First Look: Selle San Marco MTB Saddles - Eurobike 2012

Aug 27, 2012
by Matt Wragg
 
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Selle San Marco MTB Saddle Range

In the road cycling world Selle San Marco are one of the biggest names in saddles. They have been handmaking saddles in the foothills of the Dolomite mountains in Northern Italy since 1935. They were one of the first companies to introduce plastic hulls to their saddles, which may not seem like a big deal now, but at the time it marked a seismic shift and meant saddles no longer solely relied on padding for comfort. Victory is a theme throughout that history, the winners of 12 Tour De Frances, 11 Giri Di Italia’s, 9 Paris Roubaix and 11 World Championships rode with Selle San Marco saddles. In more recent years they are more famous for pros running debadged versions of their models against their sponsors' wishes - Lance Armstrong used them for all seven of his Tour de France wins.

In 2009 they began a project to develop mountain bike saddles. The titanium-railed Concor Racing Protek was launched in 2011 and now for 2013 they are adding manganese and carbon options to the range to make the saddles suitable for a wider range of riders.

Selle San Marco MTB Saddle Range
Selle San Marco MTB Saddle Range

Concor Carbon FX Protek

• Usage: XC & Enduro race
• Hull: Flex-tuned, carbon-reinforced
• Rails: Carbon with alloy ‘waist’
• Padding: Biofoam
• Weight: 160 grams +/- 10 Grams
• No rider weight limit
• RRP £134.99

Selle San Marco Concor Carbon FX Protek

Concor Racing Protek

• Usage: XC & Enduro race
• Hull: Flex-tuned, carbon-reinforced
• Rails: Xsilite titanium alloy
• Padding: Biofoam
• Weight: 190 grams +/- 10 Grams
• No rider weight limit
• RRP £89.99

Selle San Marco Concor Racing Protek

Concor Racing Protek

• Usage: General trail and enduro
• Hull: Flex-tuned nylon
• Rails: Manganese
• Padding: Biofoam ‘Power’
• Weight: 220 grams +/- 10 Grams
• No rider weight limit
• RRP £64.99

Selle San Marco Concor Racing Protek

The Protek Covering

Protek is the feature Selle San Marco really want to shout about. Most saddles have kevlar edges to survive rubbing against things, whether it's your leg, a crash or the garage wall. The problem with kevlar is that is needs to be stitched onto the cover. The seam where the kevlar meets the leather can let water in, damaging the saddle over time. Protek solves this problem by having a single piece cover - the edges are reinforced by silicone sublimated into the material. Adding the protection in this way means no extra weight is added and makes the saddle easier to grip with your legs during technical descents.

Details of the hull.
Details of the hull.

www.sellesanmarco.it

77 Comments

  • + 6
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:03)
 it's good to see selle san marco coming into the mtb market, I myself had a selle san marco aspide for 2 years on my road bike and it proved to be one of the most comfortable saddles I ever used apart from the fizik arione, I hope they catch on!
  • + 3
flag FastDHR (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:30)
 the Arione is such a comfy saddle !!!...even though it's a bit narrow for my tastes, it has to be the best saddle I ever tried...
  • + 6
flag deeeight Plus (Aug 27, 2012 at 17:32)
 Coming BACK into the mtb market actually.... I'm surprised RC didn't mention that fact to the guy writing this article (I guess the PB editors/contributors don't proofread other articles), given how they had mtb saddles a decade ago, and that Bontrager saddles in particular were made by Selle San Marcos prior to Trek buying him out.
  • - 2
flag Jhou (Aug 27, 2012 at 17:54)
 Selle Italia owns Fizik if I remember right. So they have plenty of expertise in the mtb area. It's just that when people think Selle Italia, they think of very hard and narrow seats that don't look comfy. O snap...I didn't know they also own CB too....

www.bicycleretailer.com/north-america/2008/01/29/crankbrothers-merge-selle-royal
  • + 3
flag FastDHR (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:24)
 Selle Royal owns Fizik, not Selle Italia ?!?...
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:48)
 selle italia and fizik are huge competitors against each other and both have very different approaches to saddle design, does anybody know who owns prologo and who makes the saddles for specialized?
  • + 4
flag FastDHR (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:52)
 Vélo
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:56)
 thanks man and gotta love crankbros, only 1 shape of saddle and somehow they believe its going to work for everyone...
  • + 1
flag punknicehole (Aug 27, 2012 at 21:12)
 No love canal.....?
  • + 3
flag punknicehole (Aug 27, 2012 at 21:26)
 I love all three of my specialized saddles. you sit on the ass-o-meter and it tells you what width you need. buy the appropriate width saddle. After seeing and feeling this logic in action, it's insulting to see a manufacture have seats all the same size. Are we all the same or something? You might hammer specialized for their business tactics, but they are on top of the technology.
  • + 1
flag toddonbike (Aug 27, 2012 at 22:32)
 Selle Italia Flite saddle is the only saddle I ever paid for and it was awesome. Now I ride a WTB that was deemed too narrow by owner who bought a jelly seat and gave me the super comfy and light freebee! Free is for me!
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 22:50)
 @punknicehole specialized saddles dont work for everybody no matter which width... I for one cant stand them but im fine with an arione on the road bike and aliante on the track bike
  • + 1
flag hampsteadbandit (Aug 28, 2012 at 12:15)
 my factory team (BOMBPROOF BIKES) was riding for Selle San Marco way back in 1993-1997

www.pinkbike.com/photo/5488175

we gave them lots of research & development information from the MTB point of view, and were presented with some beautiful saddles to test and use competively including models with carbon fibre rails, integral rails (part of the nylon saddle hull) and ergonomic cut-outs for body relief

a forward thinking brand for sure, great to see them still going very strong all these years later!
[Reply]
  • + 8
flag Cata1yst (Aug 27, 2012 at 19:37)
 "Lance Armstrong used them for all seven of his [Former] Tour de France wins."

I fixed it for ya.
  • + 1
flag panzer103 (Aug 27, 2012 at 20:52)
 Frown
  • + 4
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 22:57)
 am I the only one who thinks USADA was being unfair there? all the rest of them are on it, the guys who made the podium at least
  • - 1
flag iamamodel (Aug 28, 2012 at 2:09)
 They were being fair to the guys who ride for a living and also ride clean.

"Everyone was doing it, so I did it too." won't get you out of a ticket for speeding.
  • + 1
flag ManuelMTB (Aug 28, 2012 at 18:21)
 Hey Pinkbike. This is totally unfair. Why did you deleted my comment about Armstrong and then this one is here now. Is it because it was posted by a "felow american"? You are pathetic
  • + 2
flag finnrambo (Aug 28, 2012 at 18:38)
 pinkbike is canadian...
  • + 1
flag Adym (Aug 29, 2012 at 15:48)
 Have you seen that in some tours the top 7 have all been done for doping now, so the winner of the 2005 tour de france will be the 8th place man or something crazy! Even then you cant guarantee for sure he was clean! What are they going to do next, say Oxygen is a banned substance! Crazy IMO. Anyway enough roadie speak lol.
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 29, 2012 at 18:07)
 all the sport needs is a complete teardown and removal of the UCI and maybe we'll have clean roadies for like a year then the anti doping organisation will go corrupt again but whatever doping or not I still like to see riders go flying up those mountains
[Reply]
  • + 2
flag TyranT21 (Aug 27, 2012 at 15:57)
 I like them making a conscious effort to have a one piece cover. I hate it when you get on your bike after a wet ride and your ass gets instantly wet form water in the saddle. But YAY its eurobike... Pinkbike, please go to Banshee and fill us in with their lineup, from what I know thus far 2013 looks to be pretty impressive from them.
  • + 2
flag skierdud89 (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:54)
 Just one of those little things that you don't REALLY appreciate until like you said, you sit on your bike after say washing it the night before and the saddle is still soaked Frown
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag iamamodel (Aug 28, 2012 at 2:12)
 These are not for me because the back of them is thin - this means when you hit something when you are off the back of the saddle you end up chopping your old fella in half.

Still got plenty left though Smile


Nah, seriously though, the thin back makes that sort of crash more painful than it should be. I steer clear of such a design.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag mtb6005 (Aug 27, 2012 at 23:18)
 No matter what your age, gender or ability level, i'm guessing that you’re not a fan of numbness or pain in your nether-regions. whereas rounder saddles like these pull the pelvic girdle apart, placing pressure where you don’t want it. saddles like these are bad for your anatomy and can cause erectile disfunction, so do yourself a favor get a saddle with a channel. because if you like sex at all these may ruin that for you.
[Reply]
  • + 5
flag Pinky1990 (Aug 27, 2012 at 15:54)
 Really £135 for a seat?????
  • + 1
flag fantaman (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:17)
 You can get lighter saddles for that price
  • + 5
flag Willie1 (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:27)
 Light/Strong/Cheap. Pick any two.
  • + 1
flag skierdud89 (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:55)
 Willie1, I think you forgot that comfortable is a given in this situation... Smile
  • + 0
flag theminsta (Aug 27, 2012 at 17:31)
 just replace "strong" with "cheap"
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:51)
 a primarily road company charging £135 isnt exactly surprising, road if you havent noticed if crazy overpriced...
  • + 3
flag ascurtis (Aug 27, 2012 at 19:27)
 theminsta.. that would be light/cheap/cheap lol
  • + 1
flag theminsta (Aug 27, 2012 at 22:45)
 Oh snap, I meant "comfort"
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 22:54)
 define cheap... many people have diiferent definitions... alot of roadies justify their expensive zipp/reynolds wheels quite easily while many mtb riders shit at a 1000$+ wheelset
[Reply]
  • + 5
flag MattErhardt (Aug 27, 2012 at 15:55)
 Ain't nobody got time for that!
  • + 7
flag Session603 (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:06)
 I got bronchitis
  • + 3
flag ChainsawGeoff (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:52)
 Lord Jesus there's a fire!
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag scotteddiebrodie96 (Aug 30, 2012 at 10:50)
 I mean like people pay £60 for a saddle that 10g lighter , what's the point? I ride a 18kg downhill bike, it's heavier so it's planned as f*ck and like bang on some rebound and it's lively as hell jumping everywhere
[Reply]
  • + 2
flag Jimmy0 (Aug 27, 2012 at 21:01)
 "makes the saddle easier to grip with your legs during technical descents." .....wtf? I don't think that you're supposed to do that
  • + 1
flag smike (Aug 28, 2012 at 4:27)
 You should try it sometime. It helps to control the bike when you are standing off the saddle. That's the main reason I (and many others) choose to run my seat post rather high on my dh bike instead of slammed and out of the way. It's not because I sit on it a lot.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag NAPALMJEFF (Aug 27, 2012 at 22:24)
 these would be ok if you are racing or got plenty cash. i got a saddle from thomas cycles san diego for $20 it does the job great.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag christiankay (Aug 28, 2012 at 15:36)
 SDG Bel Air is the comfy saddle in my humble opinion if not the lightest and it's been around years. Failing that the Selle Italia Turbo from 1980 has been re-issued ...
[Reply]
  • + 2
flag TimBigHitFSRII (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:14)
 No ibeam, not for me, I destroy rails.
  • + 1
flag skierdud89 (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:51)
 ouch, You're brave, I have yet to sit on a comfortable saddle suitable for a long ride. But that's just me.
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 23:02)
 how do you destroy rails? just curious, havent tryed out i-beam but ive tryed monolink and its good
  • + 1
flag TimBigHitFSRII (Aug 30, 2012 at 3:01)
 Only been riding downhill a couple years now, probably because I'm rough and blow my feet off, end up lading on the seat, that sort of thing. End up with the seat squashed down onto the post normaly twisted to one side, with huge bruises on the inside of my legs, went through three within a year, got an ibeam, no more bent seats, still black and blue thighs from time to time Wink
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 30, 2012 at 3:03)
 you must be a fairly large rider? then again maybe not I snap pedal axles and im 130
  • + 1
flag TimBigHitFSRII (Aug 30, 2012 at 23:42)
 80kg? Short and stocky Wink i just try to go hard, at the expense of my components
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag mudd (Aug 28, 2012 at 8:24)
 I'm happy with my Prologo saddles.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag Arin (Aug 28, 2012 at 22:03)
 What about some new glow colors?!
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag Ro-11 (Aug 27, 2012 at 21:51)
 Question... Is Selle San Marcos the same company as Selle Italy?
  • + 1
flag ferntreekid (Aug 28, 2012 at 0:25)
 No. And i'm fairly sure its Selle Italia, not Italy.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag syncro (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:45)
 GIRO di Italia not giri...
  • + 1
flag jason745 (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:26)
 Fixed, I think:

"12 Tours De France, 11 Giros d'Italia, 9 Paris Roubaix's"
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag brett-sykes (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:42)
 how much technology can go to into a seat, like rlly.
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 23:04)
 alot if youve seen what saddles looked like in the '40s
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag Mugen (Aug 27, 2012 at 19:47)
 The thumbnail on the front page looks like a penguin, that is all.
[Reply]
  • + 0
flag NoSkidMarks (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:28)
 No I-Beams, No interest.
  • + 3
flag scotteddiebrodie96 (Aug 27, 2012 at 17:26)
 You like saddles that snap
  • + 1
flag panzer103 (Aug 27, 2012 at 20:55)
 Are they any good for general trail riding? They dont look like they would be very comfy.
  • + 1
flag scotteddiebrodie96 (Aug 28, 2012 at 2:26)
 Best saddles are, nuke proof plasma, they're like 30-50 pounds and they're just do nice
  • + 1
flag smike (Aug 28, 2012 at 4:35)
 While Nukeproof may fit *you* just fine, there is no *one* saddle that can be labelled "best". It's different for everyone based on anatomy and use.
  • + 1
flag scotteddiebrodie96 (Aug 28, 2012 at 14:28)
 For £30 seriously can't go wrong at that price,
  • + 2
flag NoSkidMarks (Aug 30, 2012 at 5:58)
 I've not snapped one since the first gen over 5 years ago. I'd rather it snapped than a rail popped out and tore me a new A hole. SDG Bell-Air, most comfy seat ever. I-Fly for DH.
[Reply]
  • - 2
flag downhilltom2010 (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:01)
 stupid prices !!!
  • + 2
flag smike (Aug 27, 2012 at 16:06)
 Pretty standard for the weights, actually.
  • + 2
flag cyrix (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:08)
 Yeah, it should be like 5 bucks!!!
  • - 1
flag scotteddiebrodie96 (Aug 28, 2012 at 14:29)
 It doesn't really matter weight wise, leave a packet of crisps at home and it's the same weight :L
  • + 2
flag cyrix (Aug 28, 2012 at 17:07)
 I hate that logic, because it's stupid at best. It all adds up in weight savings. If we followed your logic, we'd still be riding 40 pound hardtails.
[Reply]
  • - 2
flag usacycling (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:31)
 These look like great road saddles! Too bad they are marketed as MTB
  • + 1
flag finnrambo (Aug 27, 2012 at 18:51)
 they make several road models...
[Reply]
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