Riding the Rails: How Material Choice Affects Your Cycling Experience

from Rookie’s keyboard

What’s up, friends?

The new week has just begun. Who knows what it will bring? Maybe more of the same; maybe something new and good (hopefully) or maybe just “one of those days” when you don’t wanna wake up.

In all cases, it will surely bring you a new post from rookiejournal.

Today, I’m going to talk about titanium and carbon saddle rails.

Let’s start with a weight comparison because I know, you all like charts, right?

Of course, the total weight of a saddle doesn’t depend just on the rails, but it’s not possible to isolate the rails from the saddle for a maximally accurate comparison.

CarbonWeightTitaniumWeight
Selle Italia SLR Boost Kit Carbonio129gRace Face Aeffect240g
Specialized S-Works Power Mirror190gSpecialized Power Pro Mirror245g
BEAST Components Pure Saddle87gSpecialized Phenom Expert248g
Ritchey WCS Carbon Streem145gSelle Italia SLR Boost X-Cross186g
BEAST Components87gProcraft Race Titanium II 235g
tune Komm-Vor Carbon98gSelle Italia SLR Superflow S185g
Fizik Antares R1 Versus Evo179gSelle Italia Milano Flite 230g
Ergon SR Pro175gSelle Italia Flite Boost TI316194g
Selle Italia SLR Tekno 110gfabric Line Shallow Race Saddle250g
Fizik Aliante R1 Open Saddle205gSpank Spike 160250g
Average:140.5gAverage:226.3g

On average, saddles with titanium rails are 86 grams heavier. The total weight depends on the particular model and in some cases, a titanium saddle could weigh a bit less than a carbon one.

If you are trying to minimize weight, carbon rails will facilitate that goal.

Recreational riders, however, will not feel a difference even if they decide to choose the heaviest rails on the market.


Compliance

The term compliance is used to describe a material’s degree of bending. Ideally, the material will flex just enough to soften the ride without compromising performance.

Both carbon and titanium are fairly compliant materials and thus reduce the vibrations reaching the rider.

That said, it’s difficult to determine which type of rails will be more compliant/comfortable for two main reasons:

  • Saddle rails are short and do not flex much, to begin with.
  • The flex of the rails depends on their thickness, position, the saddle’s architecture, and the weight of the rider.

It would be inaccurate to say that one type of rail is definitively more compliant than the other.

Rail Flex vs. Seat Post and Saddle Flex

The seat post and the shell of the saddle provide more flex/compliance/comfort than the saddle rails.

In some cases, you might switch from carbon to titanium rails or vice versa and report increased comfort and conclude that the change is coming entirely from the rails even though the saddle and seat post are responsible for the new performance.

Don’t analyze the rails in isolation and take into consideration the seat post and the saddle itself.

Here are some of the parameters that need to be examined:

  • Saddle architecture (e.g., cutout, no cutout…etc.)
  • Saddle shell material and padding
  • Saddle size (is the saddle the right size for the rider)

Strength

Theoretically, both titanium and carbon can be insanely strong. However, the final strength of the rail depends on the entire setup and the quality of the production. Thus, one cannot say definitively that one material is stronger than the other.

Nonetheless, there is anecdotal evidence that titanium rails snap more frequently.

If strength is the ultimate goal, then steel rails beat all of the competition while also being the cheapest. Steel is both ductile and strong and is more likely to bend than to snap.

Resistance to Clamping Force

Carbon does not like to be clamped and has poor resistance to squeezing force. Hence why it’s important to have a torque wrench when installing different accessories on carbon components.

That said, carbon rails are not hollow like carbon frames for example. Consequently, their resistance to clamping pressure is greater and one is unlikely to crush them, especially when paying attention to the clamping limits listed on the rails/saddle.

Price

Seat posts with carbon rails tend to be more expensive. Of course, the final price depends on the particular model.

Given that the weight savings from using carbon are not perceivable because the extra weight is close to the middle of the bike, the additional cost will not be justified when building a bike on a budget.

Of course, titanium rails aren’t cheap either and don’t suit a budget built well. If money is an issue, a saddle with steel rails makes the most sense, at least in the beginning.

Never forget that saddles are among the most frequently stolen components on a bike. Locking a bike with a quick-release seat post and a USD 300 saddle could result in an unpleasant financial loss.

It’s not recommended to install fancy saddles on lock-up commuters. If you want to add additional cushioning to a commuter, you can do so by using wider tires running at lower air pressure or by getting an affordable suspension seat post.

Road vs. MTB Use

The durability of the saddle is highly dependent on the riding discipline too. For example, a road bike saddle does not see the same stress as an MTB one. Consequently, road saddles can save weight by using less material.


TL: DR;

The main differentiation point between carbon and titanium rails is weight. Saddles with carbon rails tend to be lighter.

On average, saddles with carbon rails tend to be more expensive too.

Both titanium and carbon rails are very strong. However, both are prone to snapping unexpectedly. Or in other words, they are super strong until they aren’t.

Most people will not feel a difference regardless of what the saddle rails are made of. That’s just a fact.

People can wrongfully conclude that the rails provide a lot of comfort when the overall architecture and the quality of the saddle are making the difference.

Until next time,

Rookie


Posted

in

by

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *