This saddle features a decidedly aggressive look that is also extremely lightweight! The “Flex Control“ padding has been selectively proportioned in varying thickness to fit the demand of the aggressive cyclist.
Submitted by
rcousine
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2010
Strengths: Incredibly cheap, comfortable for me, pretty tough.
Weaknesses: Saddle cover eventually wears out, only fits some people, probably only good for XC.
Bottom Line:
Saddles are incredibly personal: a friend has tried this same saddle, and cannot ride it. It's the most comfortable saddle I've tried, and I bought every one I could find locally (I have about five).
This probably is a cross-country-only saddle for MTBers, but I use it for road racing and cyclocross. It works fabulously well FOR ME, and since I paid about $5 on average for each of the saddles I bought, it gets the maximum value rating.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned here, though: with the nice narrow profile, this may be the best saddle ever made for slipping off the back of your bike for steep descents.
Why only 4 Chilis Overall? Well, it fits _me_; it may or may not fit you. Second, the durability of the cover is only so-so. I do ride my stuff into the ground, but I wish the cover was less prone to ripping and pulling away from its staples.
But I'd buy this saddle again and again. If I ever see another one for sale, I'll buy it. If you have one, please sell it to me :).
Submitted by
George Tucker
a Cross Country Rider
from Oak Harbor, Washington, USA
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2008
Strengths: Nice Look
Weaknesses: Painfully hard. Severe numbness. Did I mention it's PAINFULLY HARD.
Bottom Line:
Not a bad saddle if you don't intend to sit on it. It's very hard and after a short time, the numbness kicks in. No matter how many different ways I've tried to set this thing up, it has always been the same end result. Painful.
Bike Setup: Diamondback Zetec DBR. XT drivetrain, Marzocci Bomber Z4, ProMax 600 Disc brakes, formula hubs, Kloski bar/stem
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ian
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2006
Strengths: None.
Weaknesses: * Pinches. * Causes alternating bouts of numbness and pain. * Poor durability. * Poor adjustability. * Surprisingly heavy weight, given its plasticky hardness. * Finish/logo wears off (maybe they don't want us to know whom to blame?). * Stupid name.
Bottom Line:
I'm only 145 pounds; there's no way a lightweight like me should be able to put enough pressure on a saddle to pinch my "goodies." And yet it happens after an astonishingly short time in the saddle.
This saddle came with the bike, and I tried to give it a fair shake. But it's coming off and joining the kitty litter in my trash can soon. On second thought, that's too good a fate for it.
Do yourself a favor: glue some thumbtacks to a sawed-off piece of two-by-four, and wrap some sandpaper around it. You could hardly do worse than Selle Italia did on this saddle!
i bought this saddle to replace the very old selle italia saddle i had on my old bianchi. this saddle is not too bad, however if im biking more then 60 km its starting to get painfull in the perineal area. if you want saddle that looks cool for short rides - this is the one for you. if you like long rides - stay away from this one and invest in a better model of selle italia or fizik.
Submitted by
larry
a Cross Country Rider
from chicago
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2005
Strengths: light weight
Weaknesses: hardest most uncomfortable seat ever. you had better have your own buildt in asspad or you will be very sore
Bottom Line:
this thing is a brick. from the department store cheapies all the way up to eventually getting the eli i never had a seat that gave consistent sore ass like this one. i tried it for a month and it never got any better. threw it in the garbage because i wouid not sell this to an enemy.
This thing is so incredibly hard. Granted, I use it for road biking, but I couldn't imagine using it in any context and it not hurting your butt like crazy.
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkeley, CA
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2004
Strengths: light weight, narrow rear, flexy base, gel strip
Weaknesses: too-narrow nose, a bit wide at the rear
Bottom Line:
I love this saddle. It took a little bit of breaking in, but it was worth it. On really intense trails I'd probably swap it out for my Bonty FS 2000 which has a lot more cushioning and shock absorption, but I swear the Bonty is a noticeable half-pound heavier.
The rear of the saddle is good and narrow for getting off the back on descents, but I've got about the narrowest hips known to man, and it's still a bit wide. The only saddle I've ever used that fit me perfectly was the '99 Bonty FS, but that bike was stolen. Basically, the smaller your butt is, the better this saddle will work for you. And the gel strip definitely makes a difference on long, steep climbs. It's the second-best saddle I've ever had.
Similar Products Used: '99 Bontrager FS, '02 Bontrager FS 2000, Bontrager C-20, Airborne ti
Bike Setup: Titus Racer-X
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas, TX USA
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2003
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Will cause prostate nerve damage
Bottom Line:
I'm a big rider at 275lbs., which means that I use my rig mainly for agressive leg training a'la climbing and sprints. I bought the nitrox gel version not knowing what an agressive saddle it really is. If there is actually any gel down there, it doesn't even make a difference at my weight. This is quite possibly the most uncomfortable thing I have ever sat on - worse even than the famously bad Koski Engineering saddle that came stock with my Xtacy. It seriously feels like I am being impaled by Vlad Draculea himself. Now I know some 14 year old, 110lb rider who doesn't even shave yet is going to flame me, but I wouldn't buy this saddle unless your riding style is to never sit down.
Similar Products Used: Titec Berserkr, Koski (Giant XTC stock)
Bike Setup: XTC SE2 first, Now Raven 700XL
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
David Sousa
a Cross Country Rider
from Lisbon, Portugal
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2003
Strengths: Good looking, light, comfortable
Weaknesses: none that i know
Bottom Line:
I'm sure that this is not the most comfortable saddle, but for the price i'm sure that you'll not be able to find a better, lighter and comfortable saddle. And it is Selle Italia!! I'll give it 5 chilis because i think the actual rate does not correspond to the product quality. I recomend it for those who cannot buy a Selle Italia FLite Gel or something like that...
Submitted by
Hendra Widjaja
a Cross Country Rider
from Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2003
Strengths: Well known brand:) inserted del, I use Nitrox Genuine Gel, made from leather, Mn rails, agessive design, good for poser (lots of bright color embroidery, I purchase the blue black combo, cause they don't have the black one). Very light.
Weaknesses: Agressive to my butt:( very narrow design...
Bottom Line:
I know saddles is a very personal thing, but I don't really like my Nitrox, I'd probably chenge it back to my cheap Selle Italia SPX. Maybe it's my fault for not using cycling pant???
Bike Setup: BH Jumper 400 Manitou Magnum R (2000) Shimano Deore XT Intox brakes Mavic SUP Michelin Wildgripper Comp
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ricky
a Weekend Warrior
from Pensacola, FL
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2002
Strengths: Looks cool with the blue glitter. Selle italia name
Weaknesses: Feels like you are riding on the top tube of your bike. Very uncomfotable.
Bottom Line:
I threw the seat on yesterday and rode around my parking lot (never even hit the trails) and it was incredibly painful to ride. Even with the suspnsion post it was bad. I thought I couldn't go wrong with a name like Selle Italia, but I guess hte $12 price tag should have clued me in. The style is kick ass (blue glitter with tribal pattern) but unfortunately it sucks. My eyes give it a 10 My ass gives it a 0
Weaknesses: Very Uncomfortable compared to a Flite TI Padding too hard
Bottom Line:
Decent product if you have absolutely no money, and want the Selle Atalia name. I got it for 25 bucks, and you can find it that cheap about anywhere, but they are very very uncomfortable. The padding is too hard, and feels nothing like the other SA saddles, if you NEED a saddle, get this, but once you get the money for something better, go for that!!!!
