tarsi 

For a while I've been thinking about replacing the Rolls titanio saddle on my Colnago for something less padded. I stumbled across a great deal on this Cinelli saddle and couldn't resist. The color works perfectly with bar tape, decals, pantographing etc. My only concern is whether the saddle is too hard. I know the only way to find out is to put the hours in on it but was wondering if anybody else has experience with this saddle and what they think. My saddles of choice on other bikes are Brooks B17, Charge Spoon and the Fizik ARIONE R1.

thinktubes 

Yellow Flite.

TenGrainBread 

I don't have any personal experience with the saddle but I know some people do find them comfortable. I remember reading a thread where repechage talked about his experience, I think. Also this thread has some mods that people like @rhm have done on theirs. Check it out.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-canitors.html

As far as aesthetics go, my opinion is as soon as you put Shimano, brifters, and clinchers on your Colnago, you've sort of given up the aesthetic point of a Colnago, which in my opinion is mostly the purpose of a Colnago (many frames from other makers that cost a whole lot less that are equally well-made, light, and with similar geometry). So I wouldn't sweat aesthetics too much.

BFisher

I had one of those in black on my Peugeot. Comfort-wise, it was ok with padded shorts. I went back to a tensioned leather saddle so I can just hop on the bike no matter what I'm wearing. I did ride the Cinelli saddle without the padded shorts a few times, and I wasn't comfortable after, say, ten miles.

masi61

Is this an uncovered plastic shell? If so, it does remind me of the period Unicanitor saddles that came in an uncovered or leather covered version.

The shape of that Cinelli does not look horrible but it does look quite narrow. If you can ride a Selle Italia Flite or a Fizik Arione comfortably, then you might be fine on that.

The bright yellow color of the saddle, while complementary to your Colnago might be too intense. It reminds me more of a BMX saddle. Did Cinelli make saddles for BMX?

RobbieTunes

Don't worry about it.

BFisher

Don't know about a BMX specific saddle, but I think some did use the Unicanitor on their BMX bikes. Here's Cinelli's complete BMX bike, though. I'd guess they made the saddle, but I don't know.

https://cinelli.it/en/timeline-2/

rhm

As I mentioned in the other thread (see link above), I have one of those yellow Cinelli Unicanitor CMX saddles just like in the photos above. I've had it for six or ten years, somewhere in there. I find it very comfortable. In fact I liked it so much I got a blue one of the same model, again, as discussed in the other thread.

The blue one was much too hard, but after a lot of work with carpentry tools I made it into a very comfortable saddle. And then I did the same with a black one. I've done long rides on both of those, three and four day rides with 18 or 20 hours in the saddle every day, and they suit me just fine.

The takeaway for me is that the plastic on these varies, and it's a bit of a crapshoot. It may be soft, or maybe not. If it's too hard, take matters into your own hands.

I'm not partial to the CINELLI branding, so I'm happy I ground that off the blue and black ones that I ride regularly. If you end up with a yellow one that's too hard, I'm willing to trade for mine, which is perfect as is (I'll just grind the branding off the hard one).

As for the aesthetics, eh, I mean, it's a Colnago? So don't sweat it, there's probably not much you can do for it. I've heard they ride pretty well, and that's what matters.

crank_addict

If it looks and more importantly feels right to ones self, then it is right.

~~~~
Butt where's the Beef? 🐂

I have a brown Brooks Swallow on my Colnago. The setup is perfect to my liking.

Short: Recalling having this very bike at a large organized ride and which included a 'coral' of vintage class bikes. Great time, btw.

Anyways, some wisecrackee came up to me and told me the Brit made saddle doesn't belong on that Italian bike. Seriously... someone took their little time to tell me that- lol.

I replied, "well should you need to know, that British brand is owned by Italians".

Moo

Chombi1 

It hurts just looking at it.......Why in this day and age would one still consider a bare nylon shell saddle in their bikes!
I guess we all know why Cinelli moulded in their name in such big letters on that saddle.

ryansu

Let your butt guide you. it will tell you what it likes or does not -everything else is just an opinion. YMMV

repechage

I rode a plain plastic Cinelli saddle as I was going to move to snow country and did not want to mess up my ideale 90.
no discomfort for me.
a few years later the co-workers talked me into a Cinelli #3 - it was for them, they just could NOT understand how I could ride a plain plastic saddle.
i still use both and bought another Ideale.

the saddles I have trouble with? Concor, Rolls, Cinelli Volare.

camjr

It certainly reminds me of the old Kashimax hard plastic BMX saddles from the 80's. I spent a ton of time on those saddles during my youth and I don't recall comfort being an issue unless it speared me in the kidneys during a crash.

since6

Padded bike shorts seem to make a lot of difference.

I remember a couple years back getting on my bike wearing Levi's and nylon briefs, rode long enough for things to sweat up, then didn't for a couple days to let the skin damage subside. I guess I never sweated as a child as I never rode in any else but Levi's and then cotton briefs, all day never a skin issue. Besides being caught wearing padded bike shorts would have made the school playground a living hell.

ollo_ollo

Thought to add my experience of the San Marco Regal to this thread. They were on sale a while back, offering the classic looks and durability of leather plus comfort. I always liked their Rolls model, so I bit. Rode it on several bikes and so far, it's not as comfortable as a Rolls. It does get better with time. When new, it was firm enough to become uncomfortable after only 10 miles or so, more recently I can do 20 miles, so it is breaking in. I'll add a pic if can find one. Don

Chombi1 

Per my experience, Turbos are more comfortable than Rolls saddles, because of the rounder shape of the Turbo's tail end, while the Rolls is a bit broader and flatter, plus it has squared edges. I would figure, it would be similar with Regals and Cinelli Volares because of their similarities to the Rolls in some areas. What is unusual though is I find the Concor just as comfortable, or even more so than the Turbo. I think I'm just one of those that fits well on the Concor. I still cannot consider ever riding pure plastic saddles like the Cinelli in this thread. Not really because of comfort, because I'm quite adaptive to hard saddles, but because the all nylon saddles do not provide any breathability that a leather covered one does. No breathability means big trouble on long rides in the form of sweat, hot spots and skin damage that can definitely ruin a ride in a big way.

Salamandrine 

Interesting observations. I have come close to trying a Rolls a few times, but never got around to it. I'm very accustomed to Turbos since that and its predecessor the RS are pretty much what I grew up on. Strangely I really can't stand Concors. Any sort of sway backed saddle just doesn't work for me.

WRT Cinellis, I remember people riding them BITD and liking them. This includes long rides, 80-100m or whatever. I think it's a matter of what works for you. I never rode one farther than around the block for a test ride. In concept it's not that different than a leather saddle. A suspended bit of flexible plastic. No break in to be expected.

FWIW, back before padded shorts, serious cyclists got callouses where they were needed. Padding not required.

randyjawa 

From the aesthetics point of view, pooey-stinko (my opinion), however; I was surprised to discover that some of these old plastic saddles can be pretty comfortable, believe it or not. And I would never have believed it until I tried a couple. That said...

I am not a fan of plastic and would never put such a saddle on a bike, be it black, yellow or pokka-dotted...

3alarmer

...I have maybe three or four of the old, original Unicanitor saddles on bicycles. But all of the ones I ride are either the leather covered ones or the single one I have with both a covering and a little foam padding under it. OI have a plastic Unicanitor I've been saving for something, but the something has still not arrived. I didn't even know about this newer version, and appreciate the information.

nomadmax 

It's got clipless pedals and brifters. I'd put a good modern saddle on it instead of suffering. I do have a couple period correct bikes that have horrible saddles and toe clips. Both come off and are replaced with clipless pedals and a spare, modern saddle on another seat post when I ride them.

RobbieTunes

What, you don't want to suffer? What's WRONG with you?



I think moving on the bike makes a difference.
170 miles across Indiana on a carbon saddle, OK, but it cut slices in my shorts.
42 outdoor miles last weekend on a new Fizik Arione (suede): no issue
1 hour Saturday in a class on same: bearable.
3 hours Sunday in a class on same: hate it.
That being said, I doubt it would have mattered on Sunday.
This indoor stuff is hard. I probably would have suffered on anything.
So I'm going back for the same next weekend.

lapola

The color works perfectly with bar tape, decals, pantographing etc. My only concern is whether the saddle is too hard. I know the only way to find out is to put the hours in on it but was wondering if anybody else has experience with this saddle and what they think. My saddles of choice on other bikes are Brooks B17, Charge Spoon and the Fizik ARIONE R1.

nomadmax 

I would like to point out that in an entire lifetime of cycling (up to this point) I have never had the gripper material on a jersey sleeve burn a ring around my arm; until I met YOU