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The Selle Italia SLR Tekno Flow Saddle is an exercise in minimalism, and surprisingly, that's a good thing. You're looking at a saddle that only weighs around 115 grams, but despite its light weight, the Tekno Flow takes advantage of an anatomic cutout and a low profile Lorica cover in order to deliver far more comfort than you'd expect out of this decidedly firm racing saddle. Basically, if you have your eyes on the checkered flag, this saddle will get you there without compromise. The SLR Tekno Flow starts off with a 100% carbon fiber base, which is stiff, supportive, and lightweight. True to the SLR designation, this saddle has a 131mm tail width and 275mm length, so it accommodates those with medium width sit bones comfortably. There's a large cutout, which relieves pressure on the perineal artery and adjacent soft tissue. As a result, that pressure is directed to your sit bones ischial tuberosity, which are far more adept at supporting your body weight. Additionally, they're able to do so without causing numbness during long rides. This principle is further supported by the wide cut out, as it removes pressure from the pudendal nerve. The pudendal nerve is a paired structure, with a left and right nerve. It is formed in the sacral plexus, and in simplified terms, moves down the body between the piriformis muscle and the ischiococcygeus muscles, eventually attaching to the ischial spine. From here it eventually enters the pudendal canal within which it divides off into several branches including the perineal nerve and the inferior rectal nerve. Keeping pressure off of these nerves is imperative to reducing numbness while riding. So, by relieving the very threat of pressure, numbness is eliminated. A possible misconception about this saddle is that only the perimeter of the saddle has been constructed of carbon fiber. However, it actually shares the standard Tekno's 100% carbon construction, only the Flow features a touch of padding and a low friction, har...
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