Selle San Marco Saddles

The San Marco 601 arrived after this article on saddles was complete. It will be fully reviewed in Edition 2 of the Buyers Guide. The 601 uses Pirelli ribber pads in the rear rail reciever to permit a slight "suspension" of the rider. It has a Black leather cover. $ Price in Catalog

Selle San Marco is another Italian maker of high quality professional racing saddles. The San Marco Rolls is a pro racing style saddle that begins with a Rilsan (a type of nylon) shell as the base of the seat. It has no depressions for additional padding molded into the shell. There is a band like depression running around the rear of the shell and two (one on either side) diamond shaped depressions near the front. Over the shell is cemented an extremely high density foam padding. The padding extends from the tail all the way to the tip of the nose, so nerve damage is less likely no matter what the circumstances. The upper cover is smooth calf leather which is stretched and glued at the surrounding edges and the under the lip to hold it securely. The leather is trimmed to fit the contour of the underside of the nose exquisitely. Multiple cuts and careful cementing deliver a high quality fit. In the diamond depressions is fit a gold plated San Marco logo. It not only adds to the appearance, but it's rivet fastening helps secure the leather to the shell. At the back, in the rear band depression, is a gold plated metal band with a "Rolls" gold plated logo fastened to it. This band, and the logo are riveted through the leather and the shell, to cinch and hold the leather surface. The rails are made of spring steel and are brass plated to fit within the Gold appearance. The return curve is at the front about 1/2 inch from the tip of the saddle. Available in Black, White, it weighs 360 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

The San Marco Regal is easy to distinguish from all other saddles at sight. It is a professional racing style saddle that begins with a molded nylon base. There are no depressions for extra padding at pelvic contact points. Over the shell is a molded, thin layer of high density expanded foam padding. Surrounding the foam pad and shell, a leather covering is glued. The Regal is available in a smooth Black, or White leather, and also perforated Black, or White leather, which gives a bit more air flow as the padding expands and contracts. The perforation process puts small, fine holes in a grid throughout the surface of the smooth leather before it is cut and cemented down to the padding and the shell. The leather around the nose is trimmed remarkably well using multiple cuts to give it a superior fit. On the tail of the saddle are six 5/8" in diameter copper rivets. The rivets pass through the leather down through a second molded nylon piece on the underside. This second piece acts like a batten to hold the leather glued on the bottom of the tail even more firmly. This second nylon piece also has the rear rail receivers molded into it. The back of the rear rail receivers is molded for the copper "Regal Girardi" logos that are glued into it. The rails are copper plated spring steel with the return curve at the front, 7/8" from the tip. It's available covered in smooth or perforated Black or White leather, and weighs 391 grams.

Smooth (Color-BK-W) $ Price in Catalog
Perforated (Color-BK) $ Price in Catalog

Selle San Marco also makes an ultra light weight saddle with design assistance from Keith Bontrager. Rather than the flared tail area found on most saddles, which start with a narrow nose and widen to a rounded pear-shaped back, the Bontrager Ti has this roundness cut well back, forming more of a straight line from the saddle clamp to the tail. The saddle is cut this way for extremely aggressive riders, who stand on their pedals with their bottom off the seat, using their shifting body weight to maintain their balance, then re-mount the saddle, all in one continuous motion. These "mogul" mountain riders have always had the wide saddle tail in the way of positioning their bike and body while maneuvering. This saddle reduces their hardship. The nose area forward of the clamp rails is cut shorter in height to gain some reduction in weight.

The shell is made of molded Black nylon with depressions on both sides of the top running about 2/3 the length of the saddle. The saddle is covered with light weight, high density foam rubber, molded to fit the saddle's shape perfectly, with the padding tapering on the sides and disappearing altogether at the bottom of the sides. Smooth leather is used as it's ultimate covering. It's formed and stretched making a snug fit and glued cleanly to the underside shell with quite a bit more surface than every other seat we've seen. In fact, the molded nylon rear rail receivers are actually wrapped in the leather which is formed specifically to provide this full coverage. There is a molded nylon bridge linking the rear receivers and the shell top, which provides added structure against flex. The rails are made of Titanium 6Al-4V rod to make what is one the lightest full length saddles available. The return curve is at the front about 1 3/4" (45mm) from the tip of the saddle. Available in Black or White, this saddle weighs 199 1/2 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

The Bontrager Ti saddle is also made with a Black spring steel, rather than Titanium rail assembly. The base, padding, cover, everything up from the rail, is the same as the Ti model. We know the weight of this Cro-Moly rail model is less than the Ti railed model. It may be because the steel rails are hollow. Available only in a smooth Black leather cover, this saddle weighs 196 grams. $ Price in Catalog

There is a final variation of the Bontrager saddle that involves the use of a graphite re-inforced carbon fiber rail assembly. The Bontrager Carbon model is distinctive because of the Blue and Red label on the sides of the nose. The Red "KA" indicates the Carbon rail assembly. Though the polypropylene base appears to be the same one used for the two previous saddle, the cut away rear sides aren't cut as narrow as the Ti and Cro-Mo models. The same high density, molded foam padding used for the other two models is used on the Carbon. The leather cover is formed and glued to the top of the padding, lower sides, and the underside of the saddle shell. The Carbon model is available with distressed or smooth leather. The distressed leather's finish is described below in the Titanio 200 text. The rail assembly is made of graphite based carbon fiber. The rail is 7mm in diameter, the industry standard so it will work with all standard seatpost clamp assemblies. At the rear of the rail assembly where it fits into the rail receiver block there is a braided fiber that's 18.5mm high joining the rails. The rail assembly is rigid and un-yielding. Where other rails of steel or Titanium, can be forced slightly together with bare hands. There is absolutely no give at all, in these rails. To make this rigid rail assembly fit into the saddle base the bridge that holds the rail return curve is milled to contour the return curve. The rear rails are installed in the receivers and the curve is pressed into the bridge. An aluminum plate covers the bottom of the bridge, and is held in place with two copper colored steel screws. The carbon fiber rail assembly weighs 30 1/2 grams with the screws and plate adding another 7 grams. The Bontrager Carbon is available only in a Black leather cover. This saddle weighs 174.5 g.
$ Price in Catalog

The San Marco Titanio saddle is the unmodified (meaning un-cut) rear deck version of the saddle, known as the Bontrager. It has nearly exactly the same shell as the Bontrager model but without the sides at the tail area cut away. The saddle is made with a stiff molded nylon base, and the rail receivers and bridge molded into it. The cushion is provided from a molded, high density foam rubber that wraps the top and sides. Like the Bontrager model, the side of the saddle wraps the clamp assembly area but is cut shorter in height at the front third, in the nose area, reducing weight. The rails are made of a single piece of Titanium 6Al-4V rod with the return curve at the front, resting in a molded bridge that joins the rails to the sides and top of the shell. The saddle is covered using either a smooth or patterned Black or smooth White leather. The patterned Black leather begins smooth and is distressed or textured with a fine moire pattern within a larger wood grain style pattern. The leather is formed and stretched for this saddle, then cleanly glued in place on the underside of the shell. The return curve is at the front about 1 3/4" (45mm) from the tip of the saddle. Available in Black or White, this saddle weighs 217 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

The San Marco Concor Light saddle is a minimalist design of the type Selle Italia introduced with their Flite saddle. The one piece molded nylon saddle shell has two depressions in the for added padding at the point of pelvic contact. There is also a depression in the shell for added foam padding to fit in the area of the sciatic nerve at the point of crotch contact. High density foam rubber padding is molded to contour the shell and give the saddle a uniformly clean line. The padding extends from the nose to the tail of the saddle and slopes over the sides, feathering away at the bottom of the outer shell sides. The tail of the Concor Light flares upward at the rear. It has the area of seat post clamp contact cut away to reduce weight and the likelihood of saddle damage from the clamp chafing the interior of the shell. The rail assembly is made of a single piece of Titanium 6Al-4V rod with the return curve at the front, resting in a bridge molded into the shell. The bridge holds the return curve as well as joining the sides and top of the saddle shell. The return curve occurs 1 3/4" from the front saddle tip. The rear rail receivers are molded into the shell with a 4mm thick wall joining the recievers and the shell top together. Like the Bontrager versions of the San Marco saddles, the Concor Light series comes in a Black leather upper cover. The Concor Light Titanium weighs 184.5 grams. $ Price in Catalog

The San Marco Concor Light K 652 Carbonio is a variation on the previous saddle with the Titanium rail changed out with the Carbon fiber rail assembly used in the Bontrager carbon railed saddle also made by San Marco. The Concor Carbon has the distinctive Red "KA" on both sides of the saddle tip. Like the Bontrager Carbon, the shell's return curve bridge is milled with an arch shape to accommodate the carbon rail assembly.

The Graphite based rail assembly and it's installation is described in the Bontrager Carbon text. The Carbon model of the Concor Light comes in the same leather choices as the Titanium model above. The Concor Light Carbon with a nicely padded saddle top weighs just 153 1/2 grams.
$ Price in Catalog

The San Marco Concor Comfort has existed for well over decade. The saddle sides drop low enough to completely eliminate chafing from the saddle clamp, while the nose is sculpted to a short height, reducing weight. The tail of the Concor series saddles slopes upward at the very back adding 7/10 of an inch in rear height at the tail end, giving the rider something to push backward against, while seated. The saddle shell is made of a flexible nylon material with ribs on the underside running lengthwise to increase support. The rear rail receivers are molded as a part of the shell, and there is a bridge linking the shell top, both rail receivers, and the lengthwise ribs, pulling all the elements of the saddle shell into a very stable structure. The Comfort uses high density foam padding for it's cushion, which is molded specifically for this saddle shell. The padding extends from tip to tail, on the top surface and well down the sides of the saddle, with a feather edge that disappears before the bottom. The top is covered in Black leather that is primarily smooth but has been given a slightly distressed finish. The leather is formed to fit, then cleanly glued with extra surface on the inner side of the shell bottom. The leather at the nose is carefully cut and glued to produce a single smooth surface. The rails are made of chrome plated spring steel. The rear rail ends fit through a molded nylon shroud and into the rail receivers, held in place by a solid bridge molded as a part of the nose. The return curve is at the front about 3/4" (20mm) from the tip of the saddle. Available in Black or White, this saddle weighs 340 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

The San Marco Concor Sprint takes the high back tail of the Confort saddle a step further, and is intended specifically for time trail use, giving the rider something to push back against. The Concor Sprint is made using a flexible molded nylon shell. Like the Comfort, it has the same rail receivers, nose bridge and ribs running lengthwise under the saddle shell, but the tail at the back of the shell raises 1.4 inches, in a sloping flare from the level deck of the saddle top. This increased height makes more definite, the back brace for the rider to push against as they pedal with full vigor. The Concor Sprint uses a molded fit high density foam rubber cushion that wraps the top, protects the back and sides, before the lower edge on the side feathers away into the shell. The Concor Sprint is covered with a Black smooth, supple leather which is tailor cut, then wrapped and glued to the underside of the shell. The Several cuts are made in the leather to carefully fit the nose, before it's glued around and under the return curve bridge. The rails are made of a single piece of spring steel which is cadmium plated with the return curve at the front. The rear rail receivers are molded into the shell with a connecting bridge linking them, to re-enforce the stressed portion of the saddle. The return curve at the front is 3/4" (20mm), from the tip of the saddle. Available in Black, or White, this saddle weighs 376 grams.

Color-BK-W $ Price in Catalog

The Squadra series of saddles is, in the long term, the likely replacement of the Rolls series. The reason we consider the eventual replacement is that it's intended to made with several variations in the rail assembly. Presently, (February 1994) we have seen it only with Black Chrome plate spring steel rails, but their is already product release notices stating that it will available with hollow Cro-Moly and Titanium rail assemblies. The Squadra shell is made of molded nylon, with molded in rear rail receivers. A rail return curve bridge is molded 2 1/8" from the saddle tip. Molded high density foam padding covers the shell tip to tail providing a comfortable base for the cover. The Squadra is the first of the San Marco saddles with what they will call HDP, the abbreviation of Hytrel Du Pont. Hytrel is a thermopolymer developed by Du Pont, that San Marco has molded into an arch shape which fits beneath the foam padding and the shell, arch upward. As pressure is applied downward, the Hytrel arch is said to yield gradually under the riders weight providing smooth comfort, then return to its arch shape once the weight is relieved. The Squadra cover is another point of departure from the Rolls. The leather covering used on the Rolls is a thin very smooth calf skin. The leather cover on the Squadra is a somewhat thicker cow hide having a more natural, raised grain, texture. Embroidered in White thread, logos appear on both sides of the saddle nose reading "HDP". Embroidered in White on the tail, the words "Squadra" and "Selle San Marco". The leather cover is glued down to the padding, rolled under the bottom of the shell and cemented beneath it underside. A molded Blue plastic shroud covers the rail return curve bridge and the underside of the nose. Held in place with a screw, this shroud assists in cover separation and damage to the saddle nose area, while aesthetically "cleaning up" the appearance of a crowded less elegant spot on the saddle. A distinctive addition is a Black Chrome wire that surrounds the tail. The 3mm diameter wire recesses within a trough molded into the shell, drawing the leather cover tightly into this recess. Available in both a Mens and Womens style, with solid spring steel rails, and a choice of either Black or White leather cover. The Black Mens model weighs 338 grams.

Mens Racing (Color-BK-W) $ Price in Catalog
Womens Racing (Color-BK-W) $ Price in Catalog
Mens Racing w/Titanium rails-Black $ Price in Catalog
Womens Racing w/Titanium rails-Black $ Price in Catalog