FIRST LOOK: fi'zi:k Antares custom saddle

My experience of mountain biking is really broad. Mountain biking has taken me around the world, to the highest of highs, and some pretty deep lows and dark places. Bike's have brought me health and happiness, and given me a job. And while so jmuch of that is about more than the bike itself – sometimes it's all about the bike. There's a certain joy in being able to custom-spec a bike just how you want it, just like Derek Recio did with his Intense Recluse SL.

Going custom with Italians

fi'zi:k should need little introduction. They've made premium saddles for ages, and most people will have spent time on the classic Gobi or Tundra, if not one of their other modesl as well along the lines. The Italian company produce some very fine saddles, as well as shoes, and road handlebars and stems. 

Take a look at the bikes of professional riders, and their seats are often well-matched to the rest of the bike. fi'zi:k are bringing that service to the rest of us with their Custom.Made service. I've been overdue a new seat for my mountain bike for a while, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to upgrade – and have something colour-matched to my bike. I actually used to ride the Arione (road saddle) but have shied away from it for the past year on my MTB. So I thought why not jump in and use this chance to try the Antares, a popular road saddle that many XC racers use as well. It's light, flat, and short enough to get out of the way when you need to get off the back of the bike.

Let the design begin

There's a whole site devoted to the process, and you choose your seat model, then go on to choose the top cover colour, or central stripes, WingFlex colour, or other areas depending on the design of the model you have chosen. I designed mine to match my Norco Revolver 9.2 FS, with black, a mint/celeste colour, grey and orange.

Often, a new bike will come with a matching saddle already – which is great. But stock saddles on bikes are really made from the high-end materials that after market saddles use – from the materials of the base, the rails, the cover and even the padding. If you spend a lot of time on your bike, then upgrading the saddle, like any of your contact points, is a smart move.

You'll have an estimated delivery time at the point of ordering, but the saddle will be delivered right to your door.

When mine arrived, I was really impressed with the finishing. But, I shouldn't be surprised – as fi'zi:k saddles are handmade and their custom models are no different. The colours were an exact match to my bike and set it off perfectly.

There's not much to say about the Antares – it was my choice of saddle but you might choose a model you know you like before investing in Custom.Made by fi'zi:k. But this custom saddle turned out better than I could have imagined. Now I'm left to save up for a matching one for my other bike.

I'll  post again after the saddle has a few months on it, but given any other fi'zi:k saddles I have used have had a long service life, I'm certain it will be the same for this custom Antares.