it is your choice. 1) The more flex the rail of the saddle has, the more comfort Flex absorbs road vibrations and impacts rather than being passed on to the rider. The most flexible rail material is Titanium (it is also the most expensive.) The least flexible rail material is steel (it is the least expensive.) Cr/Mo, Manganese and Vanox are other materials that vary in flex and price. In addition, the rail should be as long as possible. The longer the rail the more flex and shock absorbing it will be. Breaking or bending of a rail usually occurs due to incorrect assembly on the seat post or by the seat cradle not allowing flex of the rail and the resulting stress riser (Miter the straight cut cradle to avoid stress risers!!!) The saddle should be mounted in the center of the millimeter adjustment scale found on the rail. From this position, the saddle can be moved forward or aft for a maximum of 10 +/- millimeters. Bent or broken rails may be replaced for $24.50 ($39.50 for tubular titanium or carbon). These prices include postage. 2) The base of the saddle should be nylon - not plastic The flex of the nylon will provide more vibration and shock absorbing than a plastic base. You can see the difference by pushing against the saddle base with your thumb. If it is nylon, the saddle base will move. Plastic will not move. (All SELLE ITALIA saddles are manufactured using nylon composite or nylon/carbon composite.) 3) Padding alone is not enough to judge comfort Have you ever sat on a pillow or cushion on a bleacher? You will eventually feel the stiff bleacher even with lots of padding. It is the same with a saddle. If the saddle has lots of padding but the base and rail will not flex it will become uncomfortable. 4) Make sure your saddle is adjusted properly This will take patience. Adjustments can only be done by the rider.
A saddle must be positioned so the rider does not reach too far forward or sit too upright. This cannot be done by sliding your seat forward or aft on the rails more than a few millimeters. (Your saddle should be mounted as close to the center of the rail adjustment as possible.) It may require a different handlebar stem than your bike is currently equipped. The angle and height of the seat is important as well. The height of the seat should be adjusted so that your leg is straight out when your heel is resting on the pedal at the bottom reach of the crank. Do not over extend the leg and do not have it curled. The angle of the saddle should be adjusted to fit "you". If you find yourself getting sore on the "sit" bones, tilt the seat down a little. Try it again and adjust it a little at a time. If you find yourself getting sore in the front soft tissue area, raise the nose a little. Try it again and adjust it a little at a time. Do not go from one extreme to the other. It will not help. (Our experience in talking with and receiving more than 60 phone calls and e-mails a day is soft tissue saddles should be tilted up 4 to 10mm s.) 5) Leather covers do not sweat like synthetic covers Because leather does not sweat, it causes less friction and less irritation. The leather costs more but it provides more comfort 6) Shape is important! There are different "shapes" of saddles. Saddles like the SELLE ITALIA SLR, SLK, C2, Lady and Prolink have several riding positions because of the flat area on which the rider sits. Saddles like the SELLE ITALIA FLITE, MAX FLITE, TRIMATIC 2, OKTAVIA and STORIKA are less flat allowing the rider fewer sitting positions. Analyze your riding style so that you ride the saddle that best fits your style of riding. If you move around a lot and ride in several positions, a flat saddle should be more comfortable. If you have a tendency to sit in 1 or 2 positions, a curved saddle should be more comfortable. Selle Italia Saddle Characteristics Listed below are some characteristics of popular SELLE ITALIA saddle models. This information should help you choose the correct SELLE ITALIA saddle model. SLR Kit Carbonio, SLR, SLR XC, SLR XC Gel Flow, SLR XP, SLR Gel Flow, SLR Genuine Gel, SLR T1 Very flexible tubular Titanium or Vanox rail mounted in front of the soft tissue area and along side the sit bones. A carbon composite flexible base uses minimal to moderate padding depending on the SLR model chosen. The SLR shape uses a shorter nose and larger longer sitting area allowing lots of movement on the saddle. The nose is very flat and wide which can cause more friction between leg and rider for some riders. Because of the flexible base, the flexible rail and the large flat seating area this is the most popular SELLE ITALIA model.
SLK Kit Carbonio, SLK, SLK Gel Flow The SLK uses a tubular Vanox rail and a split shape from the front of the saddle through to the rear that allows independent support for each of the sit bones. Some riders find this spit independent support more comfortable than the solid base of the SLR. The SLK uses a longer narrower nose and less of a sitting platform than the SLR. The nose of the SLK is more round allowing less friction between leg and saddle for some riders. Flite Kit Carbonio, Flite, Flite Genuine Gel, Flite Gel Flow Very long flexible Titanium rail mounted in front of the soft tissue area and behind the sit bones. A carbon composite flexible base combined with minimal padding makes this a very popular model because of the flexible base and rail. The shape is "flat" in the center with the sides sloped. Overall shape is narrow. ProLink Light Genuine Gel, ProLink Light Gel Flow Tubular Vanox rail mounted into shock absorbing elastomer pads much like the engine or suspension in an auto is the first step to the comfort of the Prolink Light. The real comfort is achieved through a unique nylon/elastomer base that flexes according to weight and pressure applied by the rider. Minimal padding but because of the very flexible nylon/elastomer base the saddle is very comfortable. The shape is the "flattest" and "widest" of all the SELLE ITALIA high-end models. The sides do not slope but are vertical. Overall shape is wide. XO, XO Genuine Gel, XO TransAm Tubular Manganese rail is light and yet inexpensive in comparison to the Titanium or Carbon Composite rails. The Nylon base is more flexible than the plastic bases used on most of our competitor s saddles in this price range (middle). More padding than high-end saddles but not thick "pillow" type padding. The shape is "flat" with less slope to the edges than the Flite but not as vertical as the ProLink. Overall shape is flat. Lady Genuine Gel, Lady Gel Flow For the first time ever a Lady saddle was in the top 5 sales for 00 and has maintained its top 5 position every since. Tubular Manganese rail is light and yet inexpensive in comparison to the Titanium or Carbon Composite rails. The Nylon base is more flexible than the plastic bases used on most of our competitor s saddles. This saddle has more padding than any of the middle or high saddles offered by SELLE ITALIA. The shape is wide in the rear, vertical edges and shorter nose. Overall shape is flat. Max Flite Genuine Gel, Max Flite Gel Flow Tubular Manganese rail is mounted into suspension "wings" in the rear and pivoting elastomer in the front. This suspension provides lots of flex. The nylon base is flexible but firm. The Max Flite Gel Flow adds about ¼" to ½" of padding over the entire saddle base making the shape different from the Max Flite Genuine Gel. The Max Flite Gel Flow top is "wider" and "flatter" than the Max Flite Genuine Gel. The Max Flite Gel Flow received great reviews in 99 and 00 from all kinds of riders. Although not #1 this year, it is #3. All models listed above use leather covers that lessen friction between the cyclist and saddle. Leather also breathes, reducing the sweating and resulting discomfort. All Genuine Gel and Gel Flow models listed below have real "silicone gel" located in the frontal soft tissue area and under each of the sit bones. Gel absorbs 300% more vibrations and impacts than standard foam.
Over the past couple of years, SELLE ITALIA has introduced several "series" of saddles that have greatly added to their appeal to a wide variety of cyclists. These "series" currently include "Genuine Gel" and "Gel Flow". In an effort to eliminate as much confusion as possible about these series of saddles, please note the following descriptions and availability. GENUINE GEL SADDLE MODELS All SELLE ITALIA "Genuine Gel" saddle models include real surgical "gel" (some companies use "soft foam" and call it "gel") strategically placed for added comfort. "Genuine Gel" saddles DO NOT have any "hole" in the saddle foam/base. All current models of SELLE ITALIA Genuine Gel saddles include "gel" in the frontal soft tissue area and under each of the sit bones. All Genuine Gel models are available only with leather cover. "Genuine Gel" models include: C2 Genuine Gel, Filante Genuine Gel, Flite Genuine Gel, FlX Gel, Initiale Genuine Gel, Lady Genuine Gel, Max Flite Genuine Gel, Oktavia Genuine Gel, Prolink Light Genuine Gel, Signo Genuine Gel, SLR Genuine Gel, Trimatic 2 Genuine Gel, XO Genuine Gel, Zeta Comfort Gel. GEL FLOW SADDLE MODELS "Gel Flow" indicates a soft tissue hole in the saddle foam/base plus real surgical gel located around the soft tissue hole and under each of the sit bones. "Gel Flow" saddles have become best sellers the past 2 years and for '05 SELLE ITALIA is expanding the range. All of the following saddles are available as "Gel Flow" with leather cover: C2 Gel Flow, Filante Gel Flow, Flite Gel Flow, FLX Gel Flow, Lady Gel Flow, Max Flite Gel Flow, Prolink Light Gel Flow, Signo Gel Flow, SLC Gel Flow, SLK GEL Flow, SLR Gel Flow, SLR XC Gel Flow, Zeta Comfort Gel Flow. SUPER LIGHT MODELS With the current increased interest in road bikes and the resulting quest for super light products, SELLE ITALIA is proud to have not only the lightest saddle available anywhere (76g) but more saddles under 200 grams than any other saddle manufacturer in the world. For many riders these saddle models are extremely comfortable as well as being light! Saddles weighing less than 200 grams include: SLR (135g), SLR XP (165 g), SLR XP Kevlar (165 g), SLR Kit Carbonio (130g), SLR Carbon (99g), SLR T1 (195g), SLR Teknoglica (99g), SLR C64 (76g), Flite Kit Carbonio (160g), Flite TT (165g), SLK (185g), SLK Kit Carbonio, Storika (190g). Finally, the #1 saddle for SELLE ITALIA from its introduction in 91 was the Flite Titanium w/black leather. For the past two year s the SLR Gel Flow replaced the Flite Titanium as the most popular saddle. The "Gel Flow" offers extra comfort in the soft tissue area. This does not mean the Flite or SLR is the best for your particular needs but it does indicate that many people like these 2 models. RAIL CRITERIA: None of the materials have a rider weight limit! They will all work extremely well used in a normal course of riding.
Most riders have problems with bending or breaking rail: a) when impacting the saddle during landing after becoming airborne! The earth will not move or give so the saddle must. This usually happens during aggressive riding when the bike gets airborne or runs into a pot hole/curb, the riders foot slips off the pedal/rider loses balance/or? and the rider impacts the seat when the bike hits the ground or edge of the pot hole/curb. Bent rails can even happen when road bikers "jump" a pot hole/curb/railroad tracks/? and do not time the jump correctly impacting the saddle. b) Stress riser caused by the seat post cradle which I have described before. (A sharp edge of the seat post cradle creates stress riser that will eventually cause the rail to break.) As with most things that can bend or break (stems/handlebars/rims/seat rails), the riders riding technique or riding circumstance when it bends/breaks has more to do with durability than the product material. The advantages of Titanium are it is lighter and it flexes more than other materials. The advantages of Cr/Mo and/or Manganese are they are lighter and flex more than steel.