DrIsotope

J.Owen

+1 on the Fabric Saddles. My CaadX came with the Scoop Shallow and i've been thinking of swapping the rest of my bikes over as well.

bleui

my worst riding experience is on a Fabric Scoop saddle, on a 10 mile journey, never again

GailT

Was it the Scoop flat, saddle or radius? What type of bike? What didn't you like about the saddle?

noisebeam

Which is the closest Fabric to Fizik Aliante?

redlude97

radius 143

cthenn

The funny part is I'd agree with you, relative to the Flat profile. The Shallow profile is exactly what my body wants, however. Pretty crazy how the same saddle in a slightly different shape can make all the difference.

bleui

I was on Radius, it's just not wide enough even with the 155mm width and my perineum area just doesn't agree with the center/middle part of the saddle

redlude97

What saddle did you end up with then? Not many wider than 155

GailT

I think the 155mm would be the Fabric Gel saddle that is marketed for commuters who "generally occupy a more upright position", and the radius in their other saddles is also described as being for an upright position for commuters who "favor comfort and practicality over speed". I've ordered a Fabric Scoop flat, was not sure if I should get the flat or the shallow, but I'll try it out and report back. I currently have an Ergon SMC4 that has been pretty comfortable on 50 mile rides, but I want to see if I can find something better for longer rides.

This is how they described each of the shape profiles:

FrenchFit 

I just had my SMC4 saddle arrive for my 'fun' bike today, for a short ride in regular pants it seems fine, but I wouldn't like to be on it for a multiple hours = it's local saddle. I have the Ergon carbon pro and an sr3 on my road bikes, I like them very much, but I got them back i the day when Nashbar was blowing them out.

GailT

I tried out the Fabric Scoop flat on a 50 mile ride. It is not as flat as my Ergon SMC4, it has little more slope on the side that initially felt comfortable. It also has less cushioning than the Ergon. By the end of the ride I was feeling sore and numb. It's a nice looking saddle, and I thought about keeping it for shorter rides on another bike, but still feeling sore a day later and decided to return it. I'll keep experimenting to see if I can find the perfect saddle.

socalscalatore

I finally got my Fabric Line Race Shallow 142mm, went on a 55 mile ride.

Previously I had a Fabric Scoop Flat, which I liked over all, except the "numbing on the junk" problem.

The Line saddles has a center channel. This did fix the numbing issue. Throughout the ride, even on a 35-minute climb, no numbing at all. I do wish the channel was wider, and the sides of the channel was a lower, rounder profile. Near the end of ride I thought I could feel the sides of the channel, they never hurt or anything though.

Sit bone comfort was good. I stayed seated the most of the ride, didn't feel the need to get off or anything.

That's my initial impression of the Fabric Line after first ride. I will keep the saddle.

GadgetGirlIL

Just tried out a Fabric Scoop Elite Gel Radius as I haven't been satisfied with the numerous Terry saddles I've tried. I rode 140+ miles over 5 consecutive days and liked the saddle more each day. I tried different bike shorts including a couple of pair that have minimal padding. No discomfort at all when I got on the bike each morning.Can't say that with my Terry saddle. The longest ride was ~40 miles. I was time limited or would have tried for a longer ride. The true test will be in June when I take this particular bike/saddle out for a 200K brevet.

Cyclist0108

So, do you like the saddle I sent?

I never received the $7 and change for the postage.

redlude97

Oh man I totally forgot because I meant to get a money order since I wasn't sure it was smart to drop a $10 bill in an envelope. Will get that out today!

Mike F

Hi,

My name is Mike and Im an annoying Sella Anatomica owner, My last post was two weeks ago....

socalscalatore

Wanted to give up an update. I have decided this Fabric Line Race Shallow 142mm does not work for me after all.

I made the mistake of coming to a conclusion too quickly. Truth is a saddles can't be judged until you've ridden it for a couple weeks, on multiple long rides.

1st problem I have with the Fabric Line is that the relief channel is not wide enough. so I was getting junk-numbing again.

2nd problem is the Fabric Line's sitting surface, the part where your sitbones put weight on the saddle, is not as flat as the Fabric Scoop. I prefer a flat sitting surface. Weather it's due to the addition of the channel, or it's inherent in the Fabric Shallow geometry, the sitting surface is very "sloped".

so sadly I'm no longer on the Fabric Line. Back to ISM's for me.

CerveloJoe

Since I started riding again, I've been on a saddle quest. Earlier this week I ordered a Fizik Antares Open 01. I'm wondering if I should have ordered the Arione version? Oh well. After reading this thread, I decided to also order a Fabric Line Race Shallow saddle. This saddle is shaped more like the Fizik Anteres. To me, the padding in the Fizik VSX saddles is extremely firm. The padding is also firm in the Kurve, but because of the design, there seems to be more flex.

I have tried a few Selle Italia saddles (forgot specific models) and 4 Fizik models since my return to cycling. I tried the VSX saddle in all 3 shapes; Aliante, Anteres and Arione. I also tried a Kurve Snake (designed like Brooks saddles). Even though my flexibility would suggest I'm a Chameleon, the flatter profiles (Arione and Kurve Snake) feel the best to me. Maybe it's because I ride an antiquated bike with race geometry with a low stack height. Even though the Kurve doesn't have a channel, it is still the most comfortable saddle of the ones I've owned so far. I don't have the numbness issue with the Kurve.

CerveloJoe

I still haven't received my Fizik Antares Open 01 saddle, but I didi receive the Fabric Line Race Shallow saddle. One ride is certainly not enough to draw a definitive conclusion and I will report back over time, but on the first ride it did feel very comfortable and I enjoyed it. The padding is definitely not as firm as on the Fizik saddles I own, which made it more comfortable to the sit bone area. Even though there is a channel in this saddle, I can't say after one ride that the comfort to the pudendal artery area was better than with the Fizik Kurve Snake saddle. There is no numbness caused by either saddle. Even though the padding on the Fabric saddle feels less dense, I didn't feel that I lost any energy transfer. My average speed was the same with the same perceived effort. After one ride, I would give it an equal score to the Fizik Kurve Snake.

redlude97

I also ordered a Line Shallow. Been using the Radius and feel like it could use a channel/relief and slightly less middle dip so hopefully this one is a keeper. The normal radius has been fine but could be better. Still prefer my Antares VS for longer rides currently. Anyone else find the cover is too grippy? Tends to snag the bibs a bit shifting around on the saddle

CerveloJoe

I received my new Fizik Antares Open 01 saddle this weekend. Mounted it and did a 25 mile ride today. I will be swapping between this saddle and my new Fabric Line Race Shallow saddle for awhile to see which I prefer. A few things I noticed with the new Fizik is the padding is less dense/firm than with the Fizik VSX saddles I own. The VSX saddles really fatigued or annoyed me on longer rides, especially in the sit bone region. Probably because of the firm padding. The other thing I noticed, is that even though the the new Fizik does have the opening, it feels a little less comfortable in the pudendal area than the Fabric saddle. At least on the initial ride. More time on each saddle will help determine this.

I will report back at a later date with which saddle works best for me.

CerveloJoe

So far, I'm really liking my Fabric Line Race Shallow saddle. Let us know your thoughts once you had time on yours.

motosonic

I've considered an ISM saddle, but there are no shops that carry them by me.. and I really want to try one before I buy. Same with Fizik.
I've considered Fabric, too.. but they seem to narrow/shallow for me.
I'm 5'7' 185ish... I ride mostly endurance. I'm using a San Marco Aspide, which I like and a Selle Italia FlowSLR X-Cross.

ukwildcat

Love the feedback on the saddles.
For me, the top quality riding shorts are the determining factor for long rides.
I like the Aero Tech Men's Gel Padded Touring Shorts.
YMMV.