# Fizik Aliante: carbon rails vs kium...



## LigonierA1 (Aug 12, 2005)

I'm in the market for an Fizik Aliante and am pondering the differences between the braided carbon rails and the kium rails. Does the carbon railed version ride/feel any differently than the kium railed version? Or is it just a chi chi/lightweight thing? 

And what the helll is kium anyway? I've read what it's lighter than, what it's alloyed with, how durable it is, blah blah....but what IS it? Steel alloy?


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

LigonierA1 said:


> I'm in the market for an Fizik Aliante and am pondering the differences between the braided carbon rails and the kium rails. Does the carbon railed version ride/feel any differently than the kium railed version? Or is it just a chi chi/lightweight thing?
> 
> And what the helll is kium anyway? I've read what it's lighter than, what it's alloyed with, how durable it is, blah blah....but what IS it? Steel alloy?


K:ium - yeah, steel alloy. Probably what a seat rail ought to be made of, all things considered. Ti is probably OK, too. Carbon? I'm sure it's strong enough - at least for the left end of the bell curve - but it gives me the willies.

There is a difference in feel between the two, though perhaps not because of the rails. The shells are different, too The carbon model has a larger 'cutout' in the shell (that's spanned by what seems to be a kevlar cloth matrix material.) The k:ium has it too, but it's smaller and made of a different material. It makes the carbon model somewhat more forgiving.

At least that's how I remember them in comparison among friends bikes (carbon) and mine (Ti, steel, and k:ium versions, variously.) But they keep moving the model lines around, and some of that may be dated information. I find them all comfortable, but others say that it matters.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

How much do you weigh?

I have two Carbon Twin-Flex Aliante saddles and two Aliante Sport saddles. Granted, the Sport saddles don't have the Twin-Flex technology which makes them a bit more flexible which makes them a bit more comfortable for me, but they feel almost the same out on the road. I think that on bigger hits that the carbon rails give a bit more which adds to comfort but it is difficult to feel or quantify. Where I notice it is when the ride goes over 90 minutes. With the Carbon Twin-Flex saddles I can go for hours on end while I start to feel it with the Sport saddles. Again, I don't know if this is because of the Twin-Flex shell or because of the rails. I weigh 145 in riding gear, BTW.

I know that Fizik does not list a maximum rider weight with the carbon saddles but their previous ones with the stainless steel saddle rail inserts I managed to break the rails somehow. Never crashed nor dropped that bike so I don't know how I broke it. One of my two carbon rail saddles is the older style and the other one is a new version with the all-carbon rails that I got from Fizik as a warranty replacement on that broken one.


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## LigonierA1 (Aug 12, 2005)

Squid', 
Good point you bring up by asking my weight.....I'm solidly Clydesdale.......


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## Eric_H (Feb 5, 2004)

*Aliante variants*



danl1 said:


> There is a difference in feel between the two, though perhaps not because of the rails. The shells are different, too The carbon model has a larger 'cutout' in the shell (that's spanned by what seems to be a kevlar cloth matrix material.) The k:ium has it too, but it's smaller and made of a different material. It makes the carbon model somewhat more forgiving.
> QUOTE]
> 
> The Aliante has had a few different versions through the years:
> ...


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

LigonierA1 said:


> Squid',
> Good point you bring up by asking my weight.....I'm solidly Clydesdale.......


I would avoid the carbon rails, then. I know that Fizik doesn't have a weight limit on these saddles (and I'm not sure they ever had one on their earlier models with the steel sleeve) but I managed to break one under my 145 lbs. My buddy weighs around 180 lbs and he absolultely will not get a carbon rail saddle after seeing my saddle break. I posted pictures of that saddle here so try a search if you want to see some carbon carnage.


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