Selle Italia Flite 1990 love or hate?

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by foggypeake

Still love my Flites, mounted on all five of my road bikes. In my opinion, the original Flite Titanium is still the most comfortable.

But my frugal side also bought the reissued Flite 1990 with the steel/alloy/FEC rails. Same classic shape, just a bit firmer in the padding and not as much flex in the shell and the rails. But for the price, it works for me.

All that sounds good to me.

The SLRs I have now want you to be in ONE specific spot and finding that one spot isn't easy

M

[gianni]

I’m still using original flites on my bikes. I’ve tried modern saddles and still go back to my favorite flite genuine gel. Still works with my added poundage.

[Ken Robb]

How do Ariomnes compare? They work so well for me that I don't remember if I liked Flites?

[JSL]

Like a lot of things, it's very personal. Might still work for you, but looking at it from a more practical level, modern saddles (usually) have much more going for them.

As others noted, no pressure relief, and they tend to sag significantly with age. I put one on my trainer bike and it works fine for that purpose, but no longer for longer rides outside. As much to do with me as the saddle though. My position, strength and pain tolerance has changed at bit in 35 years ;-)

So much also depends on how you have the bike set up. My personal fav is still a rolls, have them on two bikes, but they're vintage bikes with a more upright riding position where my hips don't rotate as far forward. On a modern bike I need to go with a flatter top and some form of pressure relief to let my hips roll forward.

[JSL]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

How do Ariomnes compare? They work so well for me that I don't remember if I liked Flites?

Gen 1 Ariones were very similar to the Flite. I loved them and still have one on my winter bike. Working with Fizik many years ago we often sold them with the Flite reference. They sagged just enough to cradle your hips, and had the perfect balance of minimalistic padding. But they've gotten stiffer over the years (and no longer eventually crack in the middle).

The increased stiffness changed the way I sit on the saddle, and I can no longer use them. But we're all different...

[kiwisimon]

Originally Posted by JSL

My personal fav is still a rolls, have them on two bikes,

I keep going back to the Rolls as well. Not the lightest but it works for me. But the early Flites did too.