I need a cross between an Arione and ??

[Pommy99]

Hi ladies
I think I know what I want in a saddle....just not sure if it exists. Can anyone help?

I need it to be firm/hard at the back, like an Arione, and similar width, but towards the front, maybe a dip for my lady bits, and a shorter nose, and no cutout.

I have ditched a Selle Atola with cutout that I used for quite a while - cutout very painful. I have been using a Bontrager Inform RXL, which is pretty comfy up front and I've used it solidly non-stop for the last 6 months. I got a new bike in Jan (it came with an Arione, which I sold straight away as I'd ridden an Arione a few times on the turbo and ended up sitting on a towel half way thru!). Because I then had 2 bikes & 1 saddle (and was swapping all the time) I recently grabbed an old Arione that was lying in the garage and put it on the bike for a quick ride. I've now ridden it quite a bit and got to the point where I love the feel of the Arione on my sit bones (compared to the sponginess of the RXL) but it's juts a bit too long and hard on the nose. I think the Arione is the right width for me. A lot of the women's saddles I have seen seem to be padded on the sit bones and I don't want that.

So, is there a saddle for me out there?
Thanks

[Galatea]

I love my Inform RL WSD saddle...so comfy that I don't even know it's there...its very firm and supportive, not spongy at all, no pressure points- comes in 3 diff widths so my sit bones are right where they need to be. Feels great, even for all day outings. I use it for mountain biking; I have been riding this saddle for over a year and wouldn't love my bike as much without it.

I don't know how different it is from the RXL...but maybe worth a try?

[Pommy99]

Hi Galatea, thanks for your reply - sorry I meant I am riding a WSD RL, not an RXL. I have the middle sized one.

I don't dislike the WSD RL but I never realised how much I preferred a harder saddle until I started using the Arione properly. I am 80% happy with the RL but I'm in the market for a new saddle and I am wondering whether to accept that it doesn't get much better than 80% or to try something different.

[Becky]

What about a Selle San Marco Glamour Aspide? Very firm, 155 mm wide across the back, with a depression but no cutout. I'm not sure what the width of an Arione is. Ultimately, the lack of a cutout is what led me to give up on it. I can ride cutout-free until about 40 miles, and then I really need a little extra space there.

Or what about a Vitesse? I believe that's Fizik's womens model.

[Pommy99]

Hi Becky, I had been wondering if the Bontrager I am using is too wide (it's 150 whereas the Arione is 132). I did sit on the butt-ometer for a fitting and was inbetween sizes so I sized up rather than down to the 140. I think the Aspide Glamour would be too wide at 155. I do like the look of the Vitesse but it is also 150 wide - maybe I need to go and look at a Vitesse & Aspide and see for myself.

[kermit]

The men's version of the Selle San marco aspide and arrowhead would probably closer to the width you need.

[tzvia]

Pommy99- The RXL you have, it's not this http://bontrager.com/model/07136 is it? I can't imagine it being spongy; or do you have the WSD saddle?

If you have the WSD one, how about trying the mens RXL (link above). It is firm, but has some 'give' built into the base, with very little padding. The center of the length of the nose is softer for your soft parts and I find it is just the right amount for me and I absolutely love this saddle. I actually have the RXL on my Ruby, and the RL on the MTB and commuter. They make it in 3 sizes (I use the 154 for my wide bones) and I think their middle size is 143.

If the thin mens RXL is what you have and are calling spongy, you have buns of IRON!

[Skierchickie]

Arione + WTB Silverado. That would be my dream hybrid.

I ride an Arione now, after a long search. I also wish it had a dip or something in front, but it's still the best saddle I've tried. If only I could cross it with the Silverado.

I tried a bunch of saddles over the course of a few years. I finally landed on the Vitesse HP, which was pretty good. Still, could never quite get it right. Slightly too wide in back, I think, and really wanted some relief up front. Actually, I think the real problem is that, while the overall width in back is 150, the sit-bone support area is kind of narrow. It curves down on the sides. I felt like my sit bones were straddling the flat, allowing my weight to rest on the front. Or maybe the width in back caused me to slip slightly forward as I pedaled, shifting me onto an area too narrow for my sit bones. It does have some sort of dip in the shell underneath, but I couldn't tell that it did anything. Oh - and at one point I used the sit-o-meter at a Specialized dealer, and they recommended a 143 (the middle size of the Specialized saddles).

Debated and debated about renewing the search, but then I got my new road bike. It came with the Arione, which I was certain would be horrible (too narrow, I assumed). If I couldn't get a women's saddle to work, why would a narrow men's? However, I gave it a shot. Like I said, if it had a depression or something, it would be perfect.

I guess I'm saying that you might not like the Vitesse as well as the Arione, because it sounds like maybe we're similar. Then again, maybe you would, ya never know unless you try it.

I'm attaching side-by-side photos. Arione on the left, Vitesse on the right. I don't know if it will be helpful.

You might want to try out some WTB brand saddles, if they still have their free trial program. My LBS has (had?) a whole pile of saddles that were just for trying out. I came VERY close on the men's Silverado. Hard as a rock, FLAT in back, 133mm wide, and very supportive, but I had trouble with chafing because of the pear shape (okay, because of my thunder thighs). They all had a dip in the front, which was awesome.

[Pommy99]

Thanks everyone. I went on the Bonty butt-ometer again today -I'm dead on a 140mm - it didn't even register as inbetween so I probably should have had the 140mm in the first place.

Tzvia - just to clarify, I have the WSD RL. Having squidged the WSD RL v Arione v men's RXL the WSD is definitely a whole lot more padded than the men's saddles. I def think I want less padding so I won't be buying the WSD RL in the 140mm.

I sat on a Prologo Kappa Dea which was attached to a Cannondale - it felt great - very firm and flat at the back with a slight dip. The shop didn't stock Prologo saddles so I've come home and tried to find one online but no luck. I can find the Kappa (which is men's) but not the Kappa Dea (i.e. women's one). In fact, the only things that come up when I search Kappa Dea are Cannondale complete bikes. Does anyone know if you can buy this saddle on its own? I can't even find it on the Prologo website - just a Kappa. When I look at pictures of the women's Synapse/Six on the Cannondale website, the pictures seem to show just a men's Kappa yet the tech spec says Kappa Dea. I'm not even sure now if there is a difference between what I sat on in the shop and the men's Kappa. Men's Kappa is 140mm and very flat and firm but I think the one in the shop had a bit more of a dip, and it definitley said Dea on the nose.

Skierchickie - thanks for taking the time to post the pics. I looked at the Vitesse in the shop and thought it looked too wide and I didn't like the way the back rolled off down the sides, like you said - and your pics have confirmed this.

[kermit]

I did an online search for prologo dea and there are two on ebay. WWW.BikeSomewhere.com also has them, hope you like fushia. The color is interesting! According to the site, the rear width is 137. Looks kinda cool!

[Pommy99]

Thanks Kermit - I had a look on that website you posted and can only see the Choice Dea, not the Kappa Dea. As for the colour ....(my bike is white with red so that would be a big problem)!

I had ruled out the Choice Dea as it has no dip. It's quite similar to the men's Choice. It does come in white too!

[Jaclyn]

I tried an Arione but didn't particularly like it. Just purchased the new Vesta but haven't put in on a bike yet. It is similar to the Arione but has a "dip" in the center rather than a full cutout. And it definitely has a shorter nose although it is still a long saddle.

I'm struggling to find a saddle for my ultra distance rides (have completed the 200 and 300k's already this year but have a 400, 600k plus a 12 and 24 hour race still this summer). I ride a tandem. Used a Brooks some last year but was never comfortable. Tried the Arione. Have had the best luck with a Selle Italia with a cut out but never totally comfortable.

The challenge is to test alternative saddles in the next week or two without interfering with what at least partially works.

[Serotta Jim]

I tried an Arione but didn't particularly like it. Just purchased the new Vesta but haven't put in on a bike yet. It is similar to the Arione but has a "dip" in the center rather than a full cutout. And it definitely has a shorter nose although it is still a long saddle.

The wife just picked up a Vesta. Took it for a shortride and seems to like it. Will take it out on longer rides over the next few weeks.

[VeloVT]

If you like the width of the Arione, but need a dip, have you considered trying an Aliante? It's 142mm wide and has a contoured profile from tip to tail, rather than a flat one like the Arione:
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/product/item/FIZKBS6K

Also, there's the new Fizik saddle, the Antares, kind of between the two in profile and also 142mm wide:
http://www.westernbikeworks.com/prod...um-rail-saddle

I was going to suggest the Vitesse also. It came stock on my (then) new bike and I rode it for a little while. I actually thought it was quite comfortable, I just didn't like it as well as the Ariones I had on my other bikes. I ended up replacing it with another Arione. My biggest issue with it was the width, I kept feeling as though I was "running into" the back of it.

Good luck!

[zoom-zoom]

I realize this thread is almost a year old, but I've been researching a new saddle (my Jett 143 is maybe not working for me as well on my new more aggressive road bike as it did on my previous, more upright frame). I am really intrigued by the new Arione Donna. It has a relief channel down the entire length, instead of a cut-out. I think the front of the cut-out on my saddle may be causing me issues.

Anyhow, this might be exactly what someone is looking for.