Silicon Valley based digital manufacturing company Carbon partnered with Fizik and Specialized to create two different adaptative bicycle saddles that improve the rider’s comfort.

For cyclists, one of the most important aspects of the riding experience is the saddle, whether you’re using a bike only as a means of transportation or for sports. The shape and material greatly determine the comfort, but since the instruction of foam, little has changed for bike saddles.

Called Adaptative, the bicycle saddle by Fizik and Carbon has a padding made by Carbon, using their Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology, which uses digital ultraviolet light projection, oxygen permeable optics, and programmable liquid resins to produce parts with excellent mechanical properties, resolution and surface finish.

This technology allows Fizik to address cyclists’ needs in terms of power transfer, shock absorption, stability and comfort, with none of the constraints or limitations imposed by traditional production methods or materials like foam. This means that the design can be adjusted and customised, making personalised saddles possible.

Fizik is producing a range of saddles that feature padding made of Carbon’s EPU 41 material, turned into a seamlessly engineered zonal cushioning and “superior support and power transfer properties”. To produce the saddles, the company uses pressure mapping data collected over nine years from professional cyclists around the world.

In its collaboration with Specialized, Carbon used its DLS technology for the S-Works Power Saddle with Mirror technology. The saddle has a lattice design that enables the saddle to rebound quickly, and was created in one piece. Aside from dispersing pressure, the lattice design improves breathability.

Photos: Carbon / Fizik / Specialized