[culebraza]

I'm considering moving from my Fizik Aliante to one of the Antares models. Despite tons of tweaking, and over 2K miles, my soft tissue still goes numb after about 30 miles on the Aliante. It is very comfortable initially but I think the curved shape just brings too much pressure to the perennial area. I need the width of the Antares, and the flatter surface for perching on the sit bones should help. I demo'd an Antares for about 20 miles and I remember thinking it seemed like it wouldn't cause numbness, but was a bit concerned it was so hard that I might get saddle sores on the sit bones. The Antares Versus--withe channel for decreasing soft tissue pressure--is apparently softer than the regular Antares, which diminishes the effectiveness of channel/groove, but nonetheless seems to make a noticeable difference compared to the regular flat Antares.

I don't have access to an Antares Versus demo at my LBS, so was wondering if anyone has ridden it and what their impressions are: is it too mushy? Does the channel work?

Also, for those with the regular Antares (kium or braided)--how is it on your sit bones? Any unusual discomfort on longer rides? Saddle sores? Is it just a matter of getting used to it/breaking in the saddle?

I know saddles are like hand-to-glove and are subjective, but any thoughts would help.

My impression is I'd like to get the Antares braided because in general a firm saddle is better for active riders (since you want to sit on, not in, the saddle, and let the bibs [which move with you] give much of the cushion), but maybe it is too hard for us non-ProTour level riders? I am in good form generally, and ride about 150 miles a week, weigh 165, 5'11".

Thanks for any thoughts and advice!

 

[Guest]

Same situation as you. I have an Aliante, and I love the rear profile of the saddle. However, I have to tilt the nose up so far to keep my pelvis from rotating forward that the nose of the saddle causes numbness. So I bit the bullet and bought an Antares (not the Versus model), since the dimesions were basically the same but with a flatter profile fore-aft. Well, the rear of the Antares is nothing like the Aliante, even though it's the same width. Like the Aliante, I'm having to tilt the nose up to keep my pelvis balanced on the saddle. It's also flatter side-to-side, and the thin edges are uncomfortable. I did 65k on it and survived, but I fiddled with the Antares constantly trying to get it dialed in. So the jury's still out on my opinion of it, but I can say this: I don't find it to fall in the middle design-wise between the Aliante and the Airione (as the Fizik website suggested, IIRC), and I find it the most uncomfortable of the three.

 

[Guest]

Oh, and I meant to add that I don't find the Antares too hard.

 

[culebraza]

Many thanks, foothillsbass, that helps. I do remember the wide nose had abrupt edges, which made me more conscious of it while riding, while the Aliante is more rounded and narrower at the nose. Seems like the same basic dilemma: tilting the nose up so that you aren't sliding forward (that can be a lower-back killer too!), which leads to some soft tissue pressure. Maybe the Versus aleviates some of this? If anyone out there has tried it (I've only seen one short review of it online at cyclingnews.com), I'd appreciate your impressions.