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Selle Italia
Flite Kevlar Ti
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Submitted by
Albert Osorio
a Cross Country Rider
from Switzerland
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Engadin, Switzerland | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came with Bike | | Strengths: | Well, most people love it from Europe to the US. Easy to move around on with narrow design. Probably is best meant for short to medium races? | | Weaknesses: | I am 190 Ibs. and 6 ft. 3 in. For long rides or climbs longer than 20 mins, my underside started to get numb. I even think my performance was effected due to lack of circulation. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Comp Bocy Geometry (OK stuff). Terry Fly Gel (Great stuff!). | | Bike Setup: | XT/XTR Vbrakes/German Frame "Red Bull"/ Ritchey stem and bars/Conti Explorer tires | | Bottom Line: | I can't notice that this saddle is well liked so I will be nice. But for med to long rides I think there are a lot if stuff that beats the Selle Italia Flite. Ok, I am a big guy. Two thumbs up for Terry Fly Gel saddle. It's a keeper and worth extra 30 to 50 grams. FOr the serious racer a great second saddle for long trail rides or bike vacations? Or maybe you got a tough behind and wouldn't go anywhere without you Flite like a lot of folks. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Racer
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeNOW | | Strengths: | light, looks, comfort | | Weaknesses: | durability, comfort, price | | Similar Products Used: | selle italia nitrox, koski fastback | | Bike Setup: | yeti arc, arc seatpost, crossmax | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the Selle Italia Flite TT (165g version)
This saddle is very expensive, i got it cheap, i wouldn't buy it at full price. It's super light for the size and shape and it looks very sleek. It is surprisingly comfortable for what it is (Ti rails, carbon shell covered in suede only), if your out too long you start reallising that it is fairly hard though. My biggest gripe is that i am only 65kg, ride/race xc only and i've already bent one of the rails fairly decently after only approximately 80 hours, not happy. If there isn't some kind of warrenty thing for this one and I have to buy a new one I think I'll get an SLR trans-am or gel flow. Only 20g heavier but a lot more comfort and about the same price. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nuno Ferreira
a Cross Country Rider
from Portugal
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Technical | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$86.00 | | Strengths: | Very resistant, good looking, high quality saddle and, of course, lightweight! | | Weaknesses: | Ride for more than 3 hours and you will find out. I garantee it if you have a hardtail, if you ride an fs then MAYBE you feel otherwise.
As a result, I now only use it for racing.
ALSO... DO NOT INSTALL IT ON THOMSON SEATPOST! There isn't enough clearance between the rails and the seat body causing it to be damaged. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialiazed Body Geometry PRO, Specialized Telluride, Selle Italia SLR; | | Bike Setup: | Visit me and my bikes at: http://mega.ist.utl.pt/~gnfv/ under "INTERESSES"! | | Bottom Line: | A good saddle yet poor regarding confort. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Vermont, USA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Durable, more comfortable than the SLR, totally rad colors | | Weaknesses: | The kevlar starts to come off in the back, but what can you say, it is two years old. None other than that | | Similar Products Used: | Selle Italia SLR | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Big Sur, Avid ball bearing Disc | | Bottom Line: | Great seat! It lasts forever and is super comfey and light. I love it. It is light and cleans off pretty easily. (there is a lot of mud in VT, as you could imagine.) A little pricy, but it is Italian made. Buy it if you've got the $. Plus, it comes in lime green! How cool is that? | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Byron
a Racer
from Wilmington, NC USA
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | road | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$69.00 | | Purchased At: | http://cycletechinc.com/saddle.htm | | Strengths: | Light, comfortable | | Similar Products Used: | Selle Italia Flite | | Bike Setup: | Giant TCR 2 compact road, Shimmy 105 | | Bottom Line: | Noob roadie, started with Giant OCR1 with a Giant saddle that gave me numb balls after 10 miles. Exchanged bike for TCR2 b/c decided to go with true racing bike. Spec'd with Selle Italia Flite, which was an improvement but still got numb after about 20 miles. Replaced with Selle Italia Flite Kevlar Titanium two weeks ago. Up to 30 miles, and no numbness at all. Woot woot!!! Small, very light saddle keeps out of the way when standing, and helps lower center of gravity. Strangely, this is the hardest, least padded saddle I've used, yet it is more comfortable and less numbing. I attribute that to the saddle's shape, which definitely fits me better than the others. Bought a second one for when this one gets worn out. May even buy a third... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
1500MPG
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson | | Strengths: | weight, looks, features, price, comfort, side kevlar, colors. | | Weaknesses: | a little hard if not wearing the right riding short. | | Similar Products Used: | selle san marco, avocet | | Bike Setup: | full suspension | | Bottom Line: | I hated the hardness of this saddle with my regular riding shorts until I got my Voler shorts. The voler shorts have a little more padding which turned this hard seat into a comfortable ride. I'm happpy with my purchase. My hands go numb way before my arse.
Bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CHEF-BIANCHI SHRIEBER
a Racer
from Herzelia, Israel
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | To yekum and natania threw raanana | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Becidan Cycles, Sokolov 92 Herzelia. | | Strengths: | Looks good, easy on the butt, doesn't scrub my legs, the casing doesn't rip or scratch, Titanium rails, lightweight, long nose, good colors to choose from... | | Weaknesses: | Hurts in the crotch after long XC rides. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant (leg scrubber), Bianchi (hurts), Selle Italia Tri Matic (sucks) | | Bike Setup: | Bianchi SF960, Full LX, Mavic X223, IRC Mythos... | | Bottom Line: | I am known for my talent to wreck every thing. I had a selle italia tri matic, and I scratched it, bent it and ripped it... I bought the flight not long ago, and from the minute I got it I could see it's a chair that will last forever. It is super lightweight, and is very comfortable even for XC, although, it might hurt the crotches of little people. For road bikes, it's the perfect chair! I wont trade it for anything... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary
a Weekend Warrior
from Honolulu
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$59.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Weight, comfort, the narrowness of the saddle in the front | | Weaknesses: | Stitching in the front of the saddle.... might start wearing away and the peforated section on the back of the saddle fills up with mud all the time | | Similar Products Used: | Fizik Pave (tested only) | | Bike Setup: | 1999 Trek 7000 | | Bottom Line: | The Fizik saddle mad my boys sore in a few minutes, it might be the setup... but that was too fast. I rode on this saddle for almost five hours straight and the boys were fine, jus the legs were jello. The narrowness of the front section of the saddle allows me to stand up and toss the bike around with the saddle between my legs. I would recommend this saddle to any with that numbing feeling, u know what i mean, just catch it on sale on one of the internet bike store. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a
from Denver
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Strengths: | light, strong, works well for whats its for | | Weaknesses: | can get uncomfy, but i dont mind at all | | Bike Setup: | i have one on my xc race bike, stock trials, and road bike | | Bottom Line: | give it a shot,its so light, and fits well. it may be uncomfy but i think 90% of all saddles are worse than this. at 1/2 the weight of my dh saddle it certainly doesnt feel like 1/2 the comfort though, i love this seat | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jerome
a Weekend Warrior
from Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything in Charlesbourg | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Strengths: | Well, again, if you ever read my former Flite review, you know that I'm (as some pretend) a "Fashion rider", so good looks are as important for me as anything else. Then, you have a slim shape that's good for pedaling. And then, you have the titanium rails and overall construction quality that made Selle Italia's reputation all over the planet... | | Weaknesses: | As all Flites, but(t) maybe worse with the new ones : gets firmer and firmer as the rails give in. | | Similar Products Used: | XXXzens of Flites. | | Bike Setup: | 98' FSR Elite w/BETD plate link and Stratos FR-5. | | Bottom Line: | Not as "plush" as my former Flites (or is it me who's getting bigger ?) but still the most beautiful and one of the most efficient saddles to put on any bike. The kevlar (hey, DuPont, I didn't put that ® mark aside the world Kevlar, nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, hey !) corners are very useful, 'cause it's always (or almost always) there that you are gonna tear your favorite 100 $ saddle... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
trailblazer@usa.com
a Cross Country Rider
from Connecticut
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | the treasure trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Don's Cycle Shop, Fairfield CT | | Strengths: | titanium and kevlar materials | | Weaknesses: | see below | | Similar Products Used: | other Sella saddles | | Bike Setup: | Independent Fabrication frame, Thompson post | | Bottom Line: | This saddle is very uncomfortable and noisy. Mine seemed to flex every time I put stress on it, resulting in a dinging noise. I'm no fatty, so it's not me. Maybe this and the Thompson seatpost just aren't a very good combination, but I swapped the Flite out for a different model and things are fine now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rattled
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston Texas
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Selle Italia Quality, Great Looks, Lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive, Not quite as comfortable as the Original Flite. | | Similar Products Used: | Selle Italia Ti Flite, SDG Belair, Fizik Pave | | Bike Setup: | 2 wheels, etc etc. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this saddle to replace the cheapo SDG saddle that came stock on my Moab 1 ... I have been a longtime fanatic of the original Ti Flite and wanted something with a little more flair to replace the SDG.
This saddle is beautiful to look at, but not quite as comfy as the original Flite, mostly because of the seams. I am not sure if I have fully "broken in" my rear-end on this saddle though- it may get better with time. Also, bear in mind that any leather saddle requires a minimum amount of common sense maintanence to keep it in nice condition, espescially when you shell out $80+ for it ...
Bottom line: not as comfortable as the original flite, but more flashy due to the tri-color color scheme and more durable due to the kevlar panels. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jesse landis
a Racer
from deephaven MN
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | pergatory | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | stiff, light, good colors | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | lots | | Bike Setup: | xtr,cortina xc frame,raceface,rockshox sid,bebop | | Bottom Line: | This is my best saddle yet but not every saddle is right for you try many out before buying one. this saddle is hard but if it contacts the right places it won't matter. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lasse Räsänen
a Cross Country Rider
from Finland
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light
Good looks
Fits me perfectly
Kevlar to protect the edges | | Weaknesses: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | Scott stock saddle& other soft saddles | | Bike Setup: | XC hardtail | | Bottom Line: | I love it! Remember that if a saddle this hard doesn't fit your rear end then it will be brutally painful. However IMHO nothing beats a hard saddle that fits! If the shape's exactly right then a saddle could almost be made out of wood without it causing problems. When a saddle is the right shape for you then it supports you from the right (hard) places and doesn't put any pressure anywhere else. With a soft saddle you always have some pressure on the wrong bits of your body causing numbness and discomfort.
This is a good quality product and I wouldn't change the shape even though I have to pay for it in the form of some pant/short wear because of the seams in the older version.
TEST a saddle before buying it to see wether it fits your behind! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adim Farrell
a Racer
from Mill Valley, CA
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Wear and tear, comfort...Flite owns the comfort category. | | Weaknesses: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | WTB | | Bike Setup: | Giordana, Ultegra, Kestral Fork, Campy Wheels | | Bottom Line: | I ride a lot, commuting to work from Mill Valley to downtown SF three times a week and usually put in six hours on weekends. I would say that this is a great product overall but would caution against spending $100 on a saddle, unless you plan on spending serious time on it--you'll love the forgiveness of Ti rails. Having said that, I've gotten a lot of bang out of my buck and would stick with the brand, maybe trying next years model. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Chapel Hill
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | bolin creek | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Beautiful design, rugged | | Weaknesses: | hard, uncomfortable | | Bike Setup: | cannondale F1000 for off-road and cross town rides | | Bottom Line: | A great looking saddle, but be sure to consider the stitching and kevlar--they do make the seat very hard and uncomfortable on technical, long rides. i returned mine to the store and got a plain leather seat with a little bit more padding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
beetle
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: November 14, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Light and sleek looking | | Similar Products Used: |
Coda Comfort | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale Super V | | Bottom Line: | I have the saddle for 2 weeks. It is rock hard and very stiff to rest your butt on. Still trying to get (my butt) used to this piece of rock. Wouldn't buy it if I get to choose again. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Dare
a Downhiller
from England, Devon
Date Reviewed: October 23, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
buzzards roost | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Light, cool looking, kevlar corners, nice! | | Weaknesses: |
Expsensive, my red leather has started to disappear leaving a nasty black colour | | Similar Products Used: |
GT saddles, Vetta comfort, | | Bike Setup: |
Haro dual slalom, kick arse! | | Bottom Line: | Expsensive and doesnt take long to look crap (even after cleaning and waxing the damn thing) buy a cheaper version for better results. oohh yeah its bony as hell leaving you struggling to sit down with out screaming! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
yohji
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bukit Timah, Singapore
Date Reviewed: August 4, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Bukit Timah | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Light and comfortable | | Weaknesses: |
None I guess | | Similar Products Used: |
Specialized Carbotech Saddle (maganese rails) | | Bike Setup: |
1999 Specialized FSR XC | | Bottom Line: | This saddle is so much comfortable .. now I don't experience that much pain in my balls when I used to. It looks sleek and light too .. I think they are the best choice for biking. | | Overall Rating: |
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