Ed in Toronto

My saddle is killing me, I can't take it anymore. Instead of upgrading to a finer classic saddle I thought I might try doing something totally crazy like seeing what the latest in comfy racing saddles might be like. So I ordered a Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow. I hope it works out. I’ve never had a saddle with a hole in middle before, or gel padding.

I was wonder if any of you guys have tasted the cool aid, or is this an usual thing to do on an old bike?

The Saddle I ordered;
https://www.selleitalia.com/se_it3/pr...gina_max-flite

What I’m riding now, plastic shell circa 1970s, with very thin layer of padding and leather on top, ouch!;

ColinL

That particular saddle is very flexible, you sit on it much like a person lays on a hammock.

I did not find that to be a desirable trait and sold the saddle. However, I'm sure some people like it, hopefully you are one of them!

sailorbenjamin

I've got a nice one on one of my Raleighs. It's a name I've heard of but can't remember cause I'm not into the modern stuff. It's got a real spaceship look to it and I'm pretty happy with it.

mudboy

Does a Brooks Swift count? It's titanium, after all...

lostarchitect 

There are probably comfortable modern racing saddles out there--I haven't personally been on one I found to be close to the level of a Brooks Pro, but that's my butt, not yours. Good luck.

Drillium Dude 

First off, that's a beautiful Gardin you've got there!

Secondly - is this modern/cutting edge enough for you?



Flite carbon with Ti rails, first-generation. I know it looks like it would feel like a 2x4 on edge, but the carbon flexes enough that it's really pretty comfortable, provided I'm wearing shorts with a decently-thick pad.

DD

gomango

Modern?

Regal.

End of story.

Savagewolf

I plan on getting another Brooks Imperial for my newest ride. I love 'em.

Peter_B

I like the Fizik Antares Versus saddles on some of my vintage bikes ... it's lightweight and comfortable

RFC

Of course! Only a fool (and a pseudo rider) rides an uncomfortable saddle because it's C&V. Saddle selection is a highly personal thing that should not be driven by style.

Chombi

I've been riding with the answer to a long time dream of a suspension leather saddle executed with more modern and lighter (It's even lighter than my 80's vintage Selle Italia Turbo) materials on my 85 Vitus Carbone....

And it has been really good so far. The leather is still breaking in, but it's just feeling better and better.
The Gilles Berthoud saddles are expensive, about as expensive as some of the most expensive modern saddles you can find out there, but when can a C&Ver have his/her cake and eat it too with any saddle out there??

Chombi

jimmuller 

I'm running with a WTB Speed V on all my bikes but one. It's comfortable and fairly light. The only exception is on a bike I haven't ridden yet, a V-O saddle for the Bertin.

TimeTravel_0

I have never been comfortable on a Brooks or a Berthoud.

I am a big fan of Fizik saddles. I love the Aliante Versus Kium. I think it's a modern classic.

Italuminium

I had the experience the other way around. I used to rock a Pro saddle (Shimano house brand) on the Principia, with foam padding and a cutout in the middle. That was rock hard and beat me up quite a lot, so I transferred it to my MTB, swapping it out for a Tune Speedneedle (100 gram weight weenie, carbon). That still hurts quite a bit above 75 km, but I don't do much of those rides, so that might come down to training. My most comfy saddle now is a bare bones Unicanitor from the sixties - I even consider finding one for my modern rig!


P1070002 by ctjr, on Flickr

gomango

Many serious riders I know love various Fizik saddles.

I had one for a few rides on my Colnago Elegant.

Saddle looked great, but didn't fit me.

I threw on a Regal and was thrilled with the difference.

leaping_gnome

You are welcome to my Regal if you want it. I was just going to put it on ebay. I was very disappointed in its feel considering how nice it looks. I'll stick with Turbo Hinault. My most recent bike came with a brand new V-O (Dia Compe) Mod 6 - again, I'll stick with my Turbo Hinault! I ride a Brooks Swift on my long-distance bike.

Jim

Italuminium

SWEET! and that Regal looks indeed very "elegant" on that bike. Much more so than the Fi:zi'k.

gomango

Hi Jim,

Further proof that not all rears are created equally.

I couldn't ride a Turbo more than a 100 feet at this point!

What color is your Regal?

I am always on the lookout for a black Regal Forato or a black Regal Girardi.

kaliayev

I'm using a Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio Flow on my Appel that I am rebuilding since getting it back from being powder coated. I had it on a more modern bike and like it very much. I find it just as comfy as my Brooks Swallow and Swift, but not as all day comfy as the Brooks Pro.

leaping_gnome

The Regal is black with an embossed pattern. The rails are copper colored. I had planned on uploading photos but it will have to wait until after work...

Jim

gomango

Sounds nice!

Is it one of San Marco's recent reissues?

I'll be watching for pics, as I need a one for my Tommasini.

No need to hurry though, it's torn down to the frameset for a rebuild.

Collecting the right pieces is fun, so I take my time.

Thanks, we can go to pm's after that.

SJX426 

Haven't found anything better than my Brooks Pro.
My 80's flite is good for up to 25 miles. Don't know the limit of the Pro

Scooper

I've got a Selle SMP Pro on my Waterford. The bike isn't vintage (2007), but looks vintage.

At my age (70), the Brooks saddles were giving me perineum numbness on long rides, so I made the switch on the bike I use exclusively on 100 mile rides. The rest still have Brooks Professionals.

sced

I just swapped out a Regal with a Nashbar GR2 on my Viner. The more retro Regal is going on my older Holdsworth. The GR2 is an Arione clone, but much cheaper ($25) and very well reviewed. I have them on three bikes, plus a Token clone of the Arione on another. I like the Regal a lot, but they are too expensive ($90+) for me to justify.

Chombi

Both the Regal and the Concor were re-issued starting from about two years ago.
They use slightly thicker and softer padding for the new saddles. The Concor uses a much coarser textured suede leather cover on the new ones which does not look as good as the ones on the original that looked like fine velvet. It's not really a big deal as the velvet finish on the old ones wore out quickly and you end up with a smooth leather saddle cover afer just one season. No girardi versions were re-issued but they started making perforated versions for both saddles about a year ago. I guess enough people asked for it. Maybe it's just me but, there's something weird about the size and spacing of the perforations on the leather as it does not seem to match what they did in the 80's on the Regal and other saddles from that period. It does not seem to look as good to me.
So, the new ones do not seem to exactly match what we rode in the 80's but at least you do not have to pay as much these days to have a Concor or Regal saddle on your bike as NOS ones were already hitting $200+ just two years ago.

Chombi