"We realized that we had taken foam technology to the absolute limit," says Garrett Getter, leader of body geometry for bicycle manufacturer Specialized. "And therefore, if we wanted to keep progressing saddle ergonomics, we needed to seek out new technologies."
To design a better bike saddle, Getter and his team began working with 3D printed EPU (elastomeric polyurethane), a rubber-like polymer. The result is their S-Works Romin EVO saddle, which combines a carbon-fiber shell with an elaborate EPU lattice designed to compress in all the right places. "This revolutionary process creates a complex honeycomb structure that allows us to infinitely tune the material's density in a way impossible with foam," the company writes. "[The saddle is] designed to deliver exceptional comfort and ensure blood flow to soft tissue when riding in a low, aero position."
While comfort is a tricky thing to enumerate, the company says they've "reduced sit bone pressure by up to 26%," and says the lattice contains some 22,200 struts and 10,700 nodes, "all individually tuned" for the right blend of support and comfort.
Here's Getter and his team describing the project:
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One downside: Like foam, EPU does not appear to be recyclable.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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More Comfortable Bike Saddles, Courtesy of 3D Printing
$450????? Do I need to explain what I expect a bike seat to do if it is going to cost almost as much as a new ebike? Yeah, yeah, something, something, professional cyclist, prosumer, whatever. There's probably a whole lot more hype than science behind the thing.
I believe the process is Carbon3D's EPU material.
https://www.carbon3d.com/industries/consumer/
Very cool stuff the way they can tune the density of the structure in different areas.
Also lots of potential for use with scanning technology to create a perfect fit for a customer in things like helmets, impact protection.
There is more information about their materials in the link above.