The X-Bow from Italian saddle giant Selle Italia – more commonly known for producing road cycling saddles – has a sleek design and central pressure relief channel.

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The big hole in the centre of the Selle Italia X-Bow Superflow is obviously designed to reduce pressure on the Pudendal artery, which for some riders can cause numbness. However, it’s also designed to flex when you sit on it, and to add further comfort there are some thin elastomer bumpers between the rails and the base, although it doesn’t feel like these are doing much. 

Selle Italia describes the rails as a high-strength carbon-iron steel alloy, in other words cro-mo, and they are attached to the saddle right at the outer perimeter, so there are no hard points directly under the sit bones.

The X-Bow is also available in two widths; S3 and L3, which equates to 145 and 155mm. We chose the wider option because the saddle does come up 5mm short. In fact, it’s a pretty stubby seat, and we often sat right on the nose when shuffling forward for a steep climb.

Like the best saddles on test, the synthetic leather cover is bonded to the base, although there are a couple of rough spots on the rear, which look like they got damaged during the manufacturing process.

There’s not a lot of surface traction, especially as wet spray can blow through the hole; riding through a puddle was like sitting on a bidet. On the flip side mud and water can drain away, and if you have a dropper post with a valve at the top, you can access it easily without having to remove the seat. 

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