Overall a solid comfortable saddle if you’re after something for all day adventures and don’t mind the looks.
Pros
- Comfort
- Price
Cons
- Looks might divide
- Weight
About the Manufacturer
Selle Italia first began their incredible journey into the cycling industry back in 1897 in Corsico, just outside of Milan, Italy, at a time when automobiles were too expensive for most people and bicycles were the major method of transportation. Beginning with the Bigolin family in the 19th century, the company has always focused on innovation and performance, combined with state of the art materials and designs. This focused diligence and dedication to producing only the best of the best has resulted in Selle Italia remaining one of the leaders in the industry worldwide over the years.
Through continual research and testing, they have become and remain experts in the field, constantly improving and enhancing their technology and their products. With a Selle Italia saddle, you can rest assured that you will be cycling not only in style, but in the most comfortable and efficient way possible.
Review
We like cut outs and we like Selle saddles, so we were pretty pleased to be reviewing the Superflow Endurance saddle. For a first timer the nomenclature of Selle saddles can be absolutely bewildering, but if you know a little about the company’s history then in makes a little more sense. Novus is a Selle design system that was introduced was back in the early 90s, with sweeping sides, a chassis that climbs towards its tip and a prominent dip at the front.
The flow part refers to the central cutout in the saddle, again something the Selle pioneered way back when that has evolved over time, with the superflow meaning that this is and extended cutout that goes from nose to rear although it’s not quite the gaping void that Selle uses with the SLR. Finally the Endurance bit refers to the intended purpose of the saddle which is for gran fondos, marathon riding and any extended time in the saddle. Additionally this TM version features additional padding to promote improved posture for this kind of riding.
With that cleared up it’s worth noting that this isn’t one of the fancier saddles in the Selle range which top out at a small fortune. The materials here are pretty standard – carbon reinforced nylon hull, manganese rail and an upper finished with Selle’s “Duro-Tek” material which is meant to prevent day to day scuffs.
The weight is also a standout on this saddle – despite the prominent cutout, that extra padding comes at a penalty and that’s the nearly 300g weight that the Superflow came in at.
On the road that saddle does a great job though. With the current COVID environment we certainly haven’t been doing any audaxes or gran fondos on the Superflow, but we’ve stuck plenty of 3-4 hour rides in north, south and west of Sydney across some fairly grim tarmac and punishing climbs and the Superflow has been supremely comfortable. It’s not a couch kind of softness and there’s plenty of support there but it feels pleasantly squishy in a way that many modern saddles just don’t, you certainly notice the difference on less than ideal road surfaces or after a couple of hours.
Despite the ride quality we think the Novus is an awkward looking thing. From the top it’s quite handsome with the quality upper and exposed shell from the cutout, that lifting and dipping nose gives it a very odd side profile, not dissimilar to something like an ISM. While we’re also fans of call backs to heritage, the Novus logo looks very dated.
Overall a solid comfortable saddle if you’re after something for all day adventures and don’t mind the looks.
Key Specifications
- Width: 14mm
- Weight: 300g
- Material: Synthetic upper, carbon reinforced shell, manganese rails
Retailers
