Selle Italia Saddles

The Selle Turbo in it's many variations has probably been the most used saddle by the professional racing community. The shape of the saddle follows classic styling. It's lightweight, durable and enduring. The saddle is made in Italy, using a resilient anatomically designed nylon shell. The shell has depressions molded into it where the pelvic bones comes into greatest contact with the saddle. Over the shell is an extremely high density, molded foam padding that surrounds the top and most of the side, feathering to a thin edge where the buffalo hide and plastic join. The depressions accommodate more padding giving the rider more comfort. The leather top is carefully cemented to the shell on the lower sides and is then further glued on the underside as the leather is wrapped around the shell. The rails are made of chrome plated spring steel. The rails have the return curve at the front, located two inches from the front of the saddle. Made in the racing style only, this seat comes in Blue, Black, Red, White, or Yellow. Weighing 308 grams this saddle is not always in stock in all colors.

Color-B-BK-R-W-Y $ Price in Catalog

Selle makes a Turbo saddle with a slightly different finished leather top. The leather covering the surface of this saddle is distressed with tiny little holes. Perforation gives the saddle a textured surface for lycra shorts to grip. It may be that the perforated surface permits greater body ventilation. The leather top on the Turbo Perforated is substantially thicker, hence it's greater weight. The saddle uses a molded nylon shell with anatomic depressions. Over the shell is molded, high density foam padding, which then has the perforated leather stretched and glued to the sides underneath the lip at the bottom. This seat has spring steel rails with the return curve at the front, two inches from the nose of the saddle. Available in racing style only, this seat weighs 363 grams. Black or White.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

The Selle L. Turbo is Selle's Women's style professional racing saddle. It has a wider tail on it (165mm) and is somewhat shorter (only 245mm) to accommodate the differences in a women's pelvic structure. The L. Turbo uses a nylon base designed similar to the Turbo allowing for extra padding where pelvic bones are most likely to come in contact. It has a molded, high density foam pad over the shell, that feathers at the bottom of the saddle's side. The seat is covered with Buffalo hide in either a White or Black color. The rails are made of spring steel and chrome plated. The rails extend the length of the under side and have a return curve at the front of the saddle. The Selle L. Turbo weighs 438 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

This saddle is sometimes known as the Turbo SL. It's made In Italy like the Selle Turbo. The SLG has a molded nylon base as the shell for the seat, with depressions molded into it for extra padding in the pelvic bone area. The same molded, high density foam padding is placed over the shell with a Buffalo hide leather cover cemented to the saddle sides and underneath the shell bottom. The single distinction this saddle has over the Selle Turbo is that it has aluminum alloy rails to reduce the overall weight. The aluminum rails are painted Black to identify it as an SLG. The rails have a return curve at the front, two inches from the tip of the saddle. Available in a racing style only, this seat comes in Black or White and weighs 278 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

The Selle Super Turbo has some enhancements over the Turbo series saddles. It's still made in Italy, and it still has a nylon shell as the base for the seat. The shell has anatomic depressions molded into it to accept more padding at the pelvic contact points and there is a 1/2" tall depression that is an 1/8" deep which runs around the front three inches the seat. Over the shell is high density foam padding which is molded to the contour of the shell and tapers to a feather edge at the lower parts of the sides. Leather is then stretched and glued over the foam and shell, rolled under the bottom and glued underneath the bottom lip. A label is applied on the leather in the front band of depression saying "Super Turbo". Over this label and surrounding the entire bottom of the nose area, is a cast clear plastic shroud. This plastic shroud holds the leather firmly and makes it more difficult for stress to separate the leather at the nose from the shell. This plastic piece also gives considerable protection to an area that is high wear in just normal bike use or likely to be damaged in a crash. The plastic protector is held in place with small self-tapping recessed head screws that are screwed into the front rail bridge. The rails are made of spring steel, with the return curve at the front. The return curve is 1 3/4" from the tip of the saddle. There is also a plastic protector at the back of the seat, which not only covers another "Turbo" label, but also fastens the leather edge and gives protection to another area known for punishment. This rear protector is held with the same type of screws at the rear rail receivers. Available in Black or White, this saddle weighs 393 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

This one is unique and already has a great deal of notoriety. It is made in Italy with the objective of reducing weight to it's barest minimum, while retaining the clever styling that Italians are famous for. The Flite begins with a molded nylon shell. It doesn't have the anatomic depressions the Turbo's have, but that would add more foam padding weight. The nylon base is designed to flex (in a sense imitating more padding) and therefore affords a degree of comfort that most saddles don't have. Over the nylon shell, molded high density foam padding is glued. The padding is really only on the upper "seat" area and extends two thirds the distance from the tail to the nose of the saddle. Selle has trimmed the sides exposing the seat clamp area. This is wise, on a saddle this narrow, the clamp would continually rub against the inner bottom lip and destroy the seat. There is a leather top glued around the foam and very careful trim work on the underside leaving a beautifully finished saddle. The rails are made of Ti with a return curve at the front. The return curve is 1 3/4" inches from the tip. This saddle is available in Black, Grey, Tan, or White, and a production model of the Flite weighs 203.5 grams.

Color - BK-GY-T-W / T $ Price in Catalog

The Selle Flite Transalp model has been available in Europe for some time but not made available for export to the United States except in small quantities recently. We have made separate and private arrangements to import them to the U.S. on our own. The Transalp Flite is almost exactly the same as the Flite with a slightly modified nylon base. As with the San Marco/Bontrager saddles, the sides of the Transalp's rear tail area of the have been cut away, narrowing the saddle, and reducing its weight slightly. The Transalp Flite uses the same foam padding as the Flite, but cut away to narrow it in the rear. The Transalp is covered with smooth leather cemented down over the top, around the sides, and beneath the underside. The leather around the cut away sides is printed with a White "transalp" to easily distinguish it from the original Flite. Because the base is fundamentally the same as the Flite, the return curve and the rail assembly on the Transalp are the same. Available in Black leather only, the Transalp weighs 196 grams. $ Price in Catalog

Selle Italia has found yet one more, and were sure the last, way to reduce the weight of a saddle. This saddle uses all known tricks in weight reduction. The Evolution saddle shell is molded as a single piece of thin carbon fiber, in a shape that strongly resembles the Flite model of their saddles. You can feel the fiber mesh on the bottom of the Evolution, but the top of it has a totally polished and satin smooth surface. The texture of the carbon fiber cloth is visible through this highly reflective top surface, and the mesh gives the saddle a translucent Grey tinge. On the underside, at the rear are two rail receivers molded of carbon fiber at the time the shell was formed, then drilled afterward for the rail ends to slide in. The rail return curve is at the front, 2 1/8" from the front. The return curve is housed in a bridge also made of carbon fiber at the time of the shell construction, which joins the nose sides and top in a firm structure. The bridge is molded with the bottom open so the rear rails slide in first, then the front return curve lies into this bridge. At first the curve is held by hot melt adhesive, but then a plastic plate lays over the opening with two 3mm machine screws securely fastening the rails to the saddle. Incidentally a micrometer revealed to us that the shell thickness is just 1mm thick. The rails are made of a single piece of solid Titanium 6Al-4V rod.

As for the comfort of this saddle with no added padding or upper cover? The Titanium rails provide some spring, and the saddle shell top and sides flex a little. We found about 6mm of give with the firm downward pressure of one arm on it. Our Evolution saddle weighed out at 155 grams. Caution should be observed in using this saddle while involved in riding that will produce outrageously severe impacts on landing, as a catastrophic failure will compromise delicate human anatomy. $ Price in Catalog

The Turbomatic employs what Selle Italia calls the "full floating system", which is their version of saddle shock dampening through the use of rubber bushings beneath the receivers for the saddle rails. The saddle shell is made of molded nylon, with slight depressions in the pelvic area for extra thickness of foam padding. The shell is covered with a high density foam rubber padding that's thick on the top of the saddle, becomes less so at the sloping sides and feathers into the shell at the bottom lip of the shell. The Turbomatic is covered with Black leather that's carefully stretched and glued in place around the inner side of the saddle shell. The leather at the nose of the saddle has been carefully trimmed, within the padded structure, so there are no excess folds of leather leaving an awkward appearance. The saddle rails are made of Black chromed spring steel, with the return curve at the front, two inches from the tip of the saddle. Placing the return curve back from the tip this way, reduces the amount of steel and weight in the saddle. The rear receivers are molded as a part of the shell and shaped as a hollow rectangle. Selle places a soft rubber rectangle, (about a 35- A softness), into this hollow receiver then has a Yellow block of nylon rest over it, into which the saddle rails are fit. The return curve bridge is also a hollow rectangle with a rubber piece and the Yellow nylon block for the return curve to rest in. The soft rubber pieces between the shell and the rails act as shock absorbers for irritating and stressful vibrations. Selle cuts the tail of the saddle with a "V" shape, lowering the height of the saddle, so aggressive riders can re-mount it from the rear with out anatomical difficulties, (get it?). The saddle tail has two molded nylon protectors that are screw fastened from the underside which shield the rubber assembly, leather edge, and the saddle from damage in a fall. From the rear, the left protector is Yellow and right one is Black. There is also a molded nylon nose cap which protects the front of the saddle similarly. The rail return curve is 2" inches from the tip. This saddle is available in Black or White with Yellow accents, and weighs 337 grams.

Color -BK-W $ Price in Catalog

This is the same saddle as above, but the steel rails have been replaced with a rail made of Titanium 6Al-4V rod to reduce weight. The Turbomatic Titanium has two cosmetic distinctions. The side of the saddle is stamped in White with the word "Titanium" and the rear left protector is Yellow, and the rear right is Black. It is identical in all other respects. This saddle is available in Black or White with Yellow accents, and weighs 207 grams.

Color-BK-W / T $ Price in Catalog

The Selle Italia Mythos is a successor of the Italia Flite, with added weight reductions from the careful removal of a strip of the middle of the saddle tail area. The shell is made of molded nylon, with a section 20mm wide at the rear tapering to 10mm wide after a 120mm length taken from the middle. The shell is covered with very high density, molded foam rubber that covers the top and most of the shell. A smooth Black leather is sewn to cover squarely the edge of the missing center section, with a nice and delicate rolled edge. The sewn leather piece is then exquisitely cemented to the padding with 3/8" of the cover lapping up under the underside of the shell where it is carefully glued down. There is a molded plastic housing with the rear rail receivers, which also holds in place the leather cover at the underside of the tail section. This housing is held in place with glue and two screws. A molded plastic shroud also covers the tip of the saddle. Held in place with glue and a screw this shroud prevents the excess wear that often occurs at the saddle tip. There has been a falsehood in the advertising of this saddle, which might have been attributed to poor translating of the Italian. All along the Mythos has been said to have a "Vanadium" rail, and , in fact, the interior packaging says, "The frame, (rail assembly..) is in extremely strong, non-deformable and lightweight Vanadium tube." The Silver painted rail assembly on the side reads "Vanadium 0.9" which is very revealing. Vanadium is an alloying element, not used in its pure form for something like a rail assembly, but is frequently alloyed in carbon steel. In fact, when you look at a list of steel alloys that use around .9% Vanadium you find that Chromium- Molybdenum (Cro-Moly) tool steel is a frequent user. Chromium-molybdenum-vanadium steels can contain around .5% Carbon, 5% Chromium, 1% Molybdenum and .85% Vanadium. The Vanadium raises the softening temperature of the steel, and these alloys are used for bolts, and steam turbine rotors (Group H) or cutting tools and high temperature structural components (Group T). You will learn in the Vetta section of this article that Selle Italia makes many or all of the Vetta saddles. The Vetta SL and the Vetta SP Vanadium saddles have a hollow Cro-Moly rail assembly that's painted Grey. We suspect this is the same tubing with a flattened side, painted Silver. The Mythos is available only in a Racing style with a Black leather cover and weighs 199 1/2 grams. $ Price in Catalog