Description:The latest creation from Selle Italia is the FLUID featuring a “hydrodynamic” system that comprises a number of fluid filled cushions located between the padding and the base. This new patent system reflects the very latest innovation in technological research on the comfort issue from the premier Italian saddle manufacturer.
Submitted by
Shawn
a Cross Country Rider
from Ashburn, VA USA Date Reviewed: April 18, 2006
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
It was a gift.
Strengths:
Nifty chrome-exhaust-pipe look on the back end.
Weaknesses:
It hurts when I sit down for days afterwards.
Similar Products Used:
Selle San Marco (unknown model, came stock on bike)
Bike Setup:
Pro-Flex 756, Noleen NR-2 coilover shock, Manitou SX-R coil-spring fork, SRAM gripshifters, Shimano XT derailleurs, Cane Creek bolt-on handgrips/bar-ends, Avid mechanical front disc brake, custom Shimano/Mavic wheels, misc. Shimano/Sugino parts here and there.
Bottom Line:
This saddle looked nice and the "fluid inner lining" promised to be comfortable. Unfortunately, my backside doesn't like having all of my weight on two small bones instead of spread out over a larger area. (not that there is much more area to work with...) This seat is so uncomfortable for me that I cannot ride more than once every five days or so, or else my backside will get so sore that I can't sit down. This is after three years of adjusting to the feel of this saddle. It's built strong, but because of the discomfort I simply cannot recommend this product at all.
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Submitted by
David
a Downhiller
from malaysia Date Reviewed: September 12, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
Guan Bicycles Shop
Strengths:
comfort..depends on ur bone shape
Weaknesses:
heavy...
Similar Products Used:
selle...wtb..else
Bike Setup:
kona stinky dee luxe
Bottom Line:
the 1st day i use it..i feel good..it fits me very much. but after a few weeks..i realise some "fluid" coming out from my saddle..(wat selle italia says that it is a new fluid system) ...it is heavy too.
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Submitted by
Justin
a Cross Country Rider
from Farnham, UK Date Reviewed: September 1, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$70.00
Strengths:
Puts no pressure at all on the soft bits. Really excellent from that perspective and much bettyer than my old saddle. I think from the reviews here it must suit the heavier rider very well.
Weaknesses:
The saddle is hard, and I think comfort is only guaranteed if the shape fits the bones in your pelvis. It seems like some of the heavy riders review this very highly. I am 70 KG, 5'10", and after a month of riding ~15KM every day I actually have boils on my bum right on the pelvis bones where the pressure points are, (Yes really) and sitting down on a hard chair is starting to hurt.
Bike Setup:
Alloy hardtail MTB
Bottom Line:
Love it or hate it it seems. I've run hot and cold on this saddle since I got it. For a week I disliked it because of the the pressure on the pelvis, despite the fact that it so effectively took the pressure off the soft bits that I was no longer sore after a ride. For two weeks I thought it was good, and was was giving it a 4/5. I though my arse had hardened up . - Wrong!! After a month it's real problems have "bottomed out" so to speak. I tolerated my last saddle for several years, but now have I have replaced general soreness and bashed soft bits from the old saddle with distinctly hurting and raw pressure points on my pelvis. The boil on the bum was the final straw. There must be a compromise.
Riding well back on the saddle helps, and you need an aggressive (low bar) stance to get your arse bones at the right angle. It's certainly a racing saddle, but that's prety much how my MTB is set up anyway. Moving the saddle fully forward helped, but the shortish rails meant I still can't really get back enough on the saddle to fully sort this out.
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Submitted by
Fatman
a Cross Country Rider
from Feldafing Date Reviewed: June 28, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
Bike Pallast Salzburg
Strengths:
A race saddle,that is definitely comfortable,too
Weaknesses:
it weighs in at about 150g more that the lightest (it is about 370g).
Similar Products Used:
Flite Ti, Flite Max Tinker Juarez, Fizik Nisene Ti, Brooks Swift (fabulously expensive), Selle Italie 100th, Lookin,Julie Furtado (!) ...
Bike Setup:
Dekerf Generation 1996 Hardtail, Marzocchi Bomber Atom 80, Shimano XT, Time ATACS, Race Face cranks, Yeti bar, Roox Stem (10°/13cm), tune hubs, Mavic Ceramic 521 rims
Bottom Line:
I am fat (240lbs) so I am dependent on a good saddle. This saddle is the best saddle I ever put my behinds on by a wide margin (next being the Brooks when broken in for three month at least). First, it is not at all softish, you have a firm seat on it (this means, that you DON'T get a lame back, because the muscles need not stabilize the back, as is often the case with soft saddles, on which you whobble around). It is slim, so it DOESN'T rub between the legs and you can go easily behind it if necessary. So it very racy, in the first place. Second, it is very very comfortable, much more than you might believe at first contact. I had enless trouble with saddles, as you can see by the list of products used. But this one really does it. THIS IS THE BEST SADDLE FOR RIDING FAST, HARD AND A LONG TIME WITHOUT ASS-PAIN; YOU'LL NEVER GET BOTHERED BY YOUR ASS, ANY MORE. This saddle has added a huge lot to my enjoying riding, and it has made me faster, too. With all other saddles, after 1-2h I used to lift my ass more often from the saddle than was good for my rhythm of cycling. I cannot recommend this saddle too warmly. If you have problems with saddles, definitely try this one.
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Submitted by
fred murphy
a Cross Country Rider
from cotati , CA. U.S.A. Date Reviewed: March 7, 2003
Favorite Trail:
north burma/ rough-go
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$89.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
i have to admit it has a cool look. nice contour shape.
Weaknesses:
hard. no give.
Similar Products Used:
WTB saddles
Bike Setup:
jamis komodo
Bottom Line:
this saddle is so hard i use it to shape diamonds. I thought the fluid inside the would provide a softer ride to my commuter harttail bike. It just does not.
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Submitted by
Karl
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose, California Date Reviewed: December 26, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
extreme comfort
Weaknesses:
weight
Similar Products Used:
everything worth trying
Bike Setup:
Jekyll
Bottom Line:
This saddle is so comfortable, I don't even need padded bike shorts. A must-have for sore dumpers.
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Submitted by
Bluecast
a Weekend Warrior
from Memphis,TN USA Date Reviewed: September 17, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Stanky Creek
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$114.00
Purchased At:
Selle Italia Website
Strengths:
Comfortable, very supple
Weaknesses:
not for mountain bikes
Similar Products Used:
Specialized body geometry comfort plus and s-works, serfas dual density
Bike Setup:
Serrota CSI full Dura Ace
Bottom Line:
I had been waiting for this saddle for 7 months since I saw the preview for it in the Interbike sneak a peak 2001. My LBS told me that after this long wait, that the saddle had been discontinued! I refused to beleive it and found out you can order directly from Italy but it takes a month to get here. So I paid the extra dough, and a week after I got it...so did my LBS. Typical eh? I had been riding a Specialized Body geometry comfort plus on my 2001 S-works FSR. I decided to throw the Fluid on it and take a spin to see how the two compaired. For the first hour and a half it felt great, better then the specialized. However, at the end of 3 1/2 hours my rump was tenderized. The repeated bumps and jamming of the saddle into my butt was too much for this saddle to absorb. I thought, oh well might as well put it on the Serrota since thats why I really bought it. On the road bike it rulz. It's a superb seat when you take out all the large hits you get from trail riding. I've riden this saddle 3 to 5 times a week over the past 3 months and I love it. I just wish they would make a more plush version for off road use. I highly recommend it to everyone who road rides, but a word of caution to my fellow dirt huggers.
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Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Batavia, IL Date Reviewed: May 18, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Speed Goat
Strengths:
More comfortable than that ol' couch at Grandma's house
Weaknesses:
Overweight
Similar Products Used:
Max Flite Trans Am, Fizik Nisene
Bike Setup:
'98 Schwinn S-20 Full XTR, RaceFace, Easton, Time, Thompson, AD12, Marz Marathon, Rolf Urracos and Flite Fluid
Bottom Line:
I've spent two years upgrading my ride and researching this sight for the best of the best setups... After several uncomfortable experiences with other seats I have not regreted the additional weight at all. At first it hurt when I compared it the the Fizik but once I tried it can't say enough good things about it
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Submitted by
marty
a Cross Country Rider
from florida Date Reviewed: April 12, 2002
Favorite Trail:
I'll never tell
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$89.00
Purchased At:
bikeworld.com
Strengths:
No rear hump Slender design Firm, NOT squishy Composite construction gentles the ride Break-in? What stinking break-in?
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Terry Liberator Y Titanium Race, Bontrager, Coda, Avocet
Bike Setup:
Trek 8000LT
Bottom Line:
All I can say is WOW. Look ma no numb butt. Look ma no sore boys. Look ma no numb feet.
I have been looking for a saddle that wouldn't aggravate my previously dislocated hip and this is the one. At first, when you see the name "Fluid" you think squishy. This saddle is anything but squishy. It is firm, yet gentle on the sit bones even after 20 miles in the saddle. Compared to the other saddles listed their is no peer. All of them caused me severe pain.
The slender design doesn't get in the way of my legs and the rear design doesn't rise in the rear. There is just a slight rise in the sit bone area. The rear has a slight cutout - not extreme like a Specialized Body Geometry - and there is a moderate love channel for the boys.
At first glance you think, How could this thing be comfortable? It doesn't have the extreme Terry's cutout. It doesn't have the extreme Specialized design. How does it work? Its the fluid dudes and dudettes. The fluid. This saddle conforms to your rear like a well worn glove and gives you excellent support without being too hard or too soft. Its just right.
Who should buy this saddle? If you have had hip injuries give this one a try. It will lengthen the time you can deal with a saddle. Another tip for hip injured riders if you don't go with this one - choose a flat saddle like this and you may even want one that is even narrower in the rear.
Who shouldn't buy it? Well, saddles are a personal thing, of course. If you suffer from numbness in your lower extremities after a long ride you need to try it. Otherwise, stick with what you have.
I plan on buying two more for my other bikes.
Mountain Bike magazine gave an incorrect price of $300 for this saddle and then retracted it in a later issue. The Gear Queer is still saying it is $300 on their website. IT ISN'T that much.
Ratings? For me its 5 flamers baby all around. I now have zero pain and I feel great! Two thumbs up for an excellent design SI!
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