Selle Italia's Flite has been the saddle of choice for many a champion and it's distinctive shape has made it an icon of cycling since its inception thirty years ago. It was pretty ground breaking at the time of its release and was considered ultra-light and ultra-thin and made the competition look pretty sofa like in comparison. It was this sleek look that made it the choice for many a road (and mountain bike) rider - in fact I remember buying my first one in 1995, a Flite Titanium in yellow and blue.
Ridden by the likes of Marco Pantani and Philippe Gilbert, it became a firm favourite and the side profile instantly recognisable. But as with many icons adaptation is the way to survive and the Flite has been through a fair few variations in order to keep it modern and relevant. Selle Italia has a vast wealth of saddle know-how, understanding and technology at its fingertips and is now ready to release the Flite Boost to the general public.
The eagle-eyed amongst you would have spotted the new Flite Boost on Mathieu Van der Poel's bikes at the 2020 Cyclocross World Champs in January.
The Flite Boost is a much shorter and more compact shape than the existing Flite saddles currently available. It has been truncated to just 248mm in length (current Flite saddles measure around 275mm) but according to Selle Italia it still retains the classic 'T' shape of all Flite saddles. It also follows the same flat topped profile as the original so fans of the Flite should still love the Boost version.
Available in three versions – with the rail in Kit Carbonio, TI316 or Manganese (TM) – and in the 4 classic idmatch sizes (Selle Italia's custom saddle measuring system): S1/L1 (without central hole) and S3/L3 with Superflow central hole.
The Flite Boost is also a lightweight saddle: the Kit Carbonio Superflow (S3) version weighs just 157 grams while the version without the central hole (S1) weighs 162 grams and so on, gradually increasing to the version with the Manganese rail (TM) which weighs 243 grams in the L1 idmatch size.
James Bracey's career has seen him move from geography teacher, to MBR writer, to Cycling Weekly's senior tech writer and video presenter. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of bicycle mechanics, as well as bike fit and coaching qualifications. Bracey enjoys all manner of cycling, from road to gravel and mountain biking.
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