After 9 months of service the leather on the sides of my SLR has worn out to the point where I won't bother with a repair. I have removed the leather and the thin layer of padding down to the carbon fibre shell. It will be interesting to see if this saddle is still forgiving enough to be ridden on a hardtail - time will tell.

Weight before tuneup / stripping - 141 grams
Weight after tuneup / stripping - 119 grams

Still not featherlight though. I'm fairly impressed that the leather and padding was only 22 grams total.

I did the same thing to my SLR after the leather began peeling at the tip and tail. I never really noticed a difference since there is minimal padding in the saddle to begin with. I rode it nearly all summer without leather/padding until the plastic piece under the nose that holds the rails cracked during a crash.

FWIW, I tried something similar with my old Flite and noticed that the shell really flexes...even under my 135lbs. I didn't have any problems with the SLR...presumably because the carbon shell is stiffer to account for the minimal padding/leather, which seems to provide some structural stiffness to the Flite.

Ride Hard,
Mike B.
http://www.one-speed.com

see below what mine weighed: 110g
besides just stripping the cover and padding i also shaved the shell.
<img src="http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/SLR-110(2).jpg">
GREAT - the picture uploaded...1st time on the new format!
anyway - i didn't notice any difference in comfort and was very pleased the way it performed.i shaved also the sides somewhat which made the shell flex some more than standard.after that i also drilled some additional holes in the shell to help in flex.after i was finished it was really more comfortable than standard.

Mike,

Good to see that you've made it work - did you experience any problems related to the very slick surface of the carbon shell. Slipping or?

Nino,

First of all, good to see you in here - on the new forums, hope you stay!

Excellent ideas on shaving the shell - I think I'll try that out. What tools did you use? Also, could you be troubled with pointing out where you drilled the additional holes?

Thanks for your input guys! http://www.korczak.dk/images/thumbsup.gif

see the tool i used below:
<img src="http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/SLR-shaving(2).jpg">
to smoothen the edges i used a "rotational emery cloth" you can see in my first reply.

the slick surface isn't a problem at all.I usually have a AX-Lightness saddle with a high polished surface.Lycra shorts don't slip too much on those sadldes.

the holes i drilled wre more or less like shown on the left side below:
<img src="http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/SLR-gelocht(2).jpg">

Recently followed Nino and Max's lead and tuned an aging Flite TT - exactly 50 grams saved after removing the leather and pad. Some flex added via a v notch in the rear and a 21 holes - 110 grams when finished and pretty good comfort. Done a couple of 1 1/2 hour rides and all (my butt) was well - not sure yet beyond that.

Thanks Nino,

Very informative post - this is a prime example of free weightsaving and although it might not be that many grams it still counts towards the end goal. http://www.korczak.dk/images/biggthumpup.gif

Had some time on my hands today and decided to try Nino's tips for further tuning the weight of my SLR... here's the result verified @ 105 grams - not too bad IMHO...:)

http://www.korczak.dk/images/mtb/weight_500.jpg

This was achieved by shaving the shell like this:
http://www.korczak.dk/images/mtb/01_underside_draw_500.jpg

Took me a little over 2 hours including final finish - am now thinking about drilling it, but I think that'll have to wait until I've ridden it tonite...

Just wanted to share...