How To Pick A Fabric Saddle
How To Pick A Fabric Saddle
Fabric makes award-winning saddles for all kinds of cycling. They regularly win best in test awards and are one of the favourites with our staff. If you are new to the Fabric saddle range then picking the correct one can be a little confusing. Here is our guide on how to pick a Fabric saddle to help you choose the right one. To pick the right Fabric saddle you need to know how their naming system works.
There are 5 basic types of Fabric Saddle which then come in various different models. The 5 basic types are:
- ALM - Cutting edge all carbon saddle designed in conjunction with Aerobus
- Line - Designed for endurance rides with pressure relief channels to keep you comfy
- Scoop - Do it all saddle designed to be comfy and durable for all kinds of riding
- Cell - Air sprung saddle for extra comfort. Designed for comfy riding in normal clothes
- Tri - Designed for triathlon and time trial riding
Sport, Elite, Pro or Ultimate
The saddle rails and construction determine how heavy and expensive the saddle will be. Starting with the cheapest and heaviest, and working up to the lightest and most expensive saddles they are:
- Sport - Steel Rails
- Elite - Cro-mo Rails
- Race - Titanium Rails
- Pro - Carbon rails
- Ultimate - All Carbon Saddle
Flat, Shallow or Radius?
Fabric makes their saddles in three profiles:
- Flat saddles are for riders who like to get low to cheat the wind, and place less weight on the saddle.
- Shallow saddles are for all types of ride, balancing comfort and movement with a slightly curved profile, flexible base and low density foam.
- Radius saddles are for more relaxed rides where you will want to sit upright and enjoy a comfortable ride.
Fabric doesn’t really make specific saddles for mountain biking, road cycling or commuting but as a general rule flat saddles work best on road bikes, shallow saddles work great on most mountain bikes and radius saddles are perfect for commuting and leisure cycling.
Gender
Most of Fabric’s saddles are unisex, however, they do make ‘gel’ versions of most of their saddles, e.g. the Scoop Elite Gel Radius. The Gel saddles are a bit wider than the standard version and come with extra padding. They tend to be more popular with female riders.
Examples
A couple of really popular Fabric saddles are the Fabric Scoop Elite Radius and the Fabric Line Elite Flat. So this translates to:
- Fabric Scoop Elite Radius = A general purpose saddle with cro-mo rails and a profile suitable for relaxed rides
- Fabric Line Elite Flat = An endurance saddle with cro-mo rails and a profile suitable for fast and aggressive riding
Comfort Guaranteed
All Fabric Saddles are covered by Cycles UK Ride Happy Comfort Guarantee. If you buy a saddle and don’t get on with it you can swap it for a new one within the first 30 days after purchase. This doesn’t have to be the same brand of saddle, you can also swap it for one from a different brand. The Cycles UK comfort guarantee is valid whether you buy from our website or from one of our stores.
