3D saddles: new manufacturing technologies are also creating products in the bicycle industry that were unthinkable just a few years ago. The best example is saddles that are padded in the form of a three-dimensional honeycomb structure to provide unimagined comfort thanks to optimized pressure distribution. Velomotion brings you the most important information about 3D saddles.
At the Eurobike 2019, the light green saddle from Physics a small sensation: instead of classic foam or a gel insert, it was provided with 3D-printed padding. The prototype, which was intended to prove the functionality of the innovative construction principle, has long since become numerous series models, both from the Italian manufacturer and from other saddle producers. These saddles fascinate with their unique surface structure, are light and expensive; but above all, they are said to be much more comfortable than conventional models with foam padding. How is that possible?
Precisely coordinated material properties
The basis of the new saddles is 3D printing. Different processes can be used to produce complex three-dimensional structures that are impossible to create using conventional methods. In the new generation of saddles, these are lattice or honeycomb structures that consist of thousands of fine struts. Their arrangement, length or thickness can be precisely determined - and this opens up new ways of adjusting the padding. While with foam padding you could only vary the thickness of the foam layer or place different types of foam on the saddle, it is now possible to adapt the individual parts of the saddle surface precisely to the respective loads: the 3D padding can be softer where it is important to protect sensitive parts of the body, and firmer where the saddle should provide hold and support.
Another advantage of 3D printing is that the digital blueprint of the padding can be easily changed, which allows the individual production of saddles. The 3D custom saddle is already available from Posedla from the Czech Republic; Fizik is also currently entering the business of custom-made bicycle saddles. A custom-made saddle can cost up to 500 euros, and even 3D saddles off the shelf are rather expensive at 250 euros and up - the innovative padding usually comes with carbon struts and a saddle shell. Interesting in terms of price-performance is the Specialized Power Expert for 180 euros: In this model, 3D inserts called “mirror” are incorporated into conventional upholstery.
No cure-all for seating problems
3D saddles do not necessarily offer a weight advantage. Most models weigh just over 200 grams, which is significantly more than lightweight saddles; however, they have a very good comfort-to-weight ratio. The innovative models are not a panacea for seating problems - after all, the padding is just one of several factors, along with shape, width, etc. 3D saddles do make sense, for example, where you are already quite happy with a conventional saddle - if it is available in a 3D version, this should be even more comfortable.
The production of these saddles has little in common with the familiar form of 3D printing, where material is applied layer by layer using extrusion. In HP's "Multi Jet Fusion" process, precisely defined areas of a powder layer are thermally hardened, then the next layer is applied, and so on. In digital light synthesis, as used by Fizik, UV light projects the workpiece layer by layer into liquid resin and hardens it. At the same time, the workpiece is pulled upwards and grows out of the liquid, so to speak.
Who is the industry targeting with these new saddles? Sensitive people and frequent and long-distance riders in particular could be interested in the comfortable seats. Anyone who never sits in the saddle for more than two or three hours is still well advised to go with a conventional model. However, where maximum pressure reduction is required, 3D printing is the answer - whether off the shelf or in the form of a custom saddle.
Velomotion has tried out several 3D saddles, with each one being used for 6.000 to 200 kilometers by our ambitious test rider - a competitive athlete who rides around 300 km per year on a racing bike to compensate. One interesting finding from his rides: they are all actually comfortable. And that is unusual, because there is always at least one outlier when you test several saddles. Even if the preference for a particular model is very individual, it can be said that 3D saddles tend to be comfortable regardless of the manufacturer and design.