Mark Adams Offering high-performance at a competitive price, Selle Italia’s Flite Flow Saddle provides you with enough support to key areas, without any unnecessary bulk. It has an anatomical cut-out that reduces pressure on the perineum and its part carbon fibre shell ensures none of your pedalling effort goes to waste!
Features:
- Cover: Duro-Tek
- Rails: Manganese tube Ø 7mm
- Shell: 30% Carbon
- Size: 145x275mm
- Use: Road/Off-road
- Ultra slim
- Lightweight
- Great performance
- Anatomical cut-out
- Wider setting platform
- Supportive yet minimal padding
- ID Match L2
- Weight: 242g (approx)
Selle Italia Flite Flow Saddle Review:
I was excited when the Selle Italia Flite Flow Saddle turned up in my post one morning last week. I had wanted to try one for quite some time, but because it’s quite a unique shape not many shops stock them. I’d already read a couple of reviews, most of which sang the Flite Flow’s praises, so I was pretty confident that I wouldn’t be disappointed.
The box contains the following:
Selle Italia Flite Flow Saddle
Handlebar wedge
Instructions
And that’s it. I was a little disappointed not to see any stickers or logos on the box to give you a little bragging rights with your mates. But that is just a small gripe.
The material on the top is easy enough to slide off, and the seat is well wrapped and protected.
About The Saddle
Good things come in small packages. The Selle Italia Flite Flow has been designed with a professional cyclist in mind. With its super-skinny profile it offers all the support and comfort of an oversized saddle, with a tiny weight penalty. The Flow Saddle is available in five widths, and two shell sizes.
Where It’s At
I got in touch with Selle Italia to ask them how they managed to put so much saddle on such a narrow profile. Here is what they said:
“The carbon fibre shell reacts to the specific weight distribution of the rider’s body, which makes the shell wider as the weight of the rider is greater. So a heavier rider has a wider base. With the Flite Flow, we just take a larger shell and add it to the cutout, so the saddle is always in the right position for the widest part of the bottom.”
Selle Italia have also been keen to point out that the Flite Flow is not suitable for everyone. The Flite Flow from Selle Italia was designed for performance and light weight. Hence it is a saddle that doesn’t cover the sit bones much and is very light. If you want a saddle to cover your sit bones and provide cushioning, the Flite Flow might not suit you.
Out On The Road
Selle Italia say that the Flite Flow is a road and off-road saddle, so I decided to put it through both paces – and more. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and it has really impressed.
Firstly, it’s really damn light! The Flite Flow is exceptionally lightweight, it’s easy to forget that you are even carrying it around. This is a great advantage for a commuter like myself, who likes to get out on his bike in the evening after work. The Selle Italia saddle also weighs less than some saddles that I’ve owned that don’t even have a shell!
Secondly, the Flite Flow is extremely supportive. I felt well-cushioned when I was out on the road making good progress, but I can also feel some feedback through the saddle when I’m out off-road. This is a good thing, as it lets me know when there is a bump, and lets me know what I should do to remedy it.
The nose is very nicely shaped and provides a good nudge. The rear of the saddle is pretty narrow as well, and I’ve noticed that my leg remains pretty flat when I’m out on the road.
The saddle has a huge amount of adjustment room. I’ve been able to effectively use it on 5 out of 7 setting on my saddle rails, due to how far they extend. I have not felt the need to use the hardest setting at all, so it works well for me.
I also like the colour of the saddle. It’s bright and it screams to be noticed, and I like that, it’s exactly the same as the blue colour on my Giant Propel Advanced.
One thing that did surprise me about the Flite Flow is how quiet it is. I am used to using a saddle that makes a lot of noise on the rails, which is usually not that much of a problem. But the Flite Flow was so quiet on my Specialized Venge ViAS Ultra TT – even with 4cm of padding underneath the saddle, it was quiet as a mouse!
There is very little padding at the rear of the saddle, and it takes some getting used to. I’ve found that it requires the right gear and position to make the most of the Flite Flow. Once you have done this, the saddle feels really, really comfortable.
Over all there is little not to like about the Flite Flow. It doesn’t come cheap, neither is it the lightest saddle on the market, but it’s certainly up there with the top performers.
The Selle Italia Flite Flow Saddle is a comfortable, high-performing piece of kit, and I’ve really enjoyed using it.
All in all, the 2017 Flite Flow Saddle is well worth a look. It’s adjustable design makes for a saddle that can grow with the needs of a rider, whilst also being versatile enough to cope if you want to pop into the woods to take a bit of a detour.
