Jahanzaib This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com and other Amazon websites.
The Aliante is 1 of fi’zi:k’s 3 Spine Concept™ Men’s Road Saddle shapes. Of these 3, the Aliante shape is the widest and most longitudinally waved.
The Aliante Carbon K:ium is the top-of-the-line saddle available in this shape for those riders who require a K:ium rail (7x7mm). The carbon shell with Twin Flex™ ‘sweet spot’ at the centre, make this a lighter and stiffer alternative to the Aliante Gamma, whilst not compromising comfort.
Aliante Gamma Is For The Bull: Rigid Spine.
If you have a relatively low degree of spinal flexibility (more than 90 degrees between your straight legs and back when bending over as far as you can, keeping your legs straight a shoulders’ width apart), you are a Bull. Your degree of Spinal flexibility will top out quite quickly when attempting to adopt the performance position. For this reason you will rotate you pelvis fully. You will benefit from the increased curvature (support) of the Aliante shape.
Features:
- Shell: Nylon Carbon Reinforced with Twin Flex™ ‘sweet spot’ at the centre
- Rail: K:ium
- Scuff guards on either side towards rear of saddle
- Integrated Clip System: Yes
- Length: 265mm
- Width: 140mm
- Weight: 259g
Fizik Aliante Gamma Review:
The fi’zi:k Aliante is the most expensive out of the 3 Aliante shapes, but it’s also the lightest by a significant margin at a mere 259g.
I accepted a review sample from Fizik about 4 years ago but found it not suitable for my pelvis. I was previously riding a saddle with more curvature and this Aliante didn’t work for me and I sold it on.
Back then the Aliante was not the shape that it is now which has been specifically designed for riders with rigid spines. Back then Fizik referred to riders with rigid spines as “bulls” so the Aliante was marketed as the “Aliante Bull”. Since those days much has changed and riders with rigid spines are now referred to as “the Bull” out of respect for those riders who are more flexible than others and who suffer from pressure points on other styles of saddles.
What Made Me Write This Article
A few weeks ago my brother said he had a new saddle that he would bring over and use for a few weeks and get my opinion. That conversation led to me discovering the Aliante shape.
A few days later he arrived with the Aliante P:ium which is the normal leather covered version of the Aliante for this review.
Straight away I noticed the Aliante P:ium is very well shaped and firm for a saddle of this style. The leather is of superb quality both visually and physically. Even after several years of use I still love the look of this saddle and I remember why I originally wanted one all those years ago!
My brother told me that the Aliante P:ium was causing some soreness which I wasn’t expecting. When he told me the cause I had my answer and it was very easy to see why it was causing him soreness.
I found the scuff guards on the Aliante saddle have a very thin layer of padding under them, but this is sufficient to stop the majority of paint chips.
The thin layer of padding is not enough to protect us when we slide forwards on the saddle. The way I usually causes this is when I over twist the bars in a corner. As soon as we start applying pressure on the bars the saddle compresses and if we have a layer of clothing between us and the saddle we can start sliding forward.
You can see in the photo above that I am sliding forward over the nose of the saddle. I have no base layer on.
I didn’t feel that this was a particularly comforting thing to have happen but it was a nice surprise when just a simple amount of a gel based, non-perfumed lubricant applied to the section of the saddle where my pubic bone is located prevented any pressure from being applied to my pubic bone.
A close-up of the site of the soreness prior to lubrication.
Since I never slide forward on the saddle now there is no issue, but this is something that should be noted if you have a rigid spine and want to avoid the soreness associated with sliding forward on a saddle like this.
Fizik Aliante Gamma Review:
When it comes to my riding position the Aliante P:ium took me by surprise. It suited my position very well and I have no issues whatsoever when riding in the drops or on the hoods.
I must admit that I was slightly disappointed that the Aliante P:ium didn’t suit my performance position as part of the shape of the saddle pushes between my legs, but it doesn’t cause any discomfort. Neither does it cause me any comfort issues in my performance position.
After using the Omega Rim and Ergo Logic R3 saddle for a month or so I decided to have a 7 day trial with the Aliante P:ium and CXW02 saddle.
All three saddles have the same amount of comfort and support but for me the Aliante P:ium is the most comfortable when sitting in my performance position.
My favourite thing about this saddle is how comfortable it is on the nose of the saddle and I will soon be reviewing the CXW02 saddle which supports the same part of my sit bones. This shape of saddle makes you feel like you are sitting on a perfectly formed seat and it’s fantastic.
Is This Saddle For Me?
I would say that if you have a rigid spine and are after a narrower, more firm saddle that still has enough width to cover your ischial bones, this saddle could be what you are looking for.
Subtle Changes
Just recently I was reading a couple of threads on the forums and discovered a few things about the fi’zi:k saddles that I previously wasn’t aware of.
It turns out that fi’zi:k have made some subtle changes to the Aliante shape over the past couple of years. This is great news for those with rigid spines as the original shape didn’t work as well for us as it does now.
One of the main changes that has been made is to extend the curvature at the end of the nose, which is great news for riders with rigid spines.
