Specialized Alias Saddle Review

The Specialized Alias saddle is one of the many offered by one of the industry giants in the bicycling world...Specialized. This saddle sports their famous Body Geometry technology and it blurs the line between a performance oriented saddle and an ergonomically comfortable saddle that will allow long hours in the saddle. It also happens to be the saddle on my Trek 5900SL that I have ridden for the last 2 years, so I am very familiar with it.

The Specialized Alias saddle is one of the many offered by one of the industry giants in the bicycling world...Specialized. This saddle sports their famous Body Geometry technology and it blurs the line between a performance oriented saddle and an ergonomically comfortable saddle that will allow long hours in the saddle. It also happens to be the saddle on my Trek 5900SL that I have ridden for the last 2 years, so I am very familiar with it.

Anatomical Cutout

The Specialized Alias bicycle seat offers a sculpted design that has removed the center groove from the seating surface in order to ease perineum pain. It is quite common for riders of both genders to report "issues" in the perineum including but not limited to tingling, numbness, mild pain and irritation all the way to intense pain and discomfort if left untended.

Men are especially vulnerable to this issue and many men have suffered from a lack of blood flow to the genital area and experience numbness even after getting off the bike. This doesn't affect everyone but if it affects you then you should consider either this saddle or one like it.

Debates have raged over how serious of an issue this is or how much concern you should show, but my point of view is that ANY tingling or numbness in your groin, is probably a bad thing. I experienced blood flow issues with a number of other saddles before finding the Alias and it solved that issue instantly.

I can ride for hours with no numbness and no tingling thanks to the design of this saddle.

Features and Benefits

The Specialized Alias comes in three different widths to accommodate the different geometry of the many riders out there. This is a huge advantage over many saddle manufacturers as getting the width right in order to support your sit bones is absolutely critical and the three different widths allow this saddle to be used by nearly any rider on the planet.

The Specialized Alias saddle incorporates a lightweight "tuned density" foam padding to cover the seating area and provide enough padding to retain comfort but not hinder performance. I put about 100 miles a week on this saddle, so I am intimately familiar with it and I would classify it as a firm but very comfortable ride. I prefer it that way and I think many other riders do as well, once they get used to it.

It's wrapped in a seamless "Micromatrix" cover which is some sort of vinyl material judging by the way it feels. I have ridden mine for about 2 years now and no rips, tears or issues with it so far and I am what you would call a Clydesdale, so I can be hard on a seat but the Specialized Alias has held up very well. The lightweight carbon reinforced shell is attached to lightweight titanium rails that are hollowed out for weight savings. Again...I am a Clyde and after 2 years of 100 mile a week riding I have no issues with mine. The Specialized Alias bicycle seat is rock solid and is standing up to the test of time for me.

The Specialized Alias is not a featherweight but it's definitely not a brick either. The approximate weights are: 130mm = 230g, 143mm = 250g, 155mm = 265 (+/- 5%) and it measures out at 270mm long.

Ride Comfort

Any time you get into the world of performance road bike saddles, ride comfort gets to be quite subjective and a matter of personal taste. I will share what my thoughts are on the Specialized Alias as it is my saddle of choice currently on my Trek 5900SL. I don't log anywhere near as many miles as some riders but I easily log 100 miles a week during the winter and many more than that during the summer....so I am intimately familar with the Specialized Alias.

The ride on the Specialized Alias is quite firm, when you plant your sit bones down on it then you know you are on something. The bike shop owner that convinced me to try it was right about it 100%. When I was a new rider, I like many others, migrated from saddle to saddle hoping that this would be the cure. I never asked advice until finally I decided I had no choice.

I shared my numbness issue, I shared the hot spot issues and my concerns about never feeling right on any saddle I tried. When he asked me how wide my sit bones were, I think the blank look on my face told him all I needed to know. About 30 minutes later after we measured my sit bones and talked about how I ride and what I expected he pointed me to a 155mm Alias. Half my problem was that I have wider than normal sit bones for a man and I was continuously riding saddles that were in the 140 mm range.....just didn't work.

The fact that I am riding the Specialized Alias two years later will tell you that I love it. I am a gear junkie, I love to tweak and upgrade and change things but I can guarantee that I will always own an Alias or a saddle just like it. I remember the searing pain in my perineum all too well and have no desire to go back to that bad place.

Conclusion

So in summary, the Specialized Alias bicycle saddle could be the perfect answer to that age old question..."Why does my butt hurt so bad when I ride my bicycle?" The answer is usually not the fault of the saddle and I would always recommend that if you are a new rider to ride the saddle you have at least for a few weeks to see if you condition your butt to riding.

That said, if you are an experienced rider and are still having issues, then you might consider getting your sit bones measured and checking out an Alias. It's going to be very firm at first but my butt quickly conditioned itself to it and I prefer the firm feel now, I can't ride anything else.

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Specialized Alias Saddle Review, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating