# Fizik saddles: Antares vs Arione



## ludawg23 (Jun 1, 2011)

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone had an experiece with the above 2 saddles.

I can get a brand new Arione or Antares through a bike dealer who has extra inventory in NYC for $100 and while I understand that saddle comfort varies, just wanted to see if anyone had first hand experience with either saddle.

I'm a recreational rider, doing mostly 15-20 mile rides on the weekends. Doing my first 30 miler in 2 weeks...would eventually like to work towards a century ride.

Here are the saddles:

http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/fizik-antares-saddle-pro-review

or

http://www.bikesonline.com/fizik-arione-tri-2-black-anthracite-k-ium-rail-sa2817.htm

Thanks guys


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## ludawg23 (Jun 1, 2011)

anyone?


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

They're totally different design concepts. You need to just decide - anyone here's opinion is worthless. Unless you're just asking if they're good quality, the answer is yes to both.


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

I have no experience with the Arione, but I LOVE my Antares. My very first ride on it was 76 miles on it and that was last fall. I have since done one century and put a ton of miles on it and it just seems to be getting better. I'm in the process of looking for a second one for another bike. 

The thing with saddles though is that its a very personal thing. Some folks just ride/sit differently and some folks might hate the Antares. It works well for me. I have about 5 years of riding on the old bum so I feel confident in saying my sitbones are well broken in.


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## LookDave (Sep 29, 2007)

I've owned both, found both pretty uncomfortable much past 40 miles. Find I prefer saddles with a bit more traditional "hammock" shape.

Above not intended as a knock on either saddle - saddle preference varies so much that my comfort experience says nothing about yours. In their favor, both saddles are very well constructed, held up well during the several months I owned each of them.


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## Stoneman (Mar 1, 2009)

The Antares has been the best saddle ever for me. It took a few rides to get my sit bones toughened up but it cut out all the numbness issues I was having from the hammock style of saddles.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

I've never been totally comfortable on any saddle, but I'm more comfortable on my new Antares than I've been on anything else. It certainly felt odd at first, but I soon appreciated how cleverly designed it is. My test week with Arione, meantime, had had me loving the excellent shape, but it was just not padded enough for me.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

Which one fits YOUR butt better? There's your answer. If I recall correctly, the Antares is a wider version of the Arione.


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## pagey (Oct 30, 2009)

For what its worth, as saddles are very personal, I went from an Arione to the Antares and found it a great saddle.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

I have an Arione on my bike.. I like it. Feels find and supports me.

My friend slapped his Antares on my bike for a while this winter when I was letting him use my trainer... A few sessions on the trainer with that saddle and I wasn't as comfortable. The shape just didn't work for me. 

That's about as useful a comparison I can give ya.. Your butt will ultimately decide your bike's fate for a saddle.


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## ludawg23 (Jun 1, 2011)

Thanks guys.

I do realized that saddle choice is mostly personal preference and about your feel. Just trying to get some other opinions.

Appreciate the help everyone. I found a LBS that participates in the Fizik Test saddle program and will be testing out both saddles.


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## Eric_H (Feb 5, 2004)

I ride the third "A" in Fizik's lineup, the Aliante. I have spent some time on the Arione but never ridden the Antares. I found the Arione to be a little too narrow for me. Looking at the Antares I can tell it would not work for me simply because it is very flat and does not extend downward on the sides much. The sharpish edges in the transition zone would irritate the backs of my legs.

The big differences from examination between the Arione and Antares are in the rear section. Looking from behind, the Arione is both more narrow in width (130mm versus 142mm for Antares) and also more curved side to side. The Antares is much flatter side to side. Note that the Antares also has very little "side skirt", that is the saddle does not extend much downward after the curve when looking from the back. In principle, the Antares should support the ischial bones better with its width and flatter profile. 

But yeah, you have to ride them both to know.....


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## SSRider (Sep 25, 2007)

saddles are very personal, with that said, i love my arione!


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## Gee3 (Jan 31, 2006)

I've had both. The Arione first and then the Antares. The Arione was a very nice saddle but on longer rides I would get numbness in my junk. The design on the Arione, especially the rear, did not support my sitbones as well and I think I could have benefited from a cutout for my sensitive area. It seemed to be a bit "pointed" in the middle area of the saddle and lacked support for my big @ss. (I'm 175lbs)

So I tried the Antares and I really like the wider rear and definitely the flatter saddle design. For me the Antares is much more confortable. So if you have wide sitbones the Antares might be a better fit.

My suggestion to you is to ask if the shop will let you buy one and "test ride" it for a week or so. And if you don't like it can you exchange it for the other one. That way they still get your sale and you get a saddle you are comfortable with. Win-win situation.

Good luck!


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## steve530 (Mar 31, 2011)

I have an Arione and like it pretty well. This surprises people because I'm old and fat.

For me the key was making sure the saddle was flat. I tried using a level, but that actually left the nose up just a little. Finally, I adjusted the saddle tile using the marks on my Thomson seatpost and all was good.


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## TWhit (Jul 19, 2007)

I seem to have the perfect saddle for ME. The Antares is the best that I've been on. YMMV


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## dgeesaman (Jun 9, 2010)

I demo'd an Antares and Antares Vs. I went with the latter.

Glorycycles.com is where I did the demos and they gave me credit for both demo fees when I ended up buying. I did not try the Antares but it was among their demo options.

David


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## aardvark (Apr 13, 2011)

I went from a Bontrager RXL to an Arione and I find that I'm constantly shifting my weight to the rear of the seat. Whereas with the Bontrager I could sit in the same spot forever.

Demo all of them...


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

I have the Arione CX on one bike and the Antares 00 on another.

Totally different saddles. The Antares is much flatter and shorter in length which I find to be better if you don't move around a lot from fron to back. The Arione is more shaped and promotes moving around. Also with the additional length there is a little more leeway with the intial for/aft setup.

I prefer the Antares, especially the 00 version as it is both less padded and stiffer. This might seem to be couner-intuitive when designing a comfortble saddle but it ends up being very light and comfortable.


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## wedge962005 (Jan 4, 2010)

You have to try them out. Eacch is designed for different bodies. My Arione VS is great and I do many 100-200 mile rides. That said, you may hate them both.


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## Italianrider76 (May 13, 2005)

I've got an Arione that I've been riding for several months (came with my new bike) and although I find it a comfortable saddle even on 90km + rides I don't feel perfectly centered on it. I feel as if I lean more to the left, that my weight is distributed more to the left side. I'm wondering if this common on the Arione and if maybe the Antares with the wider surface area towards the back could help. I have a Selle Italia SLR XP on my other bike and I definitely feel more centred on that one.


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