Specialized 05 ALIAS SADDLE
 

Anyone have one of these saddles? How do you like it? Is it comfy? I have a brooks b15 right now, that I'm pretty happy with, but think I could still be a little more comfortable, and this one has my attention since you can buy it in different widths. I don't have that skinny butt that most saddles are made for. Thanks for any info....

Well I don't have the Alias but I do have it's heavier brother the Avatar. I went through the Specialized butt fitting and bought the width it kicked out. I like it very much, fit is great. The only reason I went with the Avatar is I wasn't sold that it would really work so I didn't want to drop the extra cash for the lighter saddle but if I was buying now I suppose I would.

Thumbs up from me. :)

I like mine, the cut out really seems to help with "those problems".

Great, thanks for the responses. I'm thinking I'm gonna get one. Can you buy these anywhere online, the only place I found is specializes website itself, but it's 99 bucks, hoping I could find a better deal than that...

I think SPecialized stuff is only in your local bike shops and from their site. You will see them on eBay. I will say though to be aware that there are 3 sizes...go to your local Specialized dealer and get the fitting...then look at the Avatar is it is the same shape and only VERY slightly softer and $64 rather than $99. :D

I have the Alias and it was the only saddle out of four I tired that fit me correctly. I liked it so much, I bought a second one for my other bike.

Dante

what a coincidence, I was about to start a thread titled:

"so, I hate the Specialzed BG; what's next?"

I was quite hopeful when I found out about these saddles being available in different widths, and I read many favourable comments about them on this forum, so I decided to buy one, and today was the day.

I stood at the saddle display in the shop today for about 45 minutes with a pair of vernier calipers and a stensil of my favourite old saddle (!!!..I'm such a geek :p), and eventually chose the widest one. It was $159 AUS, or ~$120 US!!!

I got it home, put it on, went out, and I HATE IT!! :cry: It felt like a broom stick was being shoved into my prostate.

Luckily, the shop has a replacement policy, but I dunno what to get.:(

As, I said, I've read a lot of favourable comments, so I seem to be on my own on this one.

I used to like the old Turbo Gels from the early 90s

Dude did they have the little thingy to sit on? Go back and sit on the pad deal where they fit you and if the size you bought wasn't the right size try the right size before you give up on it.

I went through all the saddles and this one is for me. Takes some breaking in but no numb.

I also have the Alias. I've been using it for almost a year. It does fit me well, so I haven't felt the need to change. As others have suggested, go the the shop and use the "ass-o-meter" to get the right width. This is a hard saddle with minimal padding (I consider that a plus), so I think you'll need to ride it a few times to get used to it and determine the best position.
On the downside, the Alias is no lightweight. I think the 143mm weighs in around 280 grams and the Avatar with gel inserts is around 350. Not really a big deal, but worth mentioning. Another issue is the embroidery. I would prefer a saddle with NO embroidery as the stitching tends to abrade your bike shorts.

Saddles are a personal preference. What work for one rider may not work for you. Take opinions for what they are worth, but make the decision based on the saddle that fits you best.

I was very dissatisfied with the saddle that came with my '04 Roubaix Pro, and based on the recommendation of a 25 year rider who told me the Alias was the most comfortable saddle he had ever used, I bought one. It is great! I am never even aware of the fact that there is a saddle under me. Another one I like is the Fizik Arione which I have on my time trial bike.

It sounds like you need a bike fitting worse than a new saddle! I don't know what you mean by Specialized BG saddle in that they call all of their saddles "body geometry" saddle, and as I mentioned above, the one that came stock on my bike sucked. I also experienced the "broomstick in the prostate" phenomenon with my Guru and Fizik Arione. When the bike was professionally fitted that was no longer an issue.

I used the Alias for a while. Much better than all the other saddles I tried before including the Fizik Arione and Aliante. I have a wide rear so I needed the 143, at least. My seatbones sat nicely on the 143, a little bit on the edge but I had no pressure on the soft tissues in between even at the end of a century.
On the down side the Alias has very little padding so it's quite hard. That could be a plus for some. In my case I decided to try the Selle Italia Prolink Light Gel-Flow that is also wide and flat but a lot more comfortable. I am still testing that one, so far it's very comfy but I still need to do a long ride on it.
The Avatar might be a nice option if you prefer more padding.
Again saddles are a matter of personal preferences and fit. I had found my Alias on ebay and sold it there as well. You should be able to fine one around $70 to $80.

Yeah, they had the thingy.....ah well....doesn't matter, I'll just go back to the good old Turbo.
The only problem is that I've only got one seat that I like, but 3 "good" bikes, so I've gotta switch saddles when I switch bikes.

you could be right.



I bought the Alias

I've been riding an Avatar this season. Definitely better than what came with the bike originally, but I'm not sure if I'm in saddle heaven yet...

I've got both the Alias 143 and the Airone. To me it's a toss up which is better. My TT bike has the Alias which used to be my all around bike until I bought a new one with the Airone. I definitely agree though that you need to put some hours into the Alias to truly appreciate it. I like them both equally.

Well I bought the Alias today at lunch. I got fitted with the "ass-o-meter" and got the one that the measurement said I should. Can't wait to try it tonight. Thanks for all the comments...

One thing I should note, it took me a couple of rides to get the position right on it. I tend to sit further forward on it than I did my old one. Just remember to try a few different fore and aft positions along the saddle. Small changes make a great deal of difference for me.

Mine took a good 4-500 miles to break in.

Went for a short ride with the Alias last night for the first time, and it felt pretty good. Will need a little breaking in, but I do like it....

Britain's "Cycling Weekly" recently picked the Specialized Allez Comp as the best road bike in its price class. Their six rider "wrecking crew" did NOT like the Alias at first. It took getting used to.

We "were all looking forward to trying (the Alias). It proved very popular, but without exception took a couple of rides before people were happy with it".

I have tried about six different versions of the Body Geometry saddles (including clones under other names). And, they always take time before they feel "right". And, after trying three different widths, and three degrees of hardness/softness, I found the BG saddle that worked best for each of my bikes.

After finding the "right" BG for a given riding position (medium width and ultra-firm on my "low-bar" bikes...wide width and medium firm on my mountain bike), I can't imagine riding on a different saddle. But, getting the "right" BG saddle took time, money, and a lot of trial and error.

I bought an Alias because I have a skinny ass apparently and needed the 130 mm it came in. After about 200 miles and playing a little with adjustment I am glad I bought it. The best $100 I've spent on my bike to date.

i have the avatar, and i experienced the same thing. It solved my crotch numbness problems, but it was uncomfortable. I later found that i was sitting too far foward on the seat and the spine of it was pushing into my perineal area. Because i was sitting on the more narrow part of the seat, i also slid off to the left side which caused numbness down the inside of my left leg. So in a sense it was more comfortable than my other saddle, and in a sense it wasn't. Well, i played around with the positioning after 2 or 3 rides. I tilted the nose up a degree or two and moved the saddle foward about an inch so i sat further back on the part that supports my sit bones. Bingo. Extremely comfortable, no complaints.