Saddleco Flow Saddle Review

[Fred Roses]

Ever since Saddleco announced their Flow saddle last Fall I have been looking forward to trying it
because it's built on same principle as the Aeron desk chair, using suspended mesh fabric instead of
normal fabric backed by padding. I love my Aeron - other chairs just seem hot and lumpy to me now.

Anyway, Performance finally started selling "factory seconds" last week and now I believe they also
have first-quality examples. I've put 5 or 6 rides on mine so far, more than 75 miles on Saturday
and a very hilly 50 yesterday, and I am completely happy with this saddle. I think my butt stays
cooler and drier and the saddle seems to isolate road harshness nicely, but most importantly for me,
there don't seem to be any "hot spots," no sores or sensitivity in the sit bones ares. I guess the
fabric conforms to my anatomy and supports me evenly.

The only unknown is durability - will the fabric sag (annoying) or rip (potentially VERY annoying)
under prolonged use? Saddleco says riders over 200 pounds or "extreme" riding will void the warranty
so caveat emptor.

Plse note I have no financial interest in this saddle or this company...I decided to post this
review because there seem to be so many people who are unhappy with their saddles, and also because
Saddleco seems to be a new company with innovative ideas.

P. S. The cosmetically-challenged saddle that I bought looks OK to me
- there are several areas around the edge of the frame where the attachment of the mesh is not as
neat as it could be. I suppose the factory had a steep learning curve and they must have a big
pile of not-quite-nice production.

 

[Ken]

[email protected] (Fred Roses) wrote in news:76a441ca.0308040935.6be26ef0 @posting.google.com:
> Anyway, Performance finally started selling "factory seconds" last week and now I believe they
> also have first-quality examples. I've put 5 or 6 rides on mine so far, more than 75 miles on
> Saturday and a very

Thanks for the review. I have a few questions:
1. does the mesh fabric cause any abrasion on your shorts?
2. are there any sharp edges around the frame?
3. how easy is it to slide forward and backward on the saddle?
4. can you sit comfortably on the nose for steep uphills?
5. can you sit comfortably on the tail for steep downhills?

Thanks.

 

[Fred Roses]

Ken <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Thanks for the review. I have a few questions:
> 1. does the mesh fabric cause any abrasion on your shorts?
> 2. are there any sharp edges around the frame?
> 3. how easy is it to slide forward and backward on the saddle?
> 4. can you sit comfortably on the nose for steep uphills?
> 5. can you sit comfortably on the tail for steep downhills?
>
> Thanks.

1. Not so far. You can feel the texture, but it doesn't snag the fabric.

2. The frame around the outside of the nose looks pretty sharp, but it's flexible and I can't feel
it when seated. I scrunch up to the front of the saddle sometimes, and it seems to support me ok.

3. Not as easy as a smooth leather saddle, but easier than a cutout saddle like a Terry or a Selle
Italia Trans Am (on those saddles I always feel like I'm bunching up over the cutout). Actually
the fabric seems to provide a little grip like the stitching the Italian saddle makers often use.

4. Yes

5. Yes

Two more things I overlooked in my original posting -

* The saddle is quite light even though it uses cromo rails. There's really not that much to it.

* The front-rear adjustment range on the rails is quite long.