Fizik saddles may have something of a divisive reputation, but this model from the MTB range had us sitting pretty from the off. It steers away from the flatter, spade style of saddles that are synonymous with the brand.
The Vesta is a women’s specific saddle designed with a concave cutout at the middle which extends right to the rear. It incorporates a Wing Flex shell, a feature claimed to increase flex at the point where the inner thighs touch the saddle for greater comfort.
The rails of the Vesta are constructed from K:ium, a proprietary alloy said to provide a high strength-to-weight ratio and good corrosion resistance. We weighed the Vesta and found it to weigh 280g, 21g heavier than stated on the website and not the lightest option given the price tag.
Throwing a leg over the Vesta I was pleasantly surprised by the comfort on offer, given that first glance suggests it might be akin to sitting on a knife edge. The cutout does the job to adequately prevent any pressure points on sensitive areas, while the long, slim nose allowed my legs to move freely with no annoying thigh rubbing.
In fact I thought the saddle, with its narrow nose, allowed me the largest range of movement of any I've sat on. You can really feel the benefit of this when pedaling hard, and feeling completely unrestricted. The long nose also helped me when changing and distribute weight further forwards for climbing. Despite Fizik's claims regarding the Vesta flexing at the wings where the thighs contact, it’s not something I noticed; the saddle is pretty rigid even when squeezed hard at these points by hand.
One other feature on the Vesta worth mentioning is the inclusion of Fizik's Integrated Clip System in the saddle's base to allow quick attachment and removal of accessories such as the Saddle Pak and Blink light, useful if you have these things, redundant if not!
All in all this is a surprisingly comfy saddle that, despite not offering the lowest weight on the market, would be a great buy for racily inclined riders.
- Price: £85 / US$ TBC / AU$ TBC
- Shell: Carbon Reinforced Nylon
- Rail: K:ium
- Weight: 280g
- Size: 270mm x 150mm
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