Selle Italia Flite Sattel

I currently own 3 models of this seat, the normal flite, the flite Gel, and the flite Trans Am. Being that I worked in a bike shop for a while, I also have many other saddles- a couple others from Selle Italia, 2 Specialized Ergo's and a selle san marco Era C.

Of all of these, I chose the Flite Trans Am as my everyday saddle, as it fits me well, is lightweight, padded the correct amount and doesn?t put pressure on those sensitive areas. It, just as the rest of the flites, rides on titanium rails and therefore has a somewhat low weight. At 250g, it is significantly lighter than the flite gel, but still 30g more than the virtually unpadded flite and 85 heavier than the padless flite tt. The most important thing about this saddle is that after a day of 60+ miles, (most days for me) I am still feeling fresh and my rear feels fine. I have ridden this saddle all summer for over 3k+ miles and it hasn't given me a single problem with comfort or acutal product quality yet.

On my time trial bike, I prefer the flite gel, because it is padded. Because of the variety of positions I take, and going from a sitting position into the big slam, the trans am is incapable of covering my sensitive areas in all the right areas. Therefore the flite gel is the perfect choice for me. Although it is somewhat heavier than all of the other Flites at 264g, it is a great saddle, and actually the second racing saddle I ever bought (after my basic flite). In about 4 years of use, the leather is beginning to look a little dead, mostly because I have done so much riding in the rain, so, I urge anyone who buys a flite and rides it in all weather to every so often, wipe it down and moisturize it to keep it looking like new. Basically, this seat is great for anyone who changes positions a lot and in over 10k miles and 4 years, it hasnt let me down once.

The actual construction of these Flites are flawless, especially in the newer gel ones (the way to tell a newer one from an older one is that in the older ones, the kevlar sides take up the majority of the back seat and that elastic is used on the top to cover the gel, whereas the new flite gels have perforated leather.) is bombproof. I have rested my bike on everything from rough trees to cars to brick buildings to cement walls, and nothing happens to this seat on account of the cleverly placed kevlar on the sides of the rear of the saddle.

I have stopped using the flite for racing and training as it doesnt provide as much padding or comfort for hard and long riding in comparison to the other two, but its still a great saddle. I use it now on my commuter comfort bike, and it works fine. For going into town (2 miles away) it is great and makes me feel like im in a race, even though im riding at 8mph on a bike with a seat shock. I have had this saddle the longest of all, and it has held up well with some conditioning on my behalf. Overall, its a solid piece of merchandise that makes a great backup, and i will never get rid of it. For the price, it cant be beat. It has about 5k miles on it (i would imagine about that many) and
still remains in like-new condition.

Competitors:
Selle Italia SLR- This saddle is a shaved down flite with a slightly shorter and fatter shape. It weighs much less and is one of the top choices of the pro peloton next to the flite, and for good reason- at 135g, it definitely doesn?t weigh you down on those slopes in the Alps. I like it, but it doesn?t fit me, and this is a major key about buying a seat. Make sure to try out a couple, because if you don?t, you may end up with one that doesn?t fit you.

Selle Italia Prolink- I bought 2 of these when they came out because I was convinced that they would be the ultimate seat. Unlike the Flites standard 2 titanium rails in attached directly to the seat, the prolink has carbon rails that, before they join the seat, have large shock absorbing elastomers put in between them and the seat body itself. The seat itself is more flared out in back than the flite and lends itself to people who enjoy having more support under their rear. The front is a bit skinnier by feel than the flite. When on my TT bike, I found the front to be flimsy and flex too much as it is not a standard rounded seat front, but rather a little platform like a diving board with nothing below it. Very comfortable going over rocks, but it just wasn?t for my body shape and style of riding.

Other Selle Seats-
If you don?t like the flite or one of the others, I'm sure you?ll find one that fits you perfectly with the features you want, just go to a bike shop with a good selection and see what?s good for you.

Specialized Anatomically Correct Seats
These seats have the groove start in the middle and go to the end of the seat. I can?t speak for anyone else, but my parts are usually in the middle to front of the seat, and therefore, this seat didn?t work for me. I tried 2 models- the men?s O2 S-Works (their flagship model) and the 02 Comp. Both fine seats for normal riding, but as anatomically correct seats, they were horrid. Selle Italia uses a much better design for their trans ams with the center cutout (where your parts really are) rather than the rear cutout. So, try a specialized if you have a tail, because it definitely wont be uncomfortable, but if you don?t have a tail, stick to a company who lives and breathes racing seats like selle italia or selle san marco.

Selle San Marco Era C
Wow, an awesome saddle that weighs only 128g. It competes directly with the SLR and has that same sort of shape; only it is all carbonfibery all over the bottom and therefore looks very cool. However, I save this saddle for stage races and rides with climbs that I do out west. This seat is in no way about comfort- it?s about having a fast seat that goes up and down mountains without any effort on your part. This, unlike the Flite, is not an everyday seat, but rather a seat for very specific rides and special occasions.