"pic" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello, I'm looking for info on the Sella Italia XO Trans Am saddle. I am in dire need of relief !!
> This saddle seems to be in the right direction for me. It's a wee bit wider in the back and has a
> generous cut out.
>
> Any comments?
I bought one about a year ago. The price is right, and the cutout works. I do have a complaint,
though: the padding just isn't firm enough (and I'm light - about 65kg). My XO's padding is almost
completely compressed ("bottomed out") just from sitting on it. If I hit a bump on the road, there
isn't much travel left in the padding to help absorb the impact. Use you finger to compress the foam
and compare it to other saddles in the shop - then you should see what I mean.
Another comment about the cutout saddles in general: If you take the pressure off one area, it means
that the other areas that are in contact with the saddle have to take some extra weight. So, in the
case of cutout saddles, there's more pressure on the inside of your hib bones than normal, and with
the XO's too-soft padding, I end up having problems there.
My advice is to get something with firmer padding for road use. That way, the padding is only,
for example, half way compressed by your body weight, leaving the other half to compress when you
hit a bump.
I've moved the XO onto my full-suspension MTB, where the suspension soaks up most of the bumps
anyway. On my road bike I have a good old Sella Italia Turbo.
I should mention though that I don't have much fat on my butt, and I'm a software developer so I sit
on my butt all day. If your butt is more padded and has an easier life, the XO might work just fine.
BoneyButt.
