Fizik spine concept

giant_man
giant_man Posts: 6,878
edited July 2016 in Road buying advice
My LBS is hiring out Fizik saddles at the moment, whereby you pay for the whole saddle, then get a refund if you don't like it. Fair enough.

What I can't understand is Fizik's 'spine concept', where depending on how you can touch your toes, deterimines which model will suit you.

Am I missing something here? How on earth can how flexible you are, tell you if an Aliante, Arione or Antares saddle is going to suit your ar$e?

Eh?????????

Comments

  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    I cannot touch my toes and I have ridden an Arione for years.

    According to Fizik's flexibility I should be on an Aliante. Tried a Aliante for a while and hated it.
  • derosa
    derosa Posts: 2,819
    Gazzaputt wrote:
    I cannot touch my toes and I have ridden an Arione for years.

    According to Fizik's flexibility I should be on an Aliante. Tried a Aliante for a while and hated it.

    I can touch my toes and have ridden an Aliante for Years.
    Tried an Arione for a couple of rides and threw it away - it was awful.
    Fizik are talking bullsh1t.
    Big H

    May the road rise up to meet you.
    May the wind always be at your back.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    derosa wrote:
    Gazzaputt wrote:
    I cannot touch my toes and I have ridden an Arione for years.

    According to Fizik's flexibility I should be on an Aliante. Tried a Aliante for a while and hated it.

    I can touch my toes and have ridden an Aliante for Years.
    Tried an Arione for a couple of rides and threw it away - it was awful.
    Fizik are talking bullsh1t.
    Yeah. I think they are. I don't understand how this method of selecting a saddle guarantees choosing a comfortable perch.
  • hugo15
    hugo15 Posts: 1,101
    I'm dubious about it too. However I really struggled with my Arione and switched to an Aliante, which is much more comfortable. I can't get anywhere near touching my toes.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    Well been on an Aliantefor over 4 years now, sometimes comfy and sometimes not funnily enough but want to try an Antares for that long nose. Just might suit me better.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    It's what we in the trade call Marketing Bollocks.

    At least Specialized offer to measure your @rse for you.

    But having said that, where is the LBS of which you speak? I wouldn't mind trying the entire Fizik range even though I suspect I'm more of a badger than a snake
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    One of the oxford shops hires them out for free which is quite nice.

    As for the spine concept, i can see how it supposed to work, but I'm not sure i agree with it as flexibility is never going to be the primary factor for choosing a comfy saddle, your ar$e is...
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    ride_whenever wrote:
    One of the oxford shops hires them out for free which is quite nice.

    As for the spine concept, i can see how it supposed to work, but I'm not sure i agree with it as flexibility is never going to be the primary factor for choosing a comfy saddle, your ar$e is...
    please explain how it works then. Even the video clips on the Fizik site are a mysery to me ...
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,348
    i assumed it was something like...

    the skinnier you are the easier it is to bend over without your stomach getting in the way

    skinnier probably means less padding on the bum

    sleeker cheeks means narrower saddle

    ...and of course a hefty dose of marketing bollocks
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    Not really, it's to to with the ability to bend over and therefore the position you're likely to adopt on the bike. Hence where the saddle needs to support you.

    Your upright position is pretty much independant of flexibility hence the rears are fairly similar, but as you get flexible you spend more and more of you time and wieght further forward, hence they get longer and a bit broader at the front, the rear is consequently used less and so minimised...
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Am I incorrect in reckoning that with stretches, anyone should be able to touch their toes? Barring disabilities and injuries of course.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
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  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    sungod wrote:
    i assumed it was something like...

    the skinnier you are the easier it is to bend over without your stomach getting in the way

    skinnier probably means less padding on the bum

    sleeker cheeks means narrower saddle

    ...and of course a hefty dose of marketing bollocks

    I'm skinnyish but years of cycling have left me with short hamstrings thus touching my toes is a fantasy.

    I got a boney arse but as I say the Arione is good for me.

    Thought it is all to do with support of the butt.
  • gwillis
    gwillis Posts: 998
    I have both the Arione (cx) and Aliante. I find the Aliante comfy, boring to look at but great for longer rides. The Arione is good for shorter runs and faster stuff if that makes at all sense :shock:
  • Idkwhatnametopick
    Idkwhatnametopick Posts: 11
    It's not about touckig your toes, arm to leg ratios varie massively. It's about the angle between you legs and back, the more flexible hips the smaller the angle
  • Midlands Grimpeur
    Midlands Grimpeur Posts: 340
    From what I got told by a dealer a while back, the flexibility idea is linked to your position on the saddle.

    The theory (not saying I agree with it!) is that if you can touch your toes and have greater flexibility in spine/hamstrings etc. then you are more likely to use all of the saddle because your body can allow/compensate for a wider range of positions. Therefore, the arione would be your saddle of choice as it has a longer nose, wider rear to allow for a greater choice of positioning.

    Less flexibility equals a more stationary position i.e. aliante, with the antares being somewhat in between.
  • Captain Fagor
    Captain Fagor Posts: 739
    I am also confused by the Fizik saddle selection system. I bought my first Aliante in 2007 or thereabouts, and loved it. I also have bikes with Ariones and more recently Antares. For me the latter is perhaps the least comfortable of the three, but I can live with all of them. Lastly, any Aliantes after about 2014 are simply not as good as they used to be.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    thread revival..
  • lone wheeler
    lone wheeler Posts: 163
    I've currently got the Arione (also owned the CX), the Aliante and more recently the Antares. I found the Aliante is great for longer rides as there's more shape to it and I tend to really 'sit' into the saddle rather than shifting about on it. The Arione used to be my fave but since trying the Antares, I find the Antares the best as it seems to be the best of both worlds as it seems a bit flatter than the Arione but and has more give. I haven't used t on really long rides yet but I still think the Aliante will come out the longer ride favourite.

    Everyone is different though. I never used to get on with the normal Turbo saddle but the Turbo special was great but then I found the old Reydel saddle (showing my age!) was the best back in the day. Never really got on with the Rolls but found the original Regal really comfy.

    Trying each saddle if possible before buying would be the only way to go as they aren't cheap.

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