🚴 Fizik Aliante R3 with K:Ium Rails Review

I used to think saddle pain was part of training. I was wrong, cycling doesn't hurt. Comfortable yet thin, this saddle is lightweight and has enough cushioning for long rides. I highly recommend this saddle.

I bought this saddle to replace the absolutely horrible stock saddle that came with my new bike. I have been following Fizak for many years and have always heard a lot about their saddles. It's a big improvement over the poor saddle that came with the bike, but no better than the stock saddle I have on my Specialized Tarmac. Yes, I have too many bikes.

R3 saddle is very good. I have tried but prefer the original Aliante Gamma saddle. The gamma is a little wider, has more padding and a little less dip in the middle. The R3 "begs" or flexes more than the Gamma and riders who prefer less padding should go with the R3, but I still found the original Gamma to be the most comfortable Fizik saddle for me. It's a bit heavier than the R3, but the most important criteria for a saddle is comfort, not weight.

First off, it's not black, it's charcoal. No deal breaker. Also, the strip of material they add at the back makes the saddle very grippy, but it also eats into the transitional hem into shorts. Seated climbing or any kind of torque riding has put holes in all of my $300 Assos shorts at every point of contact. Never had a problem with Aliante's old smooth top design. I'm angry but now I'm sticking with it until the chamois are uncovered. Ridiculous design. The Assos shorts cost me $1200.

My favorite saddle over the past 15 years has been my old Fizik Aliante. Either the quality control for comfort has changed, or the old company sold a new one, or this isn't a genuine Fizik saddle. It doesn't have much padding, and the padding it has is too stiff and gets stiff after 1 hour of riding. My old Fizik had the perfect padding softness and product based flexibility and I felt comfortable on my first ride. I've tried 4 different Fizik saddles on Revain with the same discomfort…

After endless searching for a light and comfortable saddle, I chose the Fizik brand. Saddles are a very personal thing, but after some research I settled on the Fizik brand. "Made for Ox” seemed to suit me. The Alliante R3 is a smooth and slightly light saddle. Definitely looked good on the bike. After a 20 mile ride, my sit bones felt it. It is debatable whether saddles have a rest time. In short, there is another Alliante that seems a little fatter and a little bigger. Instead I decided to…