I am an avid cycling enthusiast averaging around 6000 miles a year for the past 5 years. This is the second Alliante saddle I have owned and I did not consider any other saddle when it came time to replace the first one on which I had ridden around 18,000 miles. Being a 58 year old Clydesdale in the 230Lb range and having several old injury issues including a bad knee which confines me to the saddle (no dancing on the peddles here), I struggled for years with what I called a 30 mile butt! Especially difficult were the long flat straights with my weekend warriors pushing up the pace into the mid twenties not allowing any relief from the saddle and having to fall off the wheel occasionaly to get out of the saddle. Bye bye peloton and solo riding home. The Alliante has changed that and now I joke that I have a 60 mile butt and the longer weekend rides are no longer a problem to complete the ride with my group.
Have used Aliante saddles for years. They are an excellent combination of light weight and just enough padding for longer rides.
I own several Aliante saddles and think they are the most comfortable saddles I have owned (for my anatomy). They are also durable, although I think the carbon rail saddles are not durable enough for cyclocross but great for the road. I have been using a Kium gamma saddle on my cross bike for several years and it is bulletproof.
very comfortable- this is the 2nd generation of the same seat (Aliante) that I used since 2008
I switched to the Fizik Aliante from the Bontrager Inform RL due to a nagging hamstring injury after doing the full PT, ... route. I was hoping to get a bid more padding and a bit more flex on the shell without losing performance.
My expectations have completely been exceeded. This saddle is nothing short of a miracle. It is firm but also flexes like an old time leather saddle (e.g. Brooks). Compared to the Bontrager Inform RL, I had to set it back by an addition 5mm, and the nose is slightly angled up (about 1-2 degrees). I have both the gamma twin flex and the carbon version of the Aliante and the carbon version has a bit better feeling but probably not worth the price difference.
Good quality - just wasn't the right saddle for me - and a bit on the heavy side.
I went through several other saddles before I discovered the Aliante. It's the best saddle that I have ever ridden. It gets better with each ride.
