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review

Fizik Antares K:Ium saddle

9
£129.95

VERDICT:

9
10
Light, comfortable road saddle that marries the best bits of Fizik's previous designs
Weight: 
175g
Contact: 
www.extrauk.co.uk

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Fizik have a good track record in recent years, bringing us the Aliante and the revolutionary-at-the-time Arione. The Antares sites between the two in terms of shaping and is billed as the third dimension, an evolution of the two. The outcome of the marriage is a very light, comfortable road perch with a good depth of padding.

When it comes to saddle choice one mans food, as we all know, can be another mans poison. I have tried a great many saddles over the years and have, more often than not, ended up riding one of Fizik’s saddles as my first choice. Their road bike saddles have always been known for their comfort, but have not always been the lightest options out there: The two seem to rarely go hand in hand.

The Antares is designed to address this. I tested the K:ium railed version - Fizik’s own titanium alloy - it also comes in a braided carbon railed version. The first thing I noticed was that it was very light, weighing an impressive 175g, with its lighter carbon railed sibling weighing a svelte 145g.

The nose of the saddle is nice and wide and doesn’t flare noticeably until it reaches the main body, which is quite wide and flat. It is a much more minimal saddle than its two stable mates, with the carbon reinforced shell cut away much higher on the sides than the Arione or Aliante. The cover is a striking white microtex (synthetic leather) body with black sections diagonally across the rear corners where the Fizik name is emblazoned; it's available with the stripe colours inverted too. All in all this makes a very attractive saddle design with colourways that should complement most bikes. It also shrugged off dirt and grease easily, a nice feature for a white saddle if you want it to remain white!

The padding feels firm but it's quite deep for such a slimline saddle and even before sitting on it you can feel noticeable flex in the shell when pressing it with your thumbs. I was hopeful that this was going to be a more comfortable saddle than the weight suggested.

I found it best to set it up level across the whole length of the saddle - unlike the Arione which tends to work best set level across just the nose - this gave the Antares a slight dip in the centre of the saddle, and combined with ample flex in the shell proved to be the sweet spot as far as comfort was concerned. Your weight is carried primarily on your sit bones which are easily supported by the wide rear section, but the dense foam and flex in the shell do a good job of cushioning the road shocks and vibrations. The padding remains thick all the way up the nose, allowing you to move forward for those long turns in the drops or big climbs in comfort, a welcome change for a lightweight saddle

Fizik have chosen not to include the wingflex design of its other two road saddles, a series of cuts through the shell of the saddle in the thigh area that allows the shell to flex at the edge more easily when pedalling. This is a shame, as it's a feature I have always liked on their previous saddles.

On long rides, after several hours on the saddle I found that it was noticeably firmer than the Arione (my saddle of choice), and as with many of the saddles that bear your weight primarily on the sit bones, I found I needed to stand up every now and then to relieve the pressure there. For rides of a couple of hours or less this wasn’t an issue and felt nice and supportive.

Verdict

Ultimately the Antares fills the gap in Fizik’s range for a lightweight road saddle, and manages to retain a fair amount of the company’s trademark comfort. A combination of lightweight, comfort and good looks is sure to make this another success for Fizik.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Fizik Antares K:Ium saddle

Price: 129.95

Weight: 175g

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Fizik say that "it's a new dimension embodying all essential Fi'zi:k elements: comfort, flexibility and the incredible lightness of being" and I think this is a good summary of the Antares. A light, comfortable road saddle.

Tell us some more about the techincal aspects of the product?

Carbon reinforced shell with rail options of K:ium (175g) or braided carbon (145g). Cover is in white and black microtex with silver side logos. Includes the Fizik ICS clip system to allow attachment of compatible bags and lights

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

A comfortable race saddle with low weight but retaining good comfort levels.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Dense foam extending all the way up the nose of the saddle, allowing movement in this area without discomfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The ommision of the wingflex design.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 6' 1"  Weight: 155 lbs

I usually ride: Litespeed Icon  My best bike is: as above

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Track Cycling

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1 comments

Avatar
John_the_Monkey | 15 years ago
0 likes

I love my Arione, but these look really good.

I'm waiting to see whether they bring out some more colours before taking the plunge though.

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