The Kurve Bull saddle's shape is based on the legendary Aliante. Its swoopy, rounded and kick-up curve at the rear makes for a perch that’s ideally suited to sitting in and grinding out the miles.
The Kurve Bull has now been updated from its original incarnation, with a slightly different shape and carbon rails. So, why choose the Kurve over the ‘standard’ Aliante, which in a similar spec weighs 8g less and is also a good bit cheaper?
- Highs: Clever design, superb shape
- Lows: Pricey compared with the R1 Aliante
Well, that comes down to the saddle’s design. For the Kurve range Fizik uses a patented rail design called Mobius, where the rails affix at the nose in the traditional way yet have a strengthening bar at the end of the straight clamp section. The rail then loops around the very edge of the saddle’s hindquarters, which enables the main body of the shell (the bit you sit on) to flex. Think of it like a hammock.
Massive cutaways (inlaid with Kevlar mesh) in the carbon hull further enhance the flex, which results in a saddle that has all of the shapely comfort of an Aliante with even more flex. On the bike you have an almost buoyant sensation, not a bouncy or weird feeling just beautifully supple.
You can also tune the Kurve – it has two nosepieces included (and a tool, plus a spare Torx bolt, which is a nice touch). The soft nosepiece is the one that gives the greatest comfort, and a switch to the hard option feels pretty much the same as the latest Aliante R1 carbon. As we mentioned, that one’s both lighter and cheaper so we’re struggling to see why you would want to change.
Choosing the Kurve Bull over the standard Aliante, or any of the Kurve range (Snake is the Arione-style saddle, the Chameleon the Antares) is really just about whether you don’t find the standard range flexible enough and want to take advantage of the Bull’s more flexible design.
