I just did a one and a half hour Computrainer ride with Greg here in the store and am getting back on to do another of the same with Calvin. During the first ride I used my new Guru Tri-Lite with DA 10s and new Mavic Ksyrium 650cs and an ASpide Triathlon saddle. After hoping off I quickly switched to a Fizik Arione saddle, the new 30cm one used in the Giro by Simoni. I am very, very impressed and pleasantly surprised. The rails enble the saddle to be positioned very well for a tiathlete and use with aerobars. The back 4cm of the saddle is useless on this bike, I’ll probably never touch it, but riding on the front 2/3rds or even 1/3rd of the saddle is really nice. I am favorably impressed. This saddle is a viable option for triathletes I think.
I just sat on my ass for one and a half hours listening on speakerphone to a bunch of lawyers talk about a case. want to switch jobs?
Yeah but you have big $$$$ which = big house which = chicks since money and houses are all they care about. Actually, yeah, on second thought, I’m fine. I’ll stick with what I’ve got.
I thought everyone knew better than to listen to a lawyer (especially for 1.5 hours)! :~)
Aloha,
Larry
<<Yeah but you have big $$$$ which = big house which = chicks since money and houses are all they care about.>>
Amen to that.
A Lexus SUV for x-mas doesn’t hurt either.
well more accurately its big $$$$ + big tri addiction = new hed wheels and aerobar + no chicks cause I cant stay out past my bedtime to meet them + sitting in my office trying to write a memo while wishing I was out cruising on my favorite run at 145bpm. So I think you are right not to accept my offer! My job is actually quite interesting and challenging but I seriously think that once I get everything on my wishlist (including a new 2004 orbea starship carbon road bike) plus a little cushion for spending allowance I think I will “retire” to Florionapolis to become a full-time tri/surf bum and train for Ironman Brazil. Why? Go to Brazil and you’ll find out!
I ride on the Fizik Alliante, it’s far and away the best saddle I have ever ridden on. Totally worth the money. Not to mention it’s silver.
Leigh
(a chick who makes her own $$$)
"(a chick who makes her own $$$) "
My type of woman. Do you have a tri or road geometry bike? It looks like a good road saddle but is it kind of thin in the front for a tri geometry? There doesn’t look like much padding to accomodate boy anatomy. Of course that wouldn’t be a concern for you!
OK, this is embarassing. The saddle is on my road bike. I race (in triathlons) on my road bike. I love my bike (a Pinarello Prince), bought it about 8 months ago. The Fizik saddle is the perfect saddle for my bike stylewise. Great lines, matches the paint job. I had a lot of trepidation about the lack of padding and the narrowness of the saddle (particularly up front). We women have numbness issues also, though maybe not as potentially irritating as yours. But the saddle looked so damn cool.
As I was leaving the shop with my new bike, the owner drove up and said “Cool, you bought that saddle? Does it work for your butt?” My response “I don’t know, and who cares? Do you see how good it looks?”
So it was complete serendipity that it turned out to be the best saddle I have ever ridden on. Whether I ride 30 or 100 miles I have NO saddle issues. I ride in the drops a lot and its still comfortable. I love it, love it, love it. Now I feel really smart for buying it.
And it looks so damn cool.
Leigh
I second the motion on the Aliante. It is by far the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever ridden. I’ve only ridden it on my road bike, but I have a feeling it would not be comfortable for riding in the aero position, but then that’s what we have the Aspide and Azoto for. 
Tom,
Is the Arione supposed to be a road saddle or is it designed around being in the aero position? It looks quite a bit different than the Aliante. Can you give us any details? The Fizik site doesn’t give any sort of description for the Arione.
What are you emberassed for. Half of a great bike is how You and It look. (Though out of curiosity What does a Cyborg look like riding a bike?)
how is th Fizik sitting straight up in climbing position? The problem I had with the apside was that it was uncormfortable when sitting up and even cause some back problems because of its slope.
My impression was that the Fizik Arione was intended as a road saddle, not a tri saddle. However, when I was in Thailand I rode with Norman Stadler. I noticed he had a Selle Italia SLR saddle. That is definately not a tri saddle. I watched Stadler’s position carefully during our ride (as carefully as I could with my heart rate redlined) and I noticed he was very “planted” or centered on the saddle. His position was an impressive combination of power and aerodynamics. When we got back to the hotel and on the day of the race I really went soup-to-nuts on his bike. I looked the whole thing over and stole some measuremments too while it was in the transition area just to see where he stood. I was very intrigued by his saddle choice. I asked him about it and he said (he’s pretty soft spoken) “It’s fine”. So, on the way home (between Nintendo games on the airplane) I did a lot of thinking and made a lot of note from the photos I took. I spoke with a buddy of mine SuperDave on this forum, about Stadler’s bike set up. As a matter of fact, we had some long conversations about it including last night at Tijuana Kitchen, the local Mexican place.
SuperDave pointed out that the configuration of rails and how they are joined to the saddle frame and how felxible the saddle frame is has a lot to do with how the saddle will work on a tri bike. I decided to try the Arione just as an experiment, not intending for it to work.
I was very pleasantly surprised. It really did feel very comfortable and non-obtrusive in the aero position, and there sure is plenty of saddle to sit on. I like it. A pleasant surprise.
The saddle sounds great, but is it me or does anyone else have a problem with the name Fizik? I don’t know if I spend an extended period of time sitting my arse on something that brings prune juice, etc to mind. I mean, does sitting on this saddle have the same effect? Just an observation.
It is funny how little thought companies put into naming some products, and how much some put into others. The problem with the name of this saddle is no one immediately knew how to pronounce it. Then Calvin called it the “fizik Areola”. After everybody stopped laughing the name stuck. Yesterday I was sitting in the office and I heard one of the guys on the floor telling s acustomer “We just got some of these new Areola saddles in, check it out…” Now we don’t even realize we’re saying it.
Tom,
Have you ridden the Aliante? If so, what are your impressions of it? It would be nice if you were able to compare and contrast the two. Also, do you know the different material options available for the Arione?
Okay, fine! My will is broken! After yet another long indoor training ride on the CT with nothing else to think about except whether or not I’d ever feel my nuts again, I’m ready to pay good money for a saddle. That’s right! I concede that virtually all of the stock parts on my bikes are schite, nothing more than placeholders for the upgrades the LBS wants to sell me.
That said, how do I know that after shelling out $150 for the Fizik saddle the problem will go away? I have adjusted the seat in every possible direction, I have put one of those QR Mr. Flitie saddle covers on(which seems to make it worse), and I have tried 4 different kinds of bike and tri shorts, all to no avail. BTW, the stock saddle is a Selle Italia something or other that came with the bike(a Lemond Buenos Aires).
I’m still working on the bike setup, but I know I will still need a new saddle. I did 2 1/2 IM’s this year, and I was numb(and raw) after both of them. It does seem worse on the trainer, probably because I don’t move around as much and rarely get out of the saddle. What do I need, a bean bag saddle and a 5 gallon jug of Chamois Butt’r? Suggestions?
Disclaimer: If my hair stylist is comfortable telling me about her experience at Great Floridian in graphic detail, I think all of you can handle a story about my nuts. If my pain can help save only one other pair of nuts(or help out one of the ladies), then my public shame will be worthwhile.
Sign me,
Numbnuts
Okay, fine! My will is broken! After yet another long indoor training ride on the CT with nothing else to think about except whether or not I’d ever feel my nuts again, I’m ready to pay good money for a saddle. That’s right! I concede that virtually all of the stock parts on my bikes are schite, nothing more than placeholders for the upgrades the LBS wants to sell me.
That said, how do I know that after shelling out $150 for the Fizik saddle … Numbnuts
150$ ??? I had this saddle in my hands today at my lbs, it costs 99 Euro here (the Euro is very strong at the moment). I had the impression that the Azoto that I’ve ridden for a year now looks much more comfortable. I’d say the Fizik is a roadbike saddle not recommended for riding in the aerobars.
regards,
Frank
I know this is an old thread but I’m catching up and felt compelled to defend the Alliante. Granted saddles are very individual, but… (or is that butt… ?)
I’ve been riding a Fizik alliante since last may. I ride a P2k and I ride it steep. I was riding 81.5, but I’ve switched from a 58 to a 55 and was able to slide it back slightly and still achieve the position I wanted. It is without a doubt the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden on. I don’t know if it’s the way the rails connect as another poster said, or the carbon shell, or just Italian craftsmanship, but it works. There were 2 reasons that I gave the alliante a shot, it just looks great, no stiching on the cover, no writing on it, no flashy graphic inserts, just nice smooth leather, and #2, it has padding all the way down the nose. I can’t remember all the saddles I tried, but I did compare with the Azoto and found the alliante more comfortable in the steep aero position.
Here’s how to buy a saddle: find a friendly local shop that stocks a bunch of saddles you’re interested in. Take your bike in on a slow day (slow day for the shop, not you) and try them all out. Buy the one you like the best. Buy it from the shop that you spent all that time in. If you want them to stock items like this for you to try out, you gotta support them. Sounds kinda preachy, but I buy most of my gear mail order. I’m not buying a mail order saddle.
I know 'taint costing >$100, which may detract some of you powerbrokers… but I find the WTB SST very very comfortable.
It’s got no silly holes or rubber bumpers or carbon bases, but it does have a sort of soft depression in the middle of it. With a nice firm back portion, it goes a great length in preventing numbness when you’re in the drops.