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Selle Italia Flite -- An evolution revolution
Bewertet am: Nov 22, 2000
It took the evolutionary process thousands, maybe millions of years to elevate primitive man from shuffling about on all fours to walking erect on two legs. This freed man to manipulate objects, namely sports equipment, the keg tap, and the TV remote.
Mankind, then, has had quite a while, eons in fact, to get used to the extra burden on the legs. This is especially true during the holiday season. However, it has only been a century or so that man has been exposed to bicycle seats and we've a long way to go before we evolve the necessary posteriors to accommodate them. While anthropologists generally agree that man wasn't originally made to walk erect, you don't have to be a scientist to know that Homo Sapiens were not intended to sit on bike saddles. The idea of man descending from an ape-like creature took some time to be accepted. The idea of man feeling comfortable on "wedgies" on the top of a bike will take at least as long. Until the idea sinks in, there's the Selle Italia Flite.
As a bicycle rider all my life and a "serious" one for a quarter century, I've ridden my share of saddles. I've been exposed to saddles that would be ruled unconstitutional if reviewed by a federal court and other seats that could be subjects for a Stephen King novel. Some saddles that I thought would be nice and comfortable turned out to be the most punishing. In a desperate effort to find a saddle that I could live with, I resorted to thinking. Yes, instead of trial and error, I thought about what I needed. And I found my answer by checking out what the pros ride.
In the United States in the mid 1970's, bicycles were merely those toys folks were pulling out of the rafters to beat the "gas crisis." In Europe, however, a bicycle was the venerated object of wonder that a Belgique named Eddy "The Cannibal" Merckx was riding to victories in five Tours de France. World-class racers were riding hundreds of miles on bicycles without the crippling effect of stupidly made bike seats. What they were riding were mostly a nicely crafted seat of leather on steel rails held together with brass rivets. As beautiful as they were comfortable, riders could spend hours a day on these babies. The British company, Brooks, built most of these seats. My old Brooks was, by far, the best saddle I had ever ridden up to then. That is the most comfortable after the 500 mile "break in" period. Today, many riders continue to ride and only ride Brooks.
Currently, saddle technology is so advanced that riders don't have to take the abuse of a break in period and can expect a fairly comfortable saddle from day one. The Selle Italia Flite is one of the most highly respected and coveted saddles. Selle Italia led the trend of using titanium in its rails for strength and lightweight in its original Flite saddle. It now makes a racing saddle that weighs less than a hundred grams!
My model, the Flite Gel, incorporates a layer of sorbothane along with a leather cover over a specially structured plastic substrate. Supposedly, the gel cushions and supports the sensitive perineal area. Whatever the intent, the effect is a reasonably comfortable design that doesn't resort to the highly sculpted models of other makers that use holes and valleys to accommodate the riders' "private areas."
Despite the gel, the saddle is relatively light compared to other performance saddles. At 270 grams, you'll have to blame some other component (or yourself) for slowing you down on the climbs. One should note when upgrading a bike that decreasing its weight at the top such as the saddle, handlebars or stems, produces a greater "lightening" effect than changing the weight of lower components such as the bottom bracket or chainrings. This is because of the greater mass swinging side to side as when in a sprint or during an out-of-the-saddle climb.
The saddle surface is stitched to contain the gel segment as well as to create the maker's logo. This is both good and bad. The stitching necessarily weakens the leather cover with the hundreds of perforations. Some argue that it also abrades cycling shorts. On the plus side, it makes for a pleasing and sporty look and the stitching provides some friction to prevent a slippery surface. Personally, I like the stitching's stylish appearance and have found the abrasion "problem" of little consequence.
While the Flite is normally considered a road saddle, I would not hesitate to use it on my off-road bike. My only concern would be its vulnerability to damage from the inevitable crashes where its unprotected sides are exposed. Other Flite versions, specifically its kevlar reinforced model, might be more appropriate for off-road applications.
While it may seem counter-intuitive, bigger and heavier riders should consider a narrower saddle if their current saddle is uncomfortable even after weeks of riding it. The Flite may be one to consider as its curving contours present no "corners" to rub against body parts. It is shaped to support the "sit bones" but not interfere or irritate other working parts of the pedal stroke cycle. I can finish century rides atop the Flite with my hiney as one of the least sore body parts. Even as I've picked up a few pounds in recent years, I have found that this saddle remains an easy-to-live-with partner.
Although no bike seat can claim to be truly comfortable, many can be quite acceptable. When you spend hours on any seat and can walk away, this is an accomplishment. Who knows? Our far future progeny may one day discover some technology that will make the bike saddle a true joy or mankind may still evolve to fit bike seats. Perhaps a million years from now when they dig up today's bicycle, they'll slap themselves on the foreheads and exclaim: "So THIS is why our butts look this way."
