Fizik Vento Argo R1 Adaptive Saddle

I had been using a stock saddle on my bike, but it hadn't been working too well for me- a couple hundred miles in, some races included, and it's been an upgrade I think I needed. The saddle works well for me, but it might not for everyone.

This saddle really has exceeded my expectations, Fizik truly has outdone themselves with this one. I actually first bought the Antares 00 Adaptive and got along fine with it, it is very stiff yet somehow still comfortable enough for long rides. Unfortunately it was destroyed when I got hit by a car, I was going to buy the R1 version to replace it as it is supposed to be more forgiving. The new bike I bought came with the cheapest Vento Argo and I actually really liked it so I decided to buy the adaptive version of it here and I'm really glad I did. I haven't been able to do any serious distance on this saddle yet as I'm still recovering but have done a couple of 40 mile rides with no discomfort whatsoever, my backside felt exactly the same at the end of those rides as it did at the beginning - I'm sure I could do 100 miles on it no problem if the rest of me would cooperate. The saddle is super high quality as you might expect from Fizik and the 3D printed top delivers on what it promises in my opinion. Sure it is expensive but as far as I'm concerned it was money well spent. I probably would have bought the 00 version if it was being made, I emailed Fizik customer service to ask if it was in the works but they said they had no knowledge of future offerings so we'll have to wait and see.

Less than 500 miles, and I weigh 180lb. Saddle snapped in two 3" from the narrow end. It took Fizik 26 days to respond to multiple requests for warranty service, then told me it would be another month before a replacement shipped. Buy a saddle from a company with an email, phone number, chat, or other way to connect, and that actually responds.

I've put about 700 miles on this saddle so far and it's rock solid. Fits me well, comfortable, pretty lightweight, and it looks awesome on my bike. Looking forward to getting a long life out of this seat.

This saddle has exceeded my high expectations, Fizik has produced a masterpiece in my opinion. I love the 3D printed top, it really does seem to work as advertised even with my 210lbs trying to squash it down. I was using the Antares 00 Adaptive saddle, which I really liked even though it was super stiff, but it was destroyed when I got hit by a car. I planned on replacing it with the Antares R1 Adaptive but the BMC Teammachine I bought came with the Vento Argo R5 and to my surprise it was more comfortable for me than the Antares so I decided to get the adaptive version here.

I just rode 7 out of the last 8 days trying to increase my fitness averaging about 25 miles per ride and have absolutely no discomfort from this saddle, my longest ride so far has been 44 miles and again no sign of discomfort. I'm sure once my body is able to go the distance I will be able to do 100 miles on this saddle no problem. Obviously this is an expensive saddle and while not the lightest it's light enough for all but the most stringent weight weenies, to me it was worth every penny as I have never been more comfortable on my bike.

I think the greatest thing you can say about a saddle is that you don't notice it on a long ride and this definitely fits that bill.

So I have tested multiple of these saddles, I tested the adaptive 00 argo vento, regular 00 argo vento, regular r1 argo vento and now the adaptive r1 argo vento and the r1 models have a different shape than the 00 models. On the 00 models, there was just something about them that no matter which width I tried, they didn't feel right and I had assumed that the r1/3/5 models and 00 model were the same shape however they actually are not as I was comparing their images on Fizik's website.

The 00 models have a wider front half in the 140 and 150mm width versions while the r models have overall a slightly more refined shape... the rear wings taper inwards a bit more compared to the 00 models, the 00 models are more smooth in terms of going from the wings to the tip. Additionally, the 00 adaptive models have extremely firm 3d padding while this is similar to the adaptive TT saddles fizik provides, very squishy (though the TT ones are slightly more squishy).

If you are someone who likes a wide front half of the saddle, the 00 models MIGHT work for you however you are paying a heck of a lot more for something that is a lot firmer and in my opinion a lot less comfortable compared to the r1/3/5 versions. I really like this saddle, I was actually going to write off adaptive saddles because of the 00 model of this however I decided to give this a try when I realized the shape is slightly different compared to the 00 model and this is much, much better.

Keep in mind from a bike fitting perspective, these saddles grip you very well so too much saddle tilt on this thing, while it will hold you in place you will start to chafe uncomfortably after about an hour or two.

After a 4-5 hour ride, my bottom is not fatigued at all. I wish these saddles were more affordable.