the Cro-Mo version is cheap, Ti a little more. Has been really good to me. I set it up with the noze pointing slightly up, so that the back portion is more or less flat for normal road riding. For full-aero you might want to tip it down a bit…
I’m no bike-fitter but I’ve felt your pain…
How is the weight distribution between your three contact points: seat, arm pads, pedals? Seems like even on this site the recommendation by SM is an equal weight distribution which, in my less than scientific mind really, places a premium on the right geometry underneath you. Other random thoughts, I’ve had better luck with less pad rather than more…Desoto has worked the best. Under power I sometimes get more numb…less blood flow available to the equipment not currently employed? I like the saddle just a hair below level, nose down, and then sit on the pelvic bones. The crotch is in contact with the seat but very very little weight bearing–that’s happening on the rear of the saddle. If I slide forward at all I tilt the saddle up towards more level. I’ve been on an all leather saddle the last two years that started off a bit stiff but has broken in nicely, not a lot of padding, again counter intuitive.
Tom… strange you would say… “The back 4cm of the saddle is useless on this bike.” As for my bike… which probably has a shorter top tube or my seat is push more forward than yours… the back 4-6 cm is where I find it the most comfortable.
What that tells me is that the seat offers a wide margin for error and a broad comfort range.
Since I changed to Fizik (about 3-4 yrs. ago)… I’ve never looked back on other seats (they worked well but not near as comfortable).
FWIW Joe Moya
I picked the Arione up last week, and took it out on Sunday for 72 miles. Pretty narrow, which meant my legs didn’t rub as much as they did on my old saddle. Flex Wing? I dunno, seems like marketing to me.
It is pretty firm compared to the Aliante, but the groove in the saddle does provide some relief. The biggest challenge I had was mounting my XLab SaddleWing to it. It will work, but takes some patience.
All in all, it’s a pretty nice saddle, well made, comfortable, and a keeper.
After reading your post on Fizik Arione and a couple other reviews I took the plunge and ran down to the LBS to pick one up. That night I switched out my Aspide Tri saddle with the Arione and took it for spin on the rollers. To make a long story short and after 2 weeks of use I haven’t looked back.