Been looking at some new saddles, and I noticed that a lot of the Fizik saddles don’t have the cutout channel down the center. Are they still comfortable, even for longer distances? What’s your favorite model?
John
I like the Arione CX the best but I appear to be unlike everyone else that swears by they Adamo.
jaretj
Had a Arizone tri2 and it wasnt at all comfortable.
Adamo is what works for me.
Can you get a saddle to demo before buying?
I like the Arione CX the best but I appear to be unlike everyone else that swears by they Adamo.
jaretj
I’ve never ridden an adamo. I had a specialized toupe 130mm that I used for a long time with no problems. I currently have a cobb V-flow+, and the junk goes numb after about 30 mins. Was thinking about trying one of the Fizik models, but very few have the padding cut out, but their shells are cut out in those areas.
Thanks for the feedback.
John
Have one currently because it came with my bike and I’m too cheap to change it out. I absolutely hate it in all honesty.
I have a Romin (w cutout) on one bike and 2 Antares (w/o cutout) saddles on other bikes. I like the Antares saddles better. Shape/size fits me better.
So… size and shape make more difference than cutout. …and yes, you’ll have to try a bunch to see what fits. I tried Ariones and they felt like butt hatchets to me.
HTH
M
Intesting enough I just measured my sit bones (as close as I could) and I think I got 97mm. I have it written down at home.
I also sit on my tri bike like most people sit on a road bike with a postierior pelvic tilt.
Look up Arion Versus and see what you think. That has a channel that may interest you.
jaretj
Been looking at some new saddles, and I noticed that a lot of the Fizik saddles don’t have the cutout channel down the center. Are they still comfortable, even for longer distances? What’s your favorite model?
John
I swear by the Adamo Racing II on the T/T-tri bike (Felt DA), although I do get sore after 60 or so miles. Ironically only use Fizik Arione Tri2 on my road (Felt F4) and cross (Felt B2pro conversion) bikes. The Arione didn’t work well for me in the T/T position, but I ride in a pretty aggressive position. However, I find them very comfy on a road bike setup. I’ve also noticed that the Fizik saddles are better finish quality than the Adamo, if your into that kinda thing. For example, the Fiziks have a nicely finished underside whereas the Adamo show all the fabric ends and staples (perhaps I just have a crappy one?!). Both saddles have ample room for a spare tube, air, and lever stuffed underneath.
The wife rides a Fizik Aliante Carbon and absolutely loves it… don’t know exactly why… maybe I should be nervous!!!
As someone said above (Jaret I think)… make sure you are sitting back enough on the saddle (ie: in the correct spot). I think a lot of triathletes tend to slide forward because the power is better, but then the nose of the saddle bothers you sooner. Every high-end saddle has a sweet spot so make sure your fitter puts you in the spot and levels the saddle properly. I have found those two things are key.
ps: I’m about 153lbs, 5’8", ride about 275-300 miles/week spring-fall (150-200/week winter), race mainly 70.3 distance, no road or cross racing just training
The new Arione versus saddles do have a center cut out. I only ride Ariones, love them. I have a versus version on my road bike and I have to tell you that I think I prefer the flat version with no cut out, but to each his own.
Good question and as you can see here by the varied responses it isn’t a sure bet to be a winner for you but probably worth trying if you havent found “your saddle” yet. I personally am a huge Fizik fan but in my bike fitting business I know that one saddle isnt the answer for everyone’s shape. For your entertainment I ride the antares vs on my mtn bike, arione cx on my road & cx bikes and arione vs on my tri bike. the arione tri II has a lot of cusion up front so it excels when you are positioned very aggressively on the nose. Sitting on it normally it is a lot of saddle. maybe too much. The vs version of the arione does really well taking the shape and having some properly placed padding so when you sit appropriately if is well supported but the channel relieves your bits. when you scoot forward and get aggressive it slims down a bunch but the channel I find to be pretty functional in again, giving your bits a break. I vote the arione vs or cx (no channel) is worth trying.
most good fizik dealers will have their demo saddles or at least have some of these models that they will let you try out on a ride before making a commitment.
one more thing- my wife loves the fizik vesta and I have had a lot of success fitting women on TT bikes with that saddle too!
have fun!
Ryan
I ride an Arrione Vs. on my road bike and the Felt stock saddle on my TT bike. I like the Arrione a lot for the road bike. One thing I’ve noticed is that on the Felt, I slide slightly off center on the nose to get comfortable when riding way forward. If I try that with the Arrione Vs, it is very uncomfortable because of the channel. I find having the nose centered on the Arrione much more comfortable.
I switched to the Vs because I was getting numbness. I think what really helped was lowering my saddle a couple of mm though.
I rde an Arione tri for several years, wantd to try something new so cycled through the Adamos and Cobbs, hated them. Back to Arione, and eventually to the Planet X arione knockoff, which they sell for $29. Go figure, most comfortable saddle I’ve used.
Tried an arione road Cx, white with a black stripe, and didn’t like it. Was going to put it on the classifieds for $125 if you are intersted (road, not tri). It’s thisone: http://www.artscyclery.com/descpage-FZACXK2.html Slightly used, lo mileage (bought in November), no scuffs/marks
I ride the Fizik Arione Tri 2 saddle on my tri bike. I like the longer nose which lets me move forward a bit more.
-- Scott
I’ve got the Antares and it’s been surprisingly comfortable, even though it seems very firm when you press on it with your hand. Impressed so far.
I ride the Arione tri2 and love it. I can ride any distance (I’ve done up to 130 miles) and really never even notice the saddle is there. I did a retro race in a speedo last year with no problem.
With saddles, you need to consider seat height, tilt, and overall bike fit. Also, need to consider shorts, chamois cream, etc.
On the cut out down the middle, I believe there are two styles of sitting on the saddle (regarding this issue) 1. put taint in taint pocket/cut out, or 2. lay taint on the side. I prefer on the side, and therefore no cut out. In the old days with non-aero seat posts I used to skew the post slightly one way (away from your natural drift) to create taint space.
Hope this makes sense :-)!
I use the Arione on my tribike with no issues. On the road bike I use the Aliante, rides as long as 125 miles without numbness or soreness issues. YMMV–agree you should try the saddle if you can. Most places will charge you for a demo and then subtract that from the cost of a new one if you buy. BTW, I tried the Cobb V flow plus with poor results. Never tried an Adamo but as these saddles work well for me, not really interested in experimenting.
I absolutely love my Antares Kium. I tried many saddles (including ones with cutout) before and Antares is my No. 1. On my new bike I have Antares carbon braided and is stiffer which is OK as this is my race machine.
So I’m in the process of trading a Specialized Romin (w cutout) for an Antares 00 without 'cause the Romin is an @ss hatchet.
So far, I’ve tried both Romins and Toupes and haven’t liked either. Unless Specialized does something different in the future, I’m gonna say ‘no more Specialized saddles for this man.’
YMMV
M
Trisports has/had a demo saddle program. I tried all the demo models in Tucson for a week or two. Not sure if they still have it or if the Tempe store has it.
EDIT: I have 4-6 here that I’m getting ready to list for sale. I’ll email you pics of them so you can see if you want to try any of them