Sitting pretty

Selle Italia's fourth generation SLR saddle is the latest evolution of a riding platform that has been winning World Tour races for more than a quarter of a century

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Road cyclists put a lot of stock in heritage, and with a history going back over 120 years, saddle specialist Selle Italia certainly has it. The company and its flagship SLR road saddle have been supporting WorldTour riders - quite literally - for more than a quarter of a century.

Sitting on an icon

'The SLR was the birth of an icon,' says Selle Italia product manager Enrico Andreola. 'It was born in the peloton and has been there since 1999. Many champions have won using this saddle and we have no intention of stopping.'

When the first edition of the SLR launched at the turn of the millennium, it promised light weight and comfort for road racers, and to this day it continues to be designed with racing on tarmac in mind.

'These performance and comfort attributes were due to its long, slim shape,' says Andreola. 'This was a key component of the minimalist design and was very popular with our riders and customers at the time.'

Evolution not revolution

While the SLR has been a constant WorldTour presence since its launch, that doesn't mean it hasn't moved with the times. Through its lifespan, the SLR has undergone a process of revision, with the second and third generation saddles released in 2010 and 2018 respectively. So the company - led by president Giuseppe Bigolin - was never going to tear up the script entirely when developing the latest model.

'Heritage is so important at Selle Italia,' says Andreola. 'I have to mention Mr Bigolin, our president, who always says, "There is no reason to change a concept that works so well." He insisted that the latest generation must be an evolution, not a revolution.'