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 Ariones 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.

[lorenbike]

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.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by JSL

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...

I asked this because my favorite saddle has been Brooks b-17 but I once bought a bike that came with an Arione. It looked like an ass hatchet to me. Lucky for me I took the bike for a ride with the Arione and was amazed how comfy it was for me. I think I still have a couple in my parts locker. My conclusion is that what really counts most is how the contours of a saddle matches the contours of your nether regions because a good match distributes pressure over a wide area and that prevents hot spots.

[benb]

Originally Posted by JSL

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...

Really agree with all of this including not liking newer Ariones as much. But it's the same thing, the new ones do put less pressure on plumbing. The old ones never made me go numb but I could still tell the pressure was there.

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.

[lorenbike]

Originally Posted by benb

Really agree with all of this including not liking newer Ariones as much. But it's the same thing, the new ones do put less pressure on plumbing. The old ones never made me go numb but I could still tell the pressure was there.

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.

I’ve wondered this as I tried a bunch of modern saddles last year and this year without success. The B17 on my commuter is still superior. The narrow modern saddles seem like they concentrate pressure in tender areas because they are so firm, which necessitates a cut out, then add flexible wings to reduce the baseball bat effect of said firm saddle, and therefore take all the pressure and apply it to the sit bones as you bounce along with the wings.

[benb]

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.

[nortx-Dave]

I've had Flites on road bikes ever since I got my first one back in the early 90's.
Today I've got a Flite TM Boost Superflow on my Bishop. I really like the shorter design with the cutout, and the width and flat top really work for me.

[GOTHBROOKS]

classic ti flites are the best saddles ever made. lasers come in close second.

[texbike]

I started riding the original Flites back in the 90s. It was perfect for my scrawny rear end and was my go-to saddle for many years until the Ariones came out. I moved to those around 2006 and have used them almost exclusively since then. I've been riding one of them for 18 years now!

Unfortunately, I'm not sure which are the new vs. old Ariones. Do the old ones say "Wing Flex" and the new ones don't? I've also tried a couple of Antares and Aliantes and they just haven't been as comfortable for me - too wide. The Arione is as close to the original Flite as I've found.

Texbike

[IcySwan1]

I am of similar size to the OP. I use and like Flites that came with bikes and don’t change them. But if I need a saddle I buy ones with cut outs like Selle SLR boost.

Mike