Bicycle Mechanics - Clydesdales on titanium-rail saddles?

Title says it all - I'm 275# and have a chance to put a titanium-rail saddle on my bike. Should I do it or is this an invitation to saddle failure? I mount the saddle max-aft in the post clamp if this helps.

If the ti saddle is not a good idea yet, how slim must I be before it becomes safe? I AM making progress in losing weight, but aint Lance yet... :o

I don't mean this as a dodge at all, but ... have you checked with a manufacturer of such a saddle? I would presume they'd know.

My gut says ... Ti? Strong as he**. Don't worry about it ... but ... if it were me ... I'd drop a fast e-mail to the mfgr.

Best of luck on your weight loss!

I agree that Ti is extremely strong and saddle makers know not all of their customers are 125 pound waifs. I expect it's as safe for you as any steel rail saddle. However, it can't hurt to check with the maker.

Title says it all - I'm 275# and have a chance to put a titanium-rail saddle on my bike. Should I do it or is this an invitation to saddle failure? I mount the saddle max-aft in the post clamp if this helps.

If the ti saddle is not a good idea yet, how slim must I be before it becomes safe? I AM making progress in losing weight, but aint Lance yet... :o


the saddle might be too flexy. i am 200 lbs. and i used to ride a turbomatic and when the turbomatic ti came out i bought one and it was absolutely unusable because no matter how i set it up i was sliding either off the front or the back of the saddle.

also, ti is more prone to catastropic failure. i don't ride ti saddles and i don't use super lightweight seatposts or handlebars.

erader

No, no, no. This is a BAD idea for two reasons.

First of all, titanium rails are typically not as strong as steel. Chances are pretty good that the rails will break.

Second, and more important, you weight 275 lbs. The weight savings are nothing compared to the total weight of you plus the bike. It's a waste of time and money.

Ride whatever the hell you want, but don't come complaining here when your ti racing saddle breaks.

...The weight savings are nothing compared to the total weight of you plus the bike...

I didn't buy the saddles for weight savings - I bought them to try the shapes and see if they were comfortable. I deliberately avoid ultra-light parts on my bike (and will continue to do so even if I get down to my target weight of 225). If I could buy similar saddles in a "heavy-duty" configuration, I'd do so. Unfortunately, saddle makers make their "better" saddles with titanium rails!

Obviously, there is no consensus on this question - some say contact the manufacturers, some say no problem, and some say I have a death wish.

The prudent course seems to be: Contact the manufacturers - if they say OK, then ride. Otherwise, buy a steel-rail saddle.

IMO, if you didn't get every possible answer to a question that you posted here ... then you'd have a problem ;)

Are the rails solid or tubular?

I weigh 245 and run a ti saddle on both my road bike AND downhill race bike. No problems on either bike.

Good luck...

Are the rails solid or tubular?

Not sure - the three saddles in question are:

E3 Form
Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flo
Fizik Arione

I received the following from the E3 company regarding their titanium-rail "Form" saddle:


"There is no weight limit on the saddle and will hold up under your weight. The bigger issue is the fit of the saddle. Saddle preference is very much a personal matter. It depends on what type of riding you'll be doing and how much padding you like and your anatomy. There is NO way to GUARANTEE a successful mating of butt and saddle."

I think the padding would be more important than the titanium rails worriness.

If you are looking for comfort when riding ove rcracks in the road the flex of the Ti will give increase comfort.

Fizik provided the following response:

"Saddles do wear out so at 275 the saddle will wear out more quickly than a rider at 175 but the saddle is safe for you to use."

Glad to see the manufacturers are coming thru with answers. I weigh 205, and the ONLY saddle I will ride is a Selle Italia Flite. It is simply the only saddle that fits my butt. I've never had a problem with any of the 6-7 Flites that I own. I ride mostly mountain, fixed, and mountain fixed, which are probably the three types of riding that bounce you on a saddle the most. I'm not sure the Flites ever wear out. I've had one going on 10 years, and it seems to be the most comfortable one I own.

I'm not sure why ti saddles would be more prone to catastrophic failure, since titanium has a better fatigue life than steel. The only possible reason I can see is if they put very thin ti rails on it.

One other area to look for a super-comfy saddle is Brooks. They wear to fit your butt perfectly.

Obviously, there is no consensus on this question - some say contact the manufacturers, some say no problem, and some say I have a death wish.Yup, that's becasue we don't have enough data. Titanium can come in a variety of alloys from weaker to stronger than steel. Without knowing the exact material used, it's not going to be possible to come to any conclusions or to calculate the failure point or maximum-weight.

Selle Italia replied:

"Your message below to Selle Italia was forwarded to us as their agent for North America. If used properly and not used as a landing platform when going off jumps or curbs you should have no problem using the Max Flite Gel saddle."

The rails will either break, or bend and let you bottom out with a painful thud.
How do you feel about using a seatpost for a proctological exam?
I recently got a Selle An-Atomica Titanico. Great saddle.

The rails will either break, or bend and let you bottom out with a painful thud...

All three manufacturers unanimously disagree with you. On what basis do you make this statement?

The way I see it is, that manufactures put titanium in saddles not to make them stronger, but to make them lighter.

All three manufacturers unanimously disagree with you. On what basis do you make this statement?

I bottomed out a Vetta, which was a bummer because I really liked it.
And I broke another one, I forget it was a long time ago.. My LBS thinks 200 pounds is the upper limit
for ti rails. There certainly may be an exception, but I haven't seen it.

My bro-in-law has been using a titanium rail saddle for a while now. At his heaviest, he was 268 lbs. I don't think it will be a problem for you, either,

juan162

My bro-in-law has been using a titanium rail saddle for a while now. At his heaviest, he was 268 lbs. I don't think it will be a problem for you, either, although it is good that you checked with the manufacturers

juan162

The way I see it is, that manufactures put titanium in saddles not to make them stronger, but to make them lighter.

I agree - but I'm not buying the saddles for their light weight. I want a good, comfortable saddle. The better models from ALL manufacturers use titanium rails (unfortunately, perhaps, from my point of view). I've specifically e-mailed all three of the saddle manufacturers of interest in this thread, told them my weight, and asked if the specific models were safe - all said yes.

Other posters in this thread say they've broken OTHER saddles with titanium rails. Their experience is not applicable to the three specific saddles I've asked about. Since models change over time, it is reasonable to assume that the saddles they broke were significantly different than the saddles I have.

So let's cut to the chase - Has ANYONE broken an E3 Form Gel, a Fizik Arione, or a Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow with ti rails? If so, let's hear about it. If not, I'm going with the advice of the manufacturers.

I've bent the Ti rails on a Selle Italia Flite saddle before. But I've also bent and snapped steel rails on other saddles as well. These were primarily from end-over-end tumbling in crashes, so I doubt my weight would ever hit it that hard... have never bent one from sitting on it... I don't think you have anything to worry about... The cool thing about titanium is its high-strength to weight ratio, so it's going to deflect a large amount before it takes a permanent set, and even higher amount before it breaks. Thus, ti's reputation for being "flexible" or "springy"...

I am about your size - 275-280 pounds - and ride only Selle San Marco Rolls Titanios. I have 'em on all my bikes. Like another poster concerning Flites, I use the Rolls because it fits my butt. A rail on one broke. I chalk that up to that great, cosmic rule: "sh*t happens." My other three have held up fine.

I know nothing about the saddles you asked about. But my experience, plus the responses you got from the manufacturers, leads me to give this advice: if one of the three saddles you mentioned is what fits you best, get it and don't worry about the Ti rails.

I also think you have priorities exactly right: the fit is key. But the weight reduction and the little bit of extra vibration dampening are nice bonuses. Personally, I think a saddle rail is one of the very few places on a bike where Ti makes sense for just about anyone willing to absorb the extra expense.