The strongest saddle rails?

hey Lee,

i am a bigger guy, 6′ and 250 lbs. i have a question about saddles. what is stronger, the chromoly rails, or the titanium rails? i am 15 years past caring about gram weight; i just want the strongest saddle. at the same time, i like a sleek racer saddle, so i don’t want some brick like jumping seat.

i tried the SDG single rail thing. it came on my SC Jackal. it wouldn’t hold for ANYTHING. i couldn’t even sit casually on it without it slipping.

i have liked the Specialized BG saddles for a while now, especially the Alias. now i am looking at the Toupe, the Phenom, or Alias again, but which rails are strongest, steel or ti?

thanks!

robyn

Hey Robyn,

I got some info from Chris Han at SDG USA. He says:

– If you subject them to sufficient stress, all saddle rails — steel, chromoly or titanium — will eventually bend. On very rare occasions, they’ll break.

– 8mm steel rails are the strongest.

– Chromoly and titanium are almost as strong as steel. They’re just lighter and more expensive.

(Some high-end saddles have hollow chromo rails. I’d guess that solid chromo rails are stronger than hollow ones.)

– Chris says SDG’s I-Beam system is both lighter and stronger than traditional rails, but it’s still possible to break it.

– For you, Chris recommends 8mm steel rails.

Most importantly: Keep your weight in your feet, and use the saddle for control rather than support.

Heavy feet! Light hands! Light butt!

— Lee

PS: Thanks Chris!