Our Favorite Things: Rolls Saddle

Funny that, in a world where people spend thousands of dollars to trim a handful of grams from their 12 pound bikes, that the Rolls saddle from Selle San Marco would be a hit--let alone hang onto the charts for more than two decades. What is it about the Rolls that makes it one of our favorite all-time saddles?

Could it be its broad, flat surface? How about the mega high-density foam? Maybe it’s the long saddle rails that make slamming your seat a foot behind your bottom bracket a breeze. How about the legion of professional riders that still call the Rolls their saddle. The perforated white leather top? And we all have to admit that bling-before-they-called-it-that metal scuff guard and nameplate on the back is what first got our attention.

Come to think of it, why would anyone ride anything other than a Rolls? Probably because they’re heavy as a boat anchor. The original Rolls from the 1980s hit the scales at over 300-grams and even the titanium railed version that came out in the 1990’s still added about 280-grams to your rig. It feels though, that complaining about the weight of a Rolls saddle is like griping about a Ferrari’s gas mileage—it misses the point entirely.

After a break of some years, Selle San Marco is again cranking out new Rolls Saddles that come packaged in a fancy commemorative box. Seems like we have one kicking around the shop somewhere and we can probably order more if anyone is interested.

We’ll leave you with a little known fact about Selle San Marco—they use Catholic nuns from a convent near their factory in Veneto to do the final assembly on many of their saddles.

Also, if you happen to be in the Bay Area on the first weekend of December, here's a great event to check out--partially sponsored by Selle San Marco http://supermarketstreetsweep.blogspot.com/