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What is a 100% sustainable saddle? Check out the affordable Selle Italia Model-X Green!

Selle Italia Model-X Green Superflow affordable eco-friendly sustainable saddle
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Last summer Selle Italia teased this new Model-X Green Superflow saddle, saying it would be made in Italy by robots using a new X-Tech production process that was better for the environment than any saddle before. Now the “100% sustainable saddle” is here, blending a rare mix of premium performance, environmentally-responsible manufacturing, and an actually affordable price that is less than 1/6th of what the latest carbon Flite saddle we reported on costs!

Selle Italia Model-X Green Superflow eco-friendly, sustainable saddle

Selle Italia Model-X Green Superflow affordable eco-friendly sustainable saddle, tail

We thought it was just a project code name when we heard it last summer, but Selle Italia has given their latest new saddle line the name Model-X, plus of course the new Green designation. But while we are used to new tech debuting at the top of the pricing spectrum, this actually becomes their cheapest saddle in $, while also being one of their lightest under $100.

How they manage that combination, all comes down to an innovative new streamlined production process in their factory in Italy.

Green-Tech: What is a 100% sustainable saddle?

Selle Italia calls the new saddle sustainable for a few reasons. Their biggest eco selling point seems to be that the Model-X Green saddle does not contain any glue or polyurethane adhesive – instead, using a co-molded construction that mechanically connects the separate elements together.

Selle Italia Model-X Green sustainable saddle, made-in-Italy

Producing the saddles entirely in Italy with an efficient automated manufacturing process is said to reduce the saddle’s CO2 emissions transportation footprint and minimize waste, while also freeing Selle Italia from relying on the fragile global supply chain.

Tech details

Selle Italia Model-X Green Superflow affordable eco-friendly sustainable saddle, exploded view

As for the construction itself, Selle Italia doesn’t actually explain how the chosen materials themselves are green or especially environmentally-friendly – although it is claimed that they can be disassembled and recycled at the end of the saddle’s life.

What we do know is that the Model-X Green saddle starts with a set of Fec Alloy 7mm round steel rails that then get a reinforced composite shell injection-molded on top. Then a Total Gel cover is co-molded on top, doubling as the saddles padding. The differing flex characteristics of the shell & top are said to deliver better comfort & durability than other affordable saddles.

Selle Italia Model-X Green Superflow affordable eco-friendly sustainable saddle, waved profile

The result is said to be “top-of-the-range” fit & performance in a saddle with a claimed weight of 315g (in some channels it also gets claimed weight as low as 299g). Sure, that’s 145g heavier than the similarly-sized, premium  Flite Boost Superflow Pro Team Kit Carbonio saddle, but the Model-X Green is also 265€ cheaper, a pretty good consolation. Probably better to compare it to the cheapest & heaviest of the Flite Boost saddles with manganese steel rails, which still 82g lighter, but also 2.6x as expensive as the Model-X.

Selle Italia Model-X Green Superflow – Pricing, options & availability

Selle Italia Model-X Green Superflow affordable eco-friendly sustainable saddle, detail

Any way you look at it, Selle Italia’s $50 / 50€ Model-X Green Superflow saddle is truly affordable. I don’t remember seeing any Italian-made saddle that cheap in decades, really. For now the Model X Green saddle is only being offered in just one waved-top, wide & short L3 Boost size (145mm wide x 245mm long) and only with the full-length SuperFlow cutout.

But Selle Italia has put a lot of development effort into this new “low environmental impact” automated production process, to be able to quickly produce high-end saddles in Italy at competitive prices. So we expect to see many more Green-Tech saddle options in the near future.

SelleItalia.com

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Thesteve4761
Thesteve4761
3 years ago

100% green wash bs.

Craig
Craig
3 years ago
Reply to  Thesteve4761

Do you know something we dont? I’m keen to hear your thoughts (just make sure they’re facts). Maybe this saddle isn’t as green as claimed but it sure sounds like it’s several steps in the right direction.

Matthias
Matthias
3 years ago
Reply to  Craig

Looks like one of the “greener” models to me, although that “100% full sustainable” boasting is just that. I’d suspect that gel padding’s recyclability is something similar to TetraPak’s – you *could* do it with quite a bit of effort but very little of it will actually end up being recycled. The rest looks good, very similar to what e.g. Brooks has been doing for years. Reducing the number of different materials used is important. Good that they don’t milk the customers extra for the green label, too.

thesteve4761
thesteve4761
3 years ago
Reply to  Craig

See below. Claiming 100% anything without the data to back it up is false. They’ve not shared anything concrete about the production processes, materials, actual footprint, end of life, etc.

Without any of that, it’s pure marketing fluff. No more no less.

thesteve4761
thesteve4761
3 years ago
Reply to  thesteve4761

Craig, so you challenge me for facts but not Selle Italia? Simply put, without sharing details of why the saddle is “100%” sustainable, the claim is empty since it leaves no way for the reader to objectively evaluate the claims. Trust me doesn’t cut it. That does not mean it isn’t a potential step in the right direction, but without more information, we will never know.

Basically, a truly sustainable firm would never make this claim. Great, they might have one sustainable product in a sea of many. But if the profits from the green project are then being funneled into continuing what we must presume to be “100% not sustainable” saddles, the net is worse, not better. Better to bring the saddle to market without the grandiose sustainability claims if you aren’t willing to back them.

My guess is that Velo gave them a lead time they couldn’t manage and re-started the line in Italy….

James
James
3 years ago

Wow this genuinely excites me. All the right looks and something I hope other companies take note of.

Jeff
Jeff
3 years ago

It is funny how just paying someone money all of a sudden makes your carbon foot print go away. Such a load of bull excrement. Please tell me exactly how that money will do anything except line some rich person’s pocket. Maybe if you planted 10 trees for every saddle made I would call it green. Can I have a tire fire every night as long as I write big enough check? That’s how it works right?

ttxxdd
ttxxdd
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff

because going green is trendy right now. it makes the consumer feel better about themselves and not the actual planet

thesteve4761
thesteve4761
3 years ago
Reply to  ttxxdd

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/carbon-offset.htm

Yes. If you write a big enough check you can have a tire fire every night of the week. When done properly, carbon offsetting is exactly that. Paying somebody else to take care of your negative externality via an additional project that they otherwise would not have undertaken. Perhaps they are planting trees, but as I say above, who knows since they kind of stopped after the “100%” tagline, making this a pure marketing play.

And yes, it’s trendy to not want to destroy the only planet we have. That’s a GOOD thing.

thesteve4761
thesteve4761
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff

Jeff, yes, that is exactly how it works.

https://www.carbontrust.com/what-we-do/measure-and-evaluate/value-chain-and-supply-chain-sustainability

Above is one such service provider. I’m sure they’d love your tire fire check.

jeff
2 years ago

Jesus people. Did Selle Italia just claim to solve the world’s environmental crisis? Maybe this line is on a greener track than the rest of their saddles. Do they get ANY credit for trying something new? Maybe it develops into something even better in terms of carbon footprint. If it was purely a marketing tactic, this thing would cost $300. Holy crap.

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