New saddle - thumb up for Fizik Arione
Discussion
I've had terrible trouble this season getting comfortable on the saddle which came with my Tarmac Elite - a non-gel Toupe. I've had a number of specialized saddles without any problems, and I generally rate their BG stuff very highly (their shoes in particular are the only footwear I've tried which is comfortable).
So this thread ought to be a "what would you recommend" except that I spoke to my LBS instead, and last night took the plunge and bought a Fizik Arione. I've been aware of their stuff for a long time, but it seemed such a lot of money to pay for a saddle. Frankly, after the couple of laps I did on it last night, I'd spend the cash again every time. Such a comfortable place to be, it's restored my love of the bike again. It rides a bit higher on the seat post than the Toupe, and took a bit of effort to get fitted properly, but I no longer feel as if I've been on the receiving end of some particularly rough rear end fiddling, and that can only be a good thing...
So this thread ought to be a "what would you recommend" except that I spoke to my LBS instead, and last night took the plunge and bought a Fizik Arione. I've been aware of their stuff for a long time, but it seemed such a lot of money to pay for a saddle. Frankly, after the couple of laps I did on it last night, I'd spend the cash again every time. Such a comfortable place to be, it's restored my love of the bike again. It rides a bit higher on the seat post than the Toupe, and took a bit of effort to get fitted properly, but I no longer feel as if I've been on the receiving end of some particularly rough rear end fiddling, and that can only be a good thing...
Hi Stuart
The Arione is the closest thing to a universally adored saddle. But it ain't perfect if you and it are different shapes. After struggling to find a saddle that would be comfy, I bought an Arione a few years back. It was much better than the previous few saddles but not perfect for me, and there was always the niggle that for years I had ridden whatever saddles had been on my bikes with no issues.
Seeing a really cheap Fizik Aliante made me re-open the subject. For me the Aliante is vastly more comfortable than the Arione. So much so that I've since found a second Aliante so that my road and mountain bikes have the same saddle.
FWIW, the saddle that chewed my ass the worst was the Selle Italia SLR. For me it was a medieval instrument of torture. And yet my training partner bought a bike recently which came equipped with an SLR, and he is quite happy with it.
James
The Arione is the closest thing to a universally adored saddle. But it ain't perfect if you and it are different shapes. After struggling to find a saddle that would be comfy, I bought an Arione a few years back. It was much better than the previous few saddles but not perfect for me, and there was always the niggle that for years I had ridden whatever saddles had been on my bikes with no issues.
Seeing a really cheap Fizik Aliante made me re-open the subject. For me the Aliante is vastly more comfortable than the Arione. So much so that I've since found a second Aliante so that my road and mountain bikes have the same saddle.
FWIW, the saddle that chewed my ass the worst was the Selle Italia SLR. For me it was a medieval instrument of torture. And yet my training partner bought a bike recently which came equipped with an SLR, and he is quite happy with it.
James
jodypress said:
Saddles are such a personal thing. I recently changed my old BG saddle to a tasty white Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Team saddle. Looked gorgeous, but I just couldn't get comfortable on it. So I bought a BG Toupe team gel saddle and love it. Glad you're happy, that's the main thing.
I've heard good things about the Toupe Gel. Couldn't find one though as it isn't a 2010 product.Stuart said:
jodypress said:
Saddles are such a personal thing. I recently changed my old BG saddle to a tasty white Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Team saddle. Looked gorgeous, but I just couldn't get comfortable on it. So I bought a BG Toupe team gel saddle and love it. Glad you're happy, that's the main thing.
I've heard good things about the Toupe Gel. Couldn't find one though as it isn't a 2010 product.Evans have the 130: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/bg...
There is a 2010 model but I preferred the looks of the 2009 version and managed to get one
Ghisallo said:
My new bike came with a Fizik Arione CX saddle and I just can't ride on it. I'm used to Specialized Alias and so will be changing the Arione to a Toupe. If I could find someone to do a swap I would, they'd be getting a much more expensive saddle in return.
I have a Toupe if you want it. Non-gel. PM me.There isn't a single saddle that is perfect for everyone and it really pays to try as many as possible before choosing one.
I have had great success with the smp4bike range (check it out at smp4bike.co.uk) Not the cheapest, but - for me - certainly the most comfortable
Be sure to get your bike fitted correctly too - the right saddle fitted wrong is never going to be right.
I have had great success with the smp4bike range (check it out at smp4bike.co.uk) Not the cheapest, but - for me - certainly the most comfortable
Be sure to get your bike fitted correctly too - the right saddle fitted wrong is never going to be right.
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