Please don't ask us to explain how Fizik names their products. Gobi XM: we think "Gobi Desert." So we looked it up on Wikipedia. Turns out Gobi is the Chinese version of the Mongolian Govi, meaning "gravel-covered plain." Not an image of something we'd want to sit on for any length of time. Even thinking of it as lustrous sand that conforms to our bottoms isn't quite comforting, either.

Regardless of the name, the Fizik Gobi XM is one of our favorite saddles. It adapts technology from the Fizik Arione road saddle for MTB use. Like the Arione, the Gobi has WingFlex technology, which is Aramid cloth wrapped around the plastic shell on the sides. The shell has tines, like a comb, which are suspended in place by the Aramid. Depending on how you ride it, the plastic underneath breaks free of the rest of the saddle and the Aramid holds the shell in place, creating controlled flex. Likewise, the TailFlex, new to the Gobi, works the same way. The Aramid-wrapped tail pieces (more tines) are designed to give more than solid plastic and as a pattern of use emerges, the section softens, the shell pieces breaking free of the shell but remaining attached via the cloth wrap flexing more and with your body.

The K:ium rails (pronounced "Koom," rhymes with zoom) offer a better ride than the standard titanium rails. They're 8% lighter, have greater strength to weight ratio, and damp more vibration. The damping is thanks to the Silicium. The shiny look is thanks to the Chrome content. The chrome increases corrosion resistance, which helps with overall durability.

As with the Fizik Aliante Gamma XM, this too is deisgnated XM, or cross mountain saddle. The Gobi shares a similar profile with the Aliante. While the Gobi also has the same length and width as the Aliante, the curve at the back comes later and the sides are shorter. The result is a lighter saddle.

The Fizik Gobi XM saddle is 265mm long. It is 142mm wide at its widest. The covering is Microtex, with Cordura bumpers. There is Technogel in the nose. The rails are made of K:ium, a high-end steel alloy that is 8% lighter than titanium and equal in strength. The rails are marked with numeric and line gradations for more accurate adjusting. The saddle comes in: Black with Black Cordura bumpers, White with Anthracite Cordura, and Anthracite with Anthracite Cordura. 229g.