Top Italian saddle maker Fizik, supplier of the perch of choice for numerous top pro teams, has today released a real collector's item: a limited edition run of 50 of their top end Antares saddles signed by Liquigas riders Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali – winners of the 2010 Giro D'Italia and Vuelta Espagne respectively.
As well as the riders' signatures the white saddles also bear the logo, in either red or blue, of Insieme si puó an Italian charity supporting vital development work in the fight against hunger and poverty in Africa. Fizik's owners are keen supporters of the charity and both Nibali and Basso will ride saddles bearing its logo throughout the 2011 season.
Like most Italians, they like the personal touch at Fizik so there was none of that 'their people talking to his people' when it came to getting Basso and Nibali involved. Instead, as our pictures show, the two riders simply popped over to the home of Barbara Bigolin, owner of Selle Royal and Fizik, for some pre-christmas drinks and nibbles and sat down and signed all the saddles. Now that's doing things in style.
The saddles are on sale now via the Fizik website for €200 - although this is for charity so you can pay more if you want to.
As well as those two prized signatures you will be getting a state of the art high end saddle built on braided carbon rails around a carbon reinforced shell with a white Microtex cover all weighing a feathery 145g. road.cc reviewed the Antares K:Ium last year and we were impressed - the only conundrum we can foresee with this limited edition version is whether to actually ride it or not.
So, if you are looking for that last minute Christmas gift (okay you might not get it until the New Year, but it'll be something to look forward to in January) and you'd like to do something for charity too, just click that link… although you'd probably better hurry!
Cycling infrastructure does not force drivers to break the law, drivers are the reason they break the law, no one else.
Ah but taking pictures of things to defy the man (avoid a fine) is righteous. Taking pictures of people to grass on them to the cops (perhaps...
But getting paid for it is the very definition of professional....
Never had a Shimano QR fail on me. They just work. And the top end ones look good too....
If you're only looking at the guy in front of you then you're going to crash whatever brakes you have, you need to look beyond them to anticipate...
As a woman, this works great for me! My chain broke once, and a kind guy stopped with a chain breaker and sorted it all out for me. We stopped at a...
Same. I also have gone through a bunch of their tyres, and only the extralight disappointed (torn sidewall) but the standards are fantastic....
thanks for the ideas....
Indeed - but it's no more inconsistent than our current road design - very often UK high streets are "for shopping" and also a busy through route....
If you ask the world's leading economic commentators how many people have been rescued from abject poverty by capitalism the average answer would...