Selle Italia and Selle San Marco have embraced the growing trend of 3D printed saddles by each launching a new model.
In recent years, legendary Italian saddle brands have lost some technological ground to Fizik, with its Adaptive saddle, and Specialized, with the brand’s Mirror technology, both of which have embraced 3D printing.
However, Selle Italia and Selle San Marco have joined forces with Italian 3D printing specialists Carbon DLS to fit Selle Italia’s short, race-focused SLR Boost and San Marco’s more durable Shortfit 2.0.
While some similarities are speculated between these two new additions and existing 3D printed offerings from Fizik and Specialized, the designs differ somewhat.
For example, the lattice structure of the San Marco offering feels much more open than the relatively closed skin of Specialized’s Power with Mirror saddle. Fizik’s design is also based on a honeycomb pattern similar to Specialized’s.
The new Selle Italia design, meanwhile, sits somewhere between what’s already on the market and the San Marco design. It is a more closed structure than the San Marco, but more open than the honeycomb structure of Specialized and Fizik.
While both Selle Italia and Selle San Marco turned to Carbon DLS to help them with their new 3D printed side-by-side designs – and giving both saddles the pinch and press test at Eurobike – it was enough marked how much the two felt perches.
The SLR Boost is much firmer in the rear of the saddle, with both seating areas providing a much more suspended feel than the softer midsection.
The San Marco, by comparison, feels much more compliant across the length of the saddle, with its more rounded shape, more open center channel and compliant shell, making it a choice for long-distance endurance riders. .
We’re intrigued to see how these two new saddles perform against more established 3D printed designs from Fizik and Specialized, so watch this space for reviews.
X Leaf model added to the Selle Italia range
Meanwhile, Selle Italia has also added a new Model X Leaf road bike saddle to its extensive lineup.
This new model is made using Greentech by Selle Italia, so both the padding material and the cover are made from 100% recyclable materials.
Additionally, no glue is used during construction, which would otherwise compromise the recyclability of the saddle once it reaches the end of its life.
Even the alloy used in the tracks comes from recycled materials (and is also recyclable).
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