After reading this forum I put my regular fizik arione on my road bike (I really like that saddle) and got the arione tri - this saddle is not nearly as nice in terms of build quality and materials and the nose is no longer flat which was the primary advantage of the arione for time trial position was the long flat wide nose - the arione tri has hard plastic padding and is curved at the nose just like any other saddle. Also it feels like a cheap plastic peice of cr**p - and it looks too glitzy. If anyone wants to swap a regular arione for an arione tri let me know. My advice - stick with the regular arione (your genitals will thank you) and dont bother with the tri model.
I thought I would vent my opinion so anyone looking for reviews on this saddle gets the truth.
I think it’s just a gimmick just like the Selle San Marco Azoto Tri and Aspide Tri. I’ve tried both of these and both suck! The nose of the saddle is too fat and bulky. Selle Italia SLR is more comfy.
but triathlon saddles aren’t really about your ass - its about sitting on the nose of the saddle (on basically your genitals) - the whole point of the tri model was to enhance this experience, however by putting in a curve and taking the flex out of the nose they managed to actually create a saddle that is worse - I think an arione with a cover is far better than the tri model with or without a cover (I’ve raced on both models and this is my opinion as judged by the condition of my boys during and after the race)
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no, I dont mean to contradict you, I just think that this saddle is crap - its not made well and comparing the tri model to the road race model it seems fizik thinks triathletes are well… gullible? This saddle looks like it should cost about half of what the regular arione goes for. If your happy on it thats great - one of my favorite saddles cost $5 brand new. I think fizik screwed this up - if they could have taken the arione and kept the nose flat and perhaps maybe put some gel in the nose while retaining the quality flexible shell of the arione they would have crafted a gem. Also this is a forum - I can post my opinion - there does not ahve to be any consensus/ drama about who is right/ I am accusing you of lying about your cockn’balls’s happiness etc
Saddles are so subjective that it is doubtful that we’ll ever get consensus on one particular model. I myself can’t ride the nose, no matter what saddle I’m on. There are certain parts of the body that are not designed to be ridden on. Sitting on my Sitz bones for me. I don’t need to be more aero at the expense of my ‘taint’.
I’ve tried so many saddles, I’ve lost count. The regular Arione is now on my road bike, and I’m very happy with it. But, no matter what I put on my Tri-bike, at best, I would still have numbness issues after a couple of hours. I tried gels, saddles with gell AND cut-outs, saddle covers, FSA Visiontech (like the Azoto Triathgel nose), and although some seemed better than others, I never found the answer. Until…I tried the Koobi Triathlon saddle. I put a Desoto pad over it. Poof. No more numbness problems. This saddle is split all the way down to the nose. When it breaks down enough to stop working well (Koobi estimates it will break down after about 350 hours of saddle time, I think), I’ll buy another one. It’s the best money I’ve spent on equipment, because it allows me to be comfortable enough to train longer.
Tri saddle? Waste of time for me. I just like the setup I have. Like Tibbsy said, though, everyone is different, and my undercarriage prefers the arione with the QR Mr. Flitie.
OK, so it does not work for you. Thanks for sharing. Saddle fit and comfort is a complicated thing and in the end very personal. Bottom line, what works for one, will not work for another. A bargain bin $29.99 saddle may work like a dream for one person, while the same high zoot, super-duper $299.99 may give him permanent damage.
Another point - As I stood at the exit to T1 at a large triathlon this past weekend, I noticed that a significant number of triathletes had terrible saddle positioning. Just looking at the way they had the saddles positioned, looked painful. Not sure where these folks got guidance, but I saw some ridiculous set-ups!