Selle Italia SLK Lady Gel Flow--anyone using it?

[Ana]

I'm considering getting a new saddle. Anyone riding a Selle Italia SLK Lady Gel Flow? :) I found an older thread but wanted to see who was riding it now and your experience with it. I currently ride a 143 Jett so I think the width of the SLK would be perfect (145).

I would love to test ride it but the nearest shop that has a test program is quite far away (and I am without a vehicle). I'm trying to decide whether it might be worth it to take a ride over there (or ride my bike when the weather is better).

Thanks! :)

[Veronica]

I switched to this saddle from a Brooks Finesse on my road bike. I haven't done any super long rides with it yet,but so far I am pretty happy with it. I loved my Brooks for years - did 6 double centuries on it. But this past fall I noticed it was really impeding my pedal stroke. We did a saddle demo from Competitive Cyclist over Thanksgiving. All of those were men's saddles and none of them fit me, but it did help me figure out what I wanted in a new saddle.


I have the Jett 155 on my mountain bike.

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

How does it compare with the Jett in terms of shape? I keep hearing that the SI is really T-shaped, but from the pictures it doesn't look as T-shaped as the Specialized saddles. What about firmness/squishiness?

I'm happy with my Jett but it isn't The Perfect Saddle for me. Next try will probably be a Ruby, but I still have eyes for the big cut-out on the SI.

[Veronica]

Every time I get on my mountain bike with the Jett it feels weird. I know part of that is just mountain bike geometry. I think the Jett is much squishier than the SLK which is very firm.

Right now I want to put the SLK on all four of my bikes.

Veronica

[Grog]

I have the SLR Lady Gel flow and love it. Not sure how it compares to the SLK. The SLR is VERY similar to the Jett in shape. The width is just wonderful for me and the construction is better quality than the specialized saddles in my opinion.

[Becky]

I have the SLR Lady Gel flow and love it. Not sure how it compares to the SLK. The SLR is VERY similar to the Jett in shape.

+1. Can't speak to the SLK though...

[OakLeaf]

Just looking at SI's site again... The SLK is 145 mm, SLR is 155. The SLR is also 8 mm longer. The cut-outs are very different (from the pictures, much wider on the SLR, but both are biased toward the rear).

Again just going by the pictures... the SLR appears to be more T-shaped, but on closer inspection, it could just be that the rear is wider and the nose is about the same width.

Poking around their site brought me to the Turbomatic. Apparently they just re-introduced this classic last year, now with cut-out. 153 mm, reasonably generous cut-out, and verrry T-shaped. I'm seriously tempted.

[BikeButton]

Ana - what is the reason for the interest in the new saddle?
I'm currently tossing up between the Jett and the SLR myself, as the SLK now only comes in black *tears*.

[Ana]

Ana - what is the reason for the interest in the new saddle?
I'm currently tossing up between the Jett and the SLR myself, as the SLK now only comes in black *tears*.

I just don't think that my Jett is "the one" ;) My saddle is plenty comfortable and extremely tolerable but it's not like other women's great saddles "disappear underneath them." When I get the chance, I think I'll head over to the Selle Italia Testing Center :)

Oh, and I need at least one more new saddle soon since riding season is around the corner. My old bike is currently fitted with a former-LBS-sold-me-a-too-narrow saddle which is hardly ideal. Also, my clunky commuter bike is very uncomfortable to ride more than 2 miles. I would be happy to put my Jett on another bicycle if I could find something more comfortable for my main ride :D

[BikeButton]

I am actually just about to embark on the search for "the one" myself.

My stock standard WTB Deva that came on my Anthem is feeling more like the blank of wood it looks like every time I sit on it. Finding it hard to enjoy more then about 40kms on it.

Interested to hear how you go with the Selle Italia. I tried to contact my local test centre and they are no longer running the program as all the seats they had to try got tested and apparently never returned!!! My biggest problem in Sydney is that most LBS' won't let you take home saddles on a trial basis.

So now I really don't know where to start if I can't "road test" anything before I buy.

Any pointers would be much appreciated :D

[erin]

I have been riding the Selle Italia SLK Lady Gel Flow for about two months now. I have problems with it putting my crotch to sleep, but then again I haven't found a single saddle yet that hasn't done that. I just purchased the Specialized Romin Comp saddle because my sit bones feel more stable on it (i have 120 mm sit bones, so I purchased the 143mm saddle).

I would just recommend testing out a bunch of saddles at a local shop (i tried out six in one day on a trainer).

[nscrbug]

I rode on the SLK for a few months...until I noticed that one of the "halves" started to droop lower than the other half. And like Muireen, I thought the channel (or rather the lack of separation between the two halves) was not sufficient. I thought I had gotten a defective saddle (which actually might be the case), but I never did try and return it because it involved quite a bit of red tape (had to go through a distributor, blah, blah, blah). I ended up settling on a Specialized Ruby 155 and I've been pretty happy with it. I still get some minor sit bone discomfort whenever I near the 70-mile mark, but I'm betting that would happen regardless of which saddle I had on my bike.