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review

Fizik Kurve Snake Aluminium saddle

9
£189.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Interesting design that creates the comfiest race saddle I've tried; it'll cost you though
Weight: 
220g

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I've always been a big fan of Fizik's saddles having ridden various iterations of Ariones and Aliantes but I'd happily say this Kurve Snake Aluminium is the best so far. Performance and comfort in equal measures.

The Kurve saddles are a separate range in Fizik's line up containing three models, the Snake, Chameleon and Bull which embody their Spine concept. If you haven't come across before, this it is based on your flexibility; the shapes are designed to reflect where your bodyweight is positioned.

The Snake that we have here is the the Kurve equivalent of the Arione and is for the most flexible at the lower back. It's shaped to support the rider's weight mostly on the sit bones rather than the genital area. The flat profile works well allowing you to position yourself wherever in relation to where your hands are on the bars. Even in the racing tuck I didn't feel any pressure and that's on a bike with a saddle to drops depth of 240mm.

A lot of the comfort is provided by the main body, or lack of it. It's a composite construction including Kevlar which means its very light and strong. Strong enough in fact that it can have large sections removed at the sit bones and perineum areas.

As you pedal the whole saddle flexes, intensified in these areas which means the saddle is moving with you reducing any pressure points or hot spots. It's minimal though as the seat still feels stiff, in fact you can't feel anything at all even from the first ride the saddle just feels right. There is very minimal padding between the shell and the elastic cover but it's all you need.

Up at the nose end you get a choice of 'tuner' as Fizik call it. This is a plastic spacer that forms part of the overall structure bolting to the saddle around the rails. The two options - soft and hard - change the tension in the saddle body. The hard option makes the top stiff, while the soft gives you a couple of mm of movement when your weight's fully on it. It was this one I preferred as the little bit of movement just took the edge off rough road surfaces. Fizik even provide a little mini tool to change them over.

You also get the WingFlex feature that has been on saddles like the Arione for years where the side of the saddle flexes under pressure from the thighs during pedalling. Again it's subtle but on longer rides you do notice the difference.

Aluminium seems an odd choice for the rails on a top end saddle with most using titanium for a bit of comfort. When you look at the design of what Fizik call their Mobius rails you'll see that the one-piece loop provides structural rigidity to support the flexible saddle base. The tubular design is made from 2014 grade alloy hardened to T6. Unlike most saddles where the separate rails plug into the saddle either side this runs right around the outer rim with a strengthening bar across the rear. There is a carbon-railed version if the 220g alloy saddle is a little too heavy for you.

Overall the Kurve Snake is a brilliant option for racers and offers loads of comfort while being light and stiff. You don't want to be wasting power through a flexible saddle body and the Kurve just acts more like a gentle shock absorber allowing you to put the watts out without compromise. At 295mm its 5mm shorter than the Arione (which changed the rules when it came to saddle length) but it still gives you that length if you are a rider that likes to slide back for climbing.

The only sticking point is the price really. £189.99 is a lot of money for a saddle but this obviously comes down to your budget and the type of bike it's going on.

Verdict

Interesting design that creates the comfiest race saddle I've tried; it'll cost you though.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Fizik Kurve Snake Aluminium saddle

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?

The Kurve is a separate range of saddles due to its differing design to the rest of the line up but in its Snake guise I'd say its up there on performance with the Arione but providing more comfort.

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

Shell: Re:flex composite - Kevlar

Rail: Mobius Cold Forged Aluminum

Cover: Advanced Elastic Cover

Weight: 220 gr

Dimensions: 294 x 135 mm

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Really well put together, no seams, staples or glue in sight.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Saddles vary loads between individuals but for me it was the most comfortable race saddle I've used. In fact it's probably the most comfy saddle, full stop.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

I can't see any issues arising anywhere really as there is very little to go wrong.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

Not the lightest at this price point thanks to the continuous rail but I'd take the weight penalty for the comfort.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
10/10

Just brilliant for me.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

It ain't cheap.

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

As you can probably guess by now I really rate it. The shape and amount of flex in the saddle really suited me.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It's about forty quid more than I'd want to spend.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, especially if I could find a bit of a discount.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

For me the Kurve is nearly the perfect saddle; the comfort is spot on and the shape really suited. It is on the pricey side though I do appreciate it is handmade and the weight is about 50-80g higher than others in this price bracket. I'd sacrifice that though for the comfort. It isn't perfect but its pretty close.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Kinesis T2  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithien

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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5 comments

Avatar
giobox | 9 years ago
0 likes

I've tried several Fizik models, and have yet to find one I was 100% happy with. The Arrione in particular is a saddle that takes a long time to get the position right on, in my experience anyway. I've often wondered if the unusual length of it is part of the problem, coupled with a significant gradient from back to front that makes both position and angle hard to get right. I've personally never understood the almost cult following the Arrione has. It's some odd hybrid of TT and road saddle.

I've since moved to Selle Italia's SLR Kit Carbonio, which has the least padding of any saddle I've seen, save for the pure carbon models. Bizarrely I have found it infinitely more comfortable than the Fizik models I've tried. Like all things saddles though, what works for me doesn't necessarily work for anyone else!

Avatar
jhamlin38 | 9 years ago
0 likes

these saddles are very comfortable. I'm using the alliante"VS" the kurve bull, a romin 143 and a brooks imperial standard.
I had a saddle crisis about 2 years ago, and have "figured it out"
any of the above saddles work well for me. The Fizik Kurve bull is the most "intersting" and very well designed.
I still feel the Alliante VS. with the channel is better. I've never "forgotten" about the saddle on long rides as much as with the Alliante VS.
Of course, the Brooks Imperial standard is finally broken in. I'd be lying if I said there was ever a saddle more comfortable than my Brooks. Shame it took me over 20 years to "cave" and buy one!
it's fantastic on a bike with significant drop, and on a flat bar road bike in a more upright position. Very versatile.
the alliante VS was "okay" on that bike. The kurve bull was "hard"

Avatar
Ripper | 9 years ago
0 likes

I tried two different Fizik saddles this summer and was not happy with comfort levels at all. The top of the seat is just too curved and the 'plastiky' finish too slippery for my liking. Ended up buying a much cheaper 'Concept EX' saddle with which I'm totally satisfied.

Avatar
Martin Thomas | 9 years ago
0 likes

Arses for courses I guess. I tried the Kurve Snake when I was going through a bit of a saddle crisis a year or two back but I found it really uncomfortable. It caused some nerve pain down my left leg. I went through most of the Fiziks and a Spesh or two but ended up with a Selle Italia SLR, which my backside is still in love with.

If only you could try any saddle before you buy...I was quite determined to find a Fizik that worked for me cos that was the only brand that offered test saddles. It took weeks of discomfort before I finally found the one for me.

Avatar
Shamblesuk | 9 years ago
0 likes

Dread to think how much the carbo rail ones are , but can't be bothered googling it.

£250+

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