Fizik Aliante R1 saddle review

Fizik categorises its saddles – and increasingly its other products like its bars and its newly introduced shorts – according to how flexible you are, calling this its Spine Concept. So if you can bend to touch your toes with straight legs, you are a Snake, if you can’t you are a Bull and if you’re somewhere in between you are a Chameleon.

The Aliante saddle is designed for those who are Bulls – and I definitely fit into this category. It’s got a wide profile to the rear of the saddle and a pronounced upward turn, whereas the Arione, which is designed for Snakes is much flatter and also narrower.

The Aliante comes in two widths too: 142mm or 152mm. The R1 is only surpassed by the £279.99 Aliante 00 in Fizik’s Aliante hierarchy, coming with a carbon composite base and braided carbon rails under its foam padding. This gives it a low weight of 183g.

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Also in the base at the rear is a Fizik logo plate. This can be pushed out to mount one of Fizik’s clip-on saddle packs, which is a neat idea and saves having to use straps to fix a pack over your precious carbon rails, potentially scuffing them.

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The upward curve at the rear and the saddle’s curved profile make it a comfortable perch for longer rides and the lightweight construction appeals to my inner weight weenie. Unlike its other saddles, Fizik puts a lateral band of shiny covering across the back of the Aliante. The rest of the cover is matt black and holds you in place well, but I did find that I slipped around a bit on the shiny area in some shorts, making for a slightly less planted seating position that I would have liked.

But overall, the Aliante R1 is a nicely finished saddle and a comfortable place to sit for extended periods.