#16
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The SLRs I have now want you to be in ONE specific spot and finding that one spot isn't easy M |
#17
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Flites
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.
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#18
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How do Ariones compare? They work so well for me that I don't remember if I liked Flites?
Last edited by Ken Robb; Yesterday at 09:42 AM. |
#19
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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. |
#20
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The increased stiffness changed the way I sit on the saddle, and I can no longer use them. But we're all different... |
#21
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I keep going back to the Rolls as well. Not the lightest but it works for me. But the early Flites did too.
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#22
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I really like the shape and width of the original flites, and am not sure cutouts have helped much for me with other saddles I've treid (Selle Italia, Fizik). I had an original early 90s flite that I used for a few years on a road bike, but ended up parting ways as I thought the foam had sort of packed out and sag. I don't know how people hold onto these for 30+ years as I do think saddle foam has a lifespan...
This year, I tried an Arione classic and new Selle Italia slr with the cutout and ti rails and wasn't a fan of either. I'm curious to try a new flite again, but I've read online that the new models are much more firm (not sure if that's a good thing as the original I thought was still quite rigid), and aesthetically, the originals had low profile rails whereas the modern flites have more exposed rails. Which I suppose if you buy ti, you have to show it off. |
#23
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#24
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It's just the newer Ariones and Flites both seem like they are just way worse in terms of concentrating all the sitbone pressure in a tiny area and then having much more issues with thigh chafing. The "wings" are really different, and in the case of the Arione the old ones with "Wing Flex" were way superior in that aspect. As far as I can tell all the old saddles weigh more partly cause they have more "skirt" to prevent a sharp edge from chafing your leg. Even saddles like the B-17 have this as a core part of their design. Cutting that off means the saddle has to fit really really perfect for you. It's again something I really like about the SMPs as they kind of have that "skirt" while also having no pressure in the middle of the saddle with the big cutout. Last edited by benb; Yesterday at 10:05 AM. |
#25
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#26
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Yep... it seems like the original plastic saddles started with shapes like the B17 and then cut away some of the surface.
But now we're off on another planet. The first saddle that I rode that really seemed like it maybe started the trend of cutting the sides away to nothing was the Toupe. |
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