CrowSeph

Hello, i'am looking for a carbon saddle but mostly are too expensive (i'm referring about the slr tekno).
Others weight too much or have another cons.

Has anyone ever used or still using a carbon saddle from china ?

There are a few interesting but i do not feel secure, since i do an hard use of my roadbike (were the new saddle will be installed).

edit. an interesting brand is the Prime Components, the "carbon primavera saddle" looks interesting but the review are kinda strange.

datlas 

I used one awhile back and it was ok. The problem with that particular model was the back edge of the saddle was sharp and my bibs/shorts would sometimes get stuck on the edge, which led eventually to some tearing. That was a deal breaker. The saddle itself was crazy light. I think it may have been made it Taiwan, not China. I got it off ScamBay.

Troul 

no, & to be clear, I have not used a no name brand seat from china.
a seat from Aliexpress might be targeted to those half butts people.

tFUnK

I have one and it's insane light and it sure felt sturdy enough but I only had one ride on it because the bike I put it on has a seat mast and the all-carbon saddle was shorter than my Fizik Arione, so I couldn't get a good fit. I wouldn't hesitate if I wanted a super light, zero padding saddle for whatever reason, but as with most carbon bits (AliExpress or otherwise) I tend to be overly cautious as they just seem brittle.

jonathanf2

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804494551729.html

I use a saddle like this on all my bike builds. It's sturdy and the fit is pretty good. Padding is minimal, but it gives good cushioning in conjunction with a cycling bib. I also prefer this saddle design because it allows for different positions when riding.

easyupbug 

I had a Chinese carbon Toseek saddle come through the shop and was impressed, the flex gave a nice ride. Looking it up I found it was on the Amazon site as well as Chinese sites and had good reviews on Amazon.

CrowSeph

this looks interesting and the price is good enought.
what type of rider are you?

Iride01 

If you try it you will know. Is it too expensive to toss in the bin if it turns out to be not your saddle?

jonathanf2

I guess I'm a bit of an all-arounder with a focus on hill climbing. I like this saddle because on the flats I can lean back to get more leg extension and then on the climbs I can move my position forward to spin higher cadence. They also sell a non-padded version, but the padded version is definitely more comfortable. I'm about 68kg and the saddle and carbon rails have held up just fine.

CrowSeph

looks like we are similar, do you do explosive climbing also?

jonathanf2

I like attacking those shorter steep climbs with rolling hills. I only sit so I can save my legs for those out of saddle attacks. Though I've been focusing more on conserving my energy and staying seated for longer of periods of time. Mainly to keep up with the seated hill climbing specialists.

CrowSeph

That's what i wanted to hear since i do hard strokes during sits. This way to use confirm the saddle resistance

veganbikes

If you are cheap don't look at expensive stuff and then try and find fakes and knockoffs or just cheap garbage. Get a good saddle either spend the money or get a non-carbon version and you will be just fine. I can assure you the bit of weight you will save with carbon saddles is not going to be noticeable. If you are trying to do that whole ultralight stuff then you are going to spend the money to get Tune and Schmolke and THM and other stuff and make a really stupid light bike.

Do you really want to find out if that no-name alibaba and his 40 thieves saddle is good while out riding. Here is a Selle Italia that is $144 https://www.selleitalia.com/slr-tm-superflow/ it is about 1 bar of soap heavier than the full carbon saddle or a bit of water from your water bottle.

jonathanf2

So basically you just presume it's crap even though you've never personally tried it? I guess if you have a fat ass, I'd be worried too about breaking saddles!

CliffordK

The Chinese quality control is all over the board. Some very good with workers that take pride in their products. Other stuff not so much.

Here is a photo of my Chinese CF saddle from a few years ago. CF saddle, CF rails.



I had written about it earlier that it wasn't particularly comfortable, including rather sharp edges on the saddle, and a feeling of riding on a chunk of concrete.

Yet, the fault above was that it was all CF (fiber reinforced resin), except the glob of unreinforced glue holding the nose on. I got a few months of off and on riding out of that saddle before it broke.

I'll have to look at the rails again. The saddle rails are typically very dynamic as both the saddle and rails flex. So, typically they're designed to slide a bit in the saddle/rail interface. But, I fear the Chinese one just had them glued in place, potentially decreasing the flex, and increasing the stress on the joints.

I have a Canadian CF saddle that I've used quite a bit. CF saddle, Titanium rails. I haven't ridden it for a while, but I think it had an obnoxious squeak that I had troubles getting rid of. Otherwise it wasn't bad, other than being rather hard.

Oh, no injuries here. I think I discovered the break at a grocery store about 8 miles from home. And, I just carefully rode back home.

Velo Mule

How good is this seat if the advertising picture that they are using to try to persuade you to buy it is delaminated? It may not be structural, perhaps it is only the outer coat that is delaminating, but I wouldn't accept a brand new seat like that, let alone order one that shows how poor the attention to detail is.

It is inexpensive and it might be perfectly fine, but at least they can sell seats that aren't delaminated from the start.

What is that seat rail made of? Is that carbon fiber? What is the strand orientation? Random? Weave? Or did they cover a skinny steel rail with carbon fiber. Who do you go back to if the rail fails? How will that go when it does fail? Feeling a little tilted? Or being speared through one of the most sensitive areas of the body? I don't want to be a negative Nillie but, I'm not getting good feelings on this.

One of the reasons that this seat is cheap is that there is no liability. [End of rant.]

veganbikes

It is random no-name cheap carbon stuff from Alibaba and his 40 thieves with reviews that are only positive because it shipped too fast or looked good without anyone actually testing it. Should I start presuming it is top quality? Sure some people get lucky with this stuff but a carbon saddle for about the same price as a cheap kids saddle from MSW doesn't fill me with confidence. There aren't too many ways to make an expensive piece super cheap without major compromises and sometimes it is just in labor practices but usually material or build quality is part of it as well.

The only thing I presume is Dr. Livingstone.

indyfabz

Perhaps those are only reflections captured in the photo.

That aside, I certainly wouldn’t buy it. Foreseeable follow up thread: I bought a carbon saddle and it failed after six months! What are my rights?

squirtdad

it always comes down to the economic principle of: TANSTAAFL There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

meaning there are reasons things are cheap on Aliexpress and many relate to quality

I have learned for me personally at least, it is far better to pay more to get guaranteed quality, warranty and support. More often then not, trying to be cheap has cost me more money overall

bike lights are a good example, even on amazon there are lots of ones that look like say Cygolight brand and you think look same, must be same, cheaper as no brand name, but many companies copy the look of good stuff, but the innards are not that same and not as good

your wallet, your choice......

CliffordK

It is clearly possible for individuals to make fake parts, with either Carbon Fiber, or even a vinyl decal over a cheaper material.

My saddle posted above was really cheap and did have carbon fiber rails. I think they were an oval shape with more vertical than horizontal stiffness. There was a note that some saddle clamps didn't like the oval rails.

The rails didn't seem to be a problem as long as one didn't crank down on them with 10x the normal pressure.

Neither the carbon fiber saddle, nor the carbon fiber rails failed. Rather the glop of goop holding them together failed.

Velo Mule

I will admit that it is possible that that is a reflection. I was expecting a reflection to have a smoother edge. It is a valid point.

phughes

That is 100 percent a reflection.

CrowSeph

Probably is the reflection, but in the rails you right. They probably have used some leftover fragments to fill a mold and then make a rail.

CliffordK

They could well CNC cut sheets of fabric to give exact pieces needed to make the saddle, all cut in the desired orientation. If I was making rails, they'd be a combination of straight longitudinal fibers for strength, and a few transverse fiber weaves to keep it from delaminating. And an outer cosmetic layer to give it looks and wear resistance. The outer layer would be a seamless tube weave.

I haven't decided what to do with my broken saddle. Repair vs destructive testing and analysis. I may hunt it down.

Nonetheless, the rails held up to my few months of use. It was the glue joint that broke.

CrowSeph

Keep me updated for both of your choice