Tune Speedneedle Marathon

[$mokeyJoe]

The Tune Speedneedle(SN) Marathon is a full carbon saddle with reinforced Kevlar rails,covered with leather.Beneath it there's also a small amount of foam,really thin(4mm).The SN marathon is claimed at 109g.This one weighs 108.7g.Measures are 256mm long and 135mm at its widest.The shell is made of 1mm plain weaved carbon.Rails are glued and rivetted to the shell and are reinforced with some Kevlar fibers.Rails are 9,65mm thick! and you have approx. 65mm of adjustment.There's also a normal SN,and it's at it's widest 120mm and has a claimed weight of 87g/97g depending on cover(alcantara/leather)But that is another review.

The saddle feels very light.When it arrived,i didn't thought that it could be that light(This was my first lightweight saddle).The cover flexes when you push on it,so i imagined that it would be comfortable.That's also the reason why i've bought the Marathon(for those long rides,>5h).Installing was no problem as i've used it in combination with a Tune Starckes Stuck.I needed some time to get the proper inclination/horizontal adjustment.So taking a tool for the first rides is recommended.I've been tuning quite a lot between rides:up/down/forward/backward.Once found the perfect adjustment i was ready for the long rides.First impression was quite negative.My butt had to get used on this saddle.After more than 2h riding my butt felt like i was sitting on a wall.Every bump hurted quite a lot,even if the shell flexes a bit.I wasn't ready for this kind of saddles.I've still been riding on this saddle,even on rollers and i got used a bit.But after rides longer than 3h my butt won't get used to it.I've been riding one year with this saddle until i've changed it for a Concorde.(see other review)So this saddle is ok for short rides,but not the longer ones for me.As the tip of the saddle is quite 'pointed',your clothes could be sticked at the tip,but i haven't had this problem.

The saddle has been cracked once.I was riding aggresively over bumps,while hit the saddle and cracked,in the back part.As it still was in warranty,it has been replaced by Tune without any problems.So service is ok.After one year riding the wear is noticable on the thin leather.This is probably due to mud rubbing between my pants and the saddle.It's just a slightly wear.The corners around the cover also have some wear,but this happens if you put the wall against a wall.The Kevlar reinforcement has also some wear due to the clamp mechanism of the Starckes Stuck,which clamps are not round edged,like an AX-Lightness for example.With rounded edges it wouldn't have any wear on it.So the SN isn't a perfect marathon saddle for me,but it's more comfortable than a regular one,which feels harder than the marathon.I still keep it as a spare saddle.

Conclusion:
Pro:
Lightweight
Special look
Price(150€ for 109g)
Service

Cons:
Pretty hard
Thick rails that can give problems with some seatposts
Need some time for proper adjustment

[vernaleblanc]

Is that carbon fiber?


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[pritchet74]

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