OKTAVIA is an innovative saddle featuring elastomer technology developed by SELLE ITALIA. The rear “wing” suspension system included in the design of the saddle base ensures outstanding comfort. The elastomer laminated to the nylon base cushions the rider effectively and reduces road vibrations.
A pretty comfy seat, however, doesn't have the kevlar corners that make a seat last a little longer, like when you have to flip your bike upside down to take off your front wheel or do any other quick maintenance. It just seems a little fragile for any hard core or trail riding because it has too much thread along the rear of the saddle.
Bike Setup: Jamis Dakar, XT drivetrain, Avid mech's
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Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Beowawe
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2005
Strengths: Light
Weaknesses: Hard, not ergonomic for me personally
Bottom Line:
This seat is okay for it's price range and is pretty light, but just doesn't sit well for me personally. It looks a lot better than it feels. I give it higher marks on value than overall. I'd look elsewhere if you can afford it.
Similar Products Used: wtb with the goofy birds beak nose
Bike Setup: old school pre-headshok cannondale m900 caad 5 cannondale road
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Submitted by
nash
a Weekend Warrior
from newport news
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2004
Strengths: comfortable, hard but soft where you need it, a sweet, current looking seat, light, solid, gives when you need it, easy to find on the trail
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
i love this seat, it looks really nice and expensive, comfortable where you need it, i use it for trail riding and the mud and dust do not hurt the covering. it's an awesome seat. it feels hard at first but after a week it loosened up some and has a nice solid feel to let me put the power to the ground. my favorite piece on my bike.
Bike Setup: 98 rockhopper, deore mix, kore, selle italle, STX, panaracer, cane creek
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Submitted by
Aantiix
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Cloud, MN
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2003
Strengths: Light weight, flexes just enough, firm yet very comfortable.
Weaknesses: Not much room for seat bag.
Bottom Line:
I use the Lady version of this seat and this is by far the most comfortable seat I have tried. At first if feels a bit stiff but once you are on the seat... very comfortable for both short and long rides. The Selle plastic tags are on the edge of the seat and I'm told that the butt bones of people with wider pelvis' actually sit on those tags making it uncomfortable for them. If you have a smaller pelvis this is definatly a seat to checkout.
Strengths: Comfort, Lighter weight, gel padding, looks
Weaknesses: I've had a problems with keeping a "Trek Minipack 45" on the rails (the quick-release bracket kept popping off, along with the saddlepack, during aggressive XC riding).
Bottom Line:
This saddle has been comfortable for me. Mostly because I forget about it when I ride. I like the shock absorbing frame. I guess the gel padding does work. I have had problems in the past with Specialized saddles (numbness) but this saddle has not posed any similar problems.
Submitted by
Adam W.
a Weekend Warrior
from College Park, MD
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2003
Strengths: Light, flexy enough for me, looks sweet, slightly raised where the sitbones sit
Weaknesses: Too much padding in the center, forward of where contact should actually be taking place (my same gripe with the Flite)
Bottom Line:
I wasn't going to review my saddle, b'cuz hey, different strokes for different folks, y'know? But this thing was getting torn to shreds by reviewers and I didn't happen to agree, so I'm gonna try to up the rating to get it noticed. Can't hurt to try it; like the dude below says, find a shop that has one and get 'em to put it on a bike that you test-ride before you shell out the $$$s to own this thing. That, or find a shop that'll let you exchange saddles until you find something that agrees with you. I figured it would be close to the Prolink I've got on my road bike, and I was right. It happens to agree with me. Try it, you might like it. (oh, and not to specifically slag anyone on the boards, but anyone dumb enough to order a saddle mail-order without having tried it first deserves what they get. that's what an LBS is FOR, yo.)
Similar Products Used: Prolink genuine gel (road bike), titec berserker (freeride bike), I used a wtb saddle before this on my xc rig and it was fine but way too heavy
Bike Setup: Bianchi Grizzly, XT, king, 'zocchi, thomson
Strengths: Looks good, might be good for some people because (to view it) it seems ok. Has elastomer majobbies underneath & genuinely does flex, got those genuine-gel patches which are supposed to be good too, and feels quite well padded to touch.
Weaknesses: All the above fooled me into buying it, my sit bones make a solid connection with somewhere through the padding and I found the only way to ride it was to have it pointed down quite a lot. (This is on my road bike by the way). Even then I get numb and it feels like the power is zapped out of me.
Bottom Line:
If u possibly can, try a bike with one - I knew within seconds of fitting it (rails are too scratched then to return the thing) 6months later I still put up with it because I couldn't afford another after just building up my bike. Getting an SLR soon because they have extremely good reviews & even if not as comfortable for me, at least I'll still have something great for short races/hill climbs.
Similar Products Used: Selle Bassano Vuelta Italy something (15000 miles, still comfy, though it is ripped to bits now). Cheap Nitrox saddle. Selle Italia Flite Titanium. Rolls.
Bike Setup: Giant TCR, Ksyrium wheels, Record/Chorus groupset, Carbon stem, carbon aero post, Keywin pedals, Prima 199 bars, Michelin Pro Race.
Weaknesses: Makes me numb. Looks ugly. SQUEEKS! Not durable
Bottom Line:
This seat looked cool in the shop felt light but it also felt like a piece of wood(I thought that i would break it in). IT SUCKS! DONT BUY THIS SEAT!Unless you love squeeky sounds and hate your balls and dont plan on keeping it less than six months!
Similar Products Used: Fizik Nisene, Specialized Body geometry Comp, Koobi AU Chrono, and this POS!
Bike Setup: FIZIK NISENE Ti(now),King headset, Manitou Skareb Super, Mavic Crosroc, Thomson seatpost & stem, other cool stuff.
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Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Birmingham, Al.
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2002
Strengths: light weight, flexibility
Weaknesses: stiffness
Bottom Line:
I like this seat alot. It is a bit stiffer than most seats at first but after you break it in it really softens up. The wing suspension thing in the rear really does a good job at smoothing out the sharpness of the bumps. I have really enjoyed this seat.
If you are looking for the Lazy Boy of seats this is not it. If you are looking for a light weight, quality seat, look no further.
Ouch. This seat looks cool but is really hard. I bought it because of its claims as a suspension wing design. Yeah right. Maybe it flexes and dampens vibration as it claims but my okole doesnt think so. If it wasnt so expensive, I would have tossed it. It does look nice but my butt doesnt care what it looks like.
Submitted by
Andy
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2002
Strengths: Filters vibrations on road ride. Grippy and secure. Light enough.
Weaknesses: Uncomfortable early in ride, uncomfortable nose to perch on for steep climb
Bottom Line:
This saddle came with road bike. Tried it once on my MTB after breaking my old Flite. This one is pretty bad for mountain biking. It's OK on the road bike...it starts off pretty stiff but feels better as the ride wears on. Weird, most saddles feel worse after 3 hours, not this one.
Submitted by
David Ford
a Cross Country Rider
from Blue Mountains Australia
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2002
Strengths: Looks comfortable, Italian design flair, easy to slide around on
Weaknesses: Uncomfortable on long rides
Bottom Line:
Looks rauchy and purposeful, but after a while the soft gel beds down in the rear of the seat, leaving the centre of the seat pushing into your soft and delicate tissues. Ive gone back to the WTB, which is much harder but more supportive where you need it.
