Submitted by
Wonny
a Downhiller
from Mammoth lakes ca Date Reviewed: July 1, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Live wire
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$110.00
Purchased At:
Lbs
Strengths:
Soft tissue relief. Pedaling comfort. Weight.
Weaknesses:
Lack of cushioning on sides and back of saddle for freeriding/ dh
Similar Products Used:
Wtb pure, wtb rocket, sunline race
Bike Setup:
spec Sx trail Easton havoc wheels
Bottom Line:
The alias is a great saddle for experienced trail riders looking for a supportive ride. The body geometry design (i.e. Split seat) is worth every penny. This is the best pedaling saddle I've ever owned. Do not buy this saddle if you don't ride on regular basis. It will be too firm
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jcc456
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO Date Reviewed: June 8, 2009
Favorite Trail:
White Ranch
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$109.00
Purchased At:
Bike Source
Strengths:
Nice flat-design
Right amount of cushioning
Light
Weaknesses:
None yet
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Avatar & Rival
Bike Setup:
2008 Stumpjumper FST Expert
Bottom Line:
Great shape for those who like flat saddles but with more padding than the toupe. No numbness or discomfort at all. No break in period. Will put this on all my bikes.
This is the 2009 model without the strange cushion insets shown in the current photo here.
Expensive but worth it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
pakdoc
a Weekend Warrior
from Mountain Brook, AL USA Date Reviewed: August 18, 2008
Favorite Trail:
BUMP
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Bob's Bikes
Strengths:
Light weight, comfortable. Have two, one on road bike and mnt bike
Weaknesses:
Broke rail and replaced with Avatar on mnt bike and not as comfortable. Road bike still holding up well.
Similar Products Used:
BG Comp, Avatar
Bike Setup:
BLT2, XO, RF Next, CK IsoDiscs/X819's
Bottom Line:
Not a good mnt saddle, weak rails. Good road bike saddle.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
S.D.C
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia Date Reviewed: July 13, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Woodend
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Light enough for a decently priced mtb or road saddle. Looks half decent to. Comfortable enough for light-medium weight riders.
Weaknesses:
Stitching around the end of the saddle can come loose after a few falls, but it's generally well made.
Similar Products Used:
Various Specialized and giant saddles.
Bike Setup:
medium level hardtail cross country mtb
Bottom Line:
This would be a great saddle for road riding. This saddle is a good buy if you can pick up a second hand one cheap. it's Light enough for cross country MTBing to and quite durable, it's a great seat. I'm not sure i'd pay $160 AUD for a brand new one however, and if you're a heavier rider or into drop offs and jumps, perhaps look for something a little bit tougher.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joel
a Cross Country Rider
from France Date Reviewed: February 17, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
From a friend.
Strengths:
Pretty light and beautiful
Weaknesses:
Not the most comfortable saddle I've had and hard to wash after it gets dirty because of the cotton sewings
Similar Products Used:
Fizik and Selle Italia
Bike Setup:
On a Truvativ seatpost and Hope clamp
Bottom Line:
Most of the reviews below blame the saddle for its weak rails and I have to admit I can't say anything about that yet.
I'm a heavy rider but I never sit on my saddle on difficult sections or obstacles. My crankset and pedals always get most of the punishment.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bert
a
from Chicago, Il. USA Date Reviewed: November 3, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Palos
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Cycles and Sports
Strengths:
Very comfortable. durable, I use it on the road.
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
Terry, Bontrager
Bike Setup:
Madone, Lemond. Just buying a Giant Trance to do some mountain
Bottom Line:
I was having taint issues with the Terry Fly and the Bontrager seat the bikes came with. I like this seat. The BG design hits the spot (or doesen't hit the spot;) I do century rides and did three on this seat and felt as well as ever after a century. I just bought one off ebay for $60 for the mountain bike. Now I'm a little concerned after reading the other reviews.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from Houghton, MI Date Reviewed: October 25, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$44.00
Purchased At:
Specialized.com
Strengths:
Looks cool. Light. I love the seat. It's very comfortable, but bear in mind that I rarely sit while riding my dirt jump bike.
Weaknesses:
Very narrow. Make sure you really want narrow. Very expensive. I got a deal because I got mine on clearance. $120 or whatever they are full price is way too steep!
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager (crap)
I went into the bike shop and said I needed a new seat for my Specialized dirt jump bike. They put that on there. It was probably about a 150mm seat. I didn't like it. I hated it. But it helped me decide what I really wanted.
Bike Setup:
05 Specialized P.2 SS
Bottom Line:
This was a peculiar choice for my dirt jump bike. This seat is narrower and lighter than the seat on my old road bike. I bought it knowing what I was looking for. MAKE SURE YOU WANT NARROW! 130mm ain't no joke. I measure closer to the 120mm mark in the wide spot and about 40-45mm in the narrow part. Take a look at a ruler and make sure you know what we're talking about.
Again, I absolutely love the seat and knew what I wanted. It would really be better suited on a road bike. I'm thrilled. I just hope I'll still be able to have kids later on...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbia, MO USA Date Reviewed: October 10, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Local shop
Strengths:
I rode this saddle for a little over two years. It was reasonably light (263g) and stayed looking great even though most of my riding is off-road.
Weaknesses:
The most painful saddle I've ever ridden. It feels great for about 20 miles, then turns into the most terrible thing this side of a nail to sit on. Even the paper-thin Aspide it replaced was more confortable. Painful, painful, painful. Too costly (but all Specialized stuff is).
Similar Products Used:
Selle Italia Flite Gel, Selle San Marco Aspide, SDG Bel-Air SL, various others
Bike Setup:
Fisher SuperCaliber
Bottom Line:
By far, the worst saddle I've ever owned. I should have replaced it far sooner than I did. On the plus side, it never broke and looked great while I owned it.
If you plan to sit for miles and ride, buy something else. This saddle will only do if you spend most of your time standing up.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben
a
from Newark Date Reviewed: July 11, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
specialized.com
Strengths:
pretty light. Very narrow and low profile, good for mountain biking styles/conditions under which you want to drop behind the seat frequently. Because its narrow and low profile, you can slight behind it and back pretty easy and without catching your pants
Weaknesses:
Very painful, and unnessicarily so. I am used to a very stiff saddle but this is just too hard. Ti rails and carbon support is great, but you need at least a little padding. Poorly built. Rails are not held securely to the saddle, they are held loosely in holes that cannot be tightened up without squirting glue into them to fill in the gap. Makes the saddle shift slightly, but more significantly it makes the saddle squeek and crunk as you ride, really thats just an annoyance though, doesn't hurt performance.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager racelite X road saddle, some of the other bontrager seats
Bike Setup:
Trek SLR frame, Fox F-80 rlc, Avid bb7, Bontrager crank, XTR shifters, XT filling out the rest
Bottom Line:
I like stiff saddles, but this seat has no padding what so ever. BG would work well if they added just a little bit of padding. I got it because i drop my hips behind the saddle a lot in the area i mountain bike, and for that its good because i can get my legs around it. I've used bontrager racelite X and racelite XXX on road bikes before and found them much more comfortable without compromising performance. This is the only seat i have or ever have had that I use padded shorts with, and it is still more uncomfortable than any other seat i own. Bottom line, this seat was ill conceived and poorly designed. They spent too much time focusing on buzz words like titanium, carbon and BG that they forgot you had to sit on it for hours at a time. I bought it on clearance and i'm still not convinced it was a good buy, would gladly pay full price for a better seat
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgium Date Reviewed: July 6, 2007
Favorite Trail:
all
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$114.00
Purchased At:
BikeSportive
Strengths:
very comfy, body geometry really works for me
Weaknesses:
one of the rails broke...
Similar Products Used:
couple of Selle Italia Flites (can't sit on them anymore), 2002 BG saddle
Purchased in may 2005, didn't ride a lot in 2006 (rebuilding house), then hollow ti-rail broke in may 2007. I also broke a rail on a Flite. I'm probably too heavy for Ti rails (90kg/198lbs). No jumps, stunts but I like climbing in the saddle and pushing gears. The rail on the Alias broke where it exits the seatpost-clamp. Some say to get a post with wider support (like Thomson or Syntace) but I even read about failing rails on those.
The BG works for me so I'm now looking for a Specialized Rival saddle. The Rival SL is lighter and has solid Ti rails but the reviews tell me to stay away from it. Hopefully the hollow CroMo rails on the Rival will hold up.
bottom line: Great comfy saddle (no pain after a 6-hour ride) but bad rails. Innovate or die.... ;-)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Patterson
a Cross Country Rider
from UK Date Reviewed: April 17, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Strengths:
There are no strenghts to this product, its just awful.
Weaknesses:
Its too hard and very badly designed for Mountain Biking and I suspect Road Racing too.
Similar Products Used:
SDG Bel-Air RL
Bike Setup:
Orange 5 with Shimano XT everything, Mavic 819/Maxxis CrossMark
Bottom Line:
My assumption was this saddle was for Mountain Biking. Its not. I do 8 hour multi-day XC rides and this saddle actually ripped my backside clear off my body. Its designed so you sit directly on your pelvic bones so the only real contact the saddle has with your body are 2 small pressure points directly under your pelvic bones. After 2 days of constant friction on these 2 small areas, I had no skin left. Used Bel-Air for 10 years never had a problem, bought the Specialized on a whim. Back to Bel-Air.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric Menigat
a Cross Country Rider
from Bloomington, IN Date Reviewed: April 13, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Wapehani Mountain Bike Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$89.00
Purchased At:
REVOLUTION BIKE & BEAN
Strengths:
Light weight, quite comfotable while road riding and decent comfort offroad
Weaknesses:
like almost everyon else here the rails are very weak, i bent em and bent em back at least twice and now i just got in from a ride in which i cracked one rail so it is now a goner
Similar Products Used:
titec p.o.s. and a specialized body geometry saddle on my s.s. road bike
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Genisis Frame, cane creek wheelset, avid juicy 7,
Bottom Line:
If youre a cross country weight weanie who weighs around 150 lbs then this might be your saddle!
If your more into trail riding and on the heavier side look elsewhere!
Myself, well, I now have got a brooks saddle on the way and I cant wait!!!
great road saddle but bad mtb saddle.......
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mranderson
a Weekend Warrior
from Albufeira, Portugal Date Reviewed: February 24, 2007
Favorite Trail:
XC - Road
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Very Comfortable, light, different width options
Weaknesses:
weak, very weak rails, bent after 3 months
Similar Products Used:
had 5 saddles before this one and none was so comfortable
Bike Setup:
scott scale 60, XT, XTR drivetrain, manitou black
Bottom Line:
the most comfortable saddle that i ever tried but none that i've owned had bend rails , luckly specialized gave me a new one , the 2007 model, hope this one lasts longer. I agree with all the other posters this saddle was ment to be used on road, not off road. Still is the most comfy saddle that i know about. if this one's rails don't hold i'm gona try WTB, i've hurd they are very comfy too. the saddle gets 5 chilis for comfort but a 97 euros seat and Ti rails it should hold, so it gets 2 chilis
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Cooper
a Weekend Warrior
from denver Date Reviewed: December 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
derr creek canyon
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
light, comfortable, has carbon?
Weaknesses:
weak... snapped in half after a season on a xc bike
Similar Products Used:
stock saddles
Bike Setup:
hard-tail, marz mx-pro fork, rhino-lites...
Bottom Line:
i switched this saddle between my road and mountain bikes for a season, and it was incredibly comfortable, but it snapped perpendicular to the rails, which are also bent, and all the sticking is coming apart... I have ridden a few hundred miles a week all summer, so i was not easy on it, but i would expect more than one season from a $100 saddle
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
nick
a
from sydney Date Reviewed: November 9, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Bottom Line:
as an update to my last post... the 78kg MTB rider from Oz... Avanti the dealer for Specialized in Australia would not cover the saddle after the Ti rails bent following half a dozen XC rides. Avanti returned the saddle to my LBS after having it for 5 weeks with a note saying "not covered under warranty". No explanation was given despite the guys in the LBS having seen my mountain bike to satisfy their concerns that the saddle was not abused out of reckless behaviour on my part. So, heed the warnings about this saddle... do not buy this saddle unless you are strictly a road user. There's a reason why this product gets an overall rating of 2.4 chillis! Look at the common trend in this post, it's not good.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
XC
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, Australia Date Reviewed: September 27, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
good PR
Weaknesses:
the product
Bike Setup:
Inner City Cycles, Glebe
Bottom Line:
I've been riding XC for many years now, duallies and hard tails. At 6'2", weighing in at 78kgs I'm far from big but you would think otherwise looking at my Alias saddle of all of 3 moinths!
Let's digress for a moment... even if you're into DH and you take hits of 10ft+ (not me) or XC riding where you might venture off the height of the pavement (me) - in either situation you are not likely to sit on your saddle while doing so which might cause the item to fail, and all hope of parenthood! So, lets look at XC riding, are you likely to come off you're bike? Yes, you're in the wrong sport if you think otherwise. It is reasonable to expect a saddle to take a bit of punishment but the Alias alas doesn't like it. If you like you're mountain bike riding don't bother with this product, this is suitable for only road users.
I'm seeing my LBS on Saturday for them to review the bent product along with my bike (not bent!), lets hope the warranty lives up to it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from England Date Reviewed: September 8, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Alps
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Freewheel
Strengths:
After the initial break in period it's a great perch. The sit bones take a little training but once through the pain barrier you just don't notice the saddle, which is what you want. You really notice how comfortable it is if you sit on something else for a while.
Weaknesses:
I've had no trouble with the rails, still straight and true. I am however, on my second saddle as the stitching on the sit bone pads dies on the first muddy ride. This saddle really doesn't work on a mountain bike in the UK. We just don't have the weather for it.
Similar Products Used:
Flite Ti for as long as they've been around. Wore through the leather eventually!
Bike Setup:
Turner six pack with Fox 36rc2 forks/Hope enduro brakes/XTR gearing/Turbine LP chainset.
Bottom Line:
Almost wish I had a road bike to put this on. It's a great saddle but the durability just isn't good enough. Specialized are about to exchange my second one but how long will they keep doing that for?? It needs stronger stitching
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ed W
a Cross Country Rider
from Helena, MT, USA Date Reviewed: July 31, 2006
Favorite Trail:
dirt
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Fast looking, Ti rails, very lightweight, Body Geometry technology
Weaknesses:
uncomfortably hard
Similar Products Used:
stock BG specialized saddle ('04), Avatar Gel
Bike Setup:
'04 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR
Bottom Line:
I've been having some issues with saddle numbness, so I wanted a new one with more of a design emphasis on fixing this. I do some XC racing, so I went with the raciest/lightest one. The Alias fit my sit-bones well, but the saddle skimped too much for me on padding. My crotch was way too sore after the pounding of XC riding on this hard saddle. I traded it in for the Avatar Gel which felt much better on the butt. Design felt great for the Alias, but I think it belongs on the road with fewer bumps.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a
from Southend, Essex, England Date Reviewed: June 27, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$98.00
Purchased At:
Wiggle
Strengths:
Comfy, light, looks pretty good new
Weaknesses:
Broke after 6 months. Finish became tatty after only a couple of months.
Similar Products Used:
Standard item
Bike Setup:
Fairly standard Rockhopper 2004
Bottom Line:
It was more comfy and lighter than the standard item but broke at the front after about 6 months/3000 miles (20% x country, 80% road use).
I'm 65 kilos and don't do any big jumps/drops so a bit surprised it broke so quickly. Maybe it's OK for just road use but I wont be buying another for the MTB.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
pedaler845
a Cross Country Rider
from NY Date Reviewed: June 14, 2006
Favorite Trail:
any 909, Blue, Jockey Hill,...
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$90.00
Purchased At:
bikeway
Strengths:
Even more comfortable than WTB's!
Weaknesses:
Weak rails STAY AWAY!
Similar Products Used:
WTB, Fizik,serfas
Bottom Line:
The most comfy saddle I ever found. I broke 3 in 7 months!!! I even called Specialized and they said "no weight limit". Luckily Bikeway honored the Warranty, but now Im trying other specialized and none fit like the Alias. I weigh 170, just x/c riding. Youve been warned, and Specialized...what the fvck, over?!!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim Greene
a Cross Country Rider
from Overland Park, KS, USA Date Reviewed: June 8, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Landhal
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$99.00
Strengths:
Most comfortable saddle I have ridden.
Weaknesses:
Hollow titanium rails bend when used off-road. 2 saddles were bent will less than 50 miles on both saddles.
Similar Products Used:
Terry Fly, Fizik, and Coda
Bike Setup:
Turner XCE
Bottom Line:
This saddle was designed for road use and is not sturdy enough for serious off road use. After bending two saddles, I use this on my road bike only now. I am anxiously waiting for the off-road version of this saddle from Specialized. Until then I will use a Terry Fly on my mountain bike.
The saddle for road use gets 5 chilis, however for off road use I have given it 3.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Racer
from Madison, Wi Date Reviewed: April 18, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Blue Mounds SP
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$85.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Saddle has a great feel. the "love" channel is a great innovation for guys (maybe girls too, but I don't know much about that). My LBC let me test the different widths, which was great. Being able to choose the width for your bone structure is awesome. Make sure you test before you buy. I race on it for the '05 season and it was perfect.
Weaknesses:
no weakness
Similar Products Used:
the stock BG on my stumpy, koobi ti on my tri bike
not sure what the deal is with the other posters rail issues, but I'm 150 lbs and my rails are striaght as an arrow after a hard season at WORS, and my stuff doesn't go numb anymore.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Loufek
a Weekend Warrior
from Costa Mesa, CA, USA Date Reviewed: April 10, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
I found the saddle to be comfortable. Used Selle Italia Ti Flite seats for years and decided to try this one.
Weaknesses:
Just bent the ti rails on my second one after less than 2 months of use on my mountain bike. I bent the rails on the first one after only 2 months. I weight 170# and do cross-country riding. I am not doing jumps etc. Specialized replaced the first one. If they replace this one, I will trade it in for something else. The Selle SLR is also too weak. Snapped the rear bracket in one month and Selle told me is not to be used on a mountain bike, so no warranty. Good-bye $120.
Similar Products Used:
Selle Italia Ti Flite, Selle Italia SLR (do NOT use on a mountain bike)
Bottom Line:
Do not buy this seat if you plan to use it on a mountain bike. The Flite has Ti rails and they lastest years. The leather covering wore out first.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RS
a Weekend Warrior
from AZ Date Reviewed: April 3, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
bike shop
Strengths:
BG technology, sit-bone width WORKS! Though this is the lightest saddle I've ever owned, it's by far the most comfortable! Mine is 143mm
Weaknesses:
Ti rails broke after 3 months!
This is NOT suitable as a MOUNTAINBIKE saddle if you weigh of 100lbs!!!
Similar Products Used:
lots
Bike Setup:
agressive trails / light FR
Bottom Line:
The BG and width options are GREAT! I'm buying a beefier BG saddle to replace the Alias.
Performance wise, it's 4 chillis - more padding would have landed it 5.
Longevity = less than 1 chilli.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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