With its dropped nose, curled-under sides and big hole in the middle, the Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow looks like nothing else. The padding isn't exceptionally soft if you prod it but the Max Flite feels particularly cosseting.
A lot of that is down to the hole, which means no weight is being supported by delicate parts of your anatomy. The potential downside of a hole is that water and mud can get up through it, but in this age of waterproof shorts that's not a deal-breaker, at least not for mountain bike use.
The other comfort boost comes from the use of silicone gel rather than PU foam for padding, along with floating rear saddle mounts. It all works – the Max Flite is a very comfortable saddle. It carries a weight penalty as a result, though.
This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine.