New saddle company: Catahoula

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

Moderators: robbosmans, Moderator Team

Post Reply
brianvonlehe
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:38 am

by brianvonlehe

Dear WW,

I've been an intermittent user on this forum for years, so I'm pleased to be able to share my new saddle project. Not having found saddles offering both prominent soft-tissue relief and ischial bone comfort, I set out to design and manufacture an alternative, which almost four years later resulted in Catahoula Ergonomics. I'm crowdfunding pre-orders now on Kickstarter to get a bulk order of materials together.

At 210-230g, these are not a true, compromised, WW offering, but rather are the lightest offering for a truly comfortable and durable perch. The shell is a hybrid carbon fiber and fiberglass prepreg laminate, which allows a more natural flex than pure carbon fiber, while the rails are made of 17-7PH hardened stainless spring steel, ovalized in two axes for flexibility and strength at a minor weight penalty over carbon. I built a custom hydraulic rail bending machine in order to create this special rail.

The saddles are customizable to an individual's application, with both options in nose width and padding type and density. Standard nose (39mm) is for most road, cx, and xc applications with a higher premium put on pedaling efficiency, while the wide nose suits modern trail and enduro bikes very well: it offers a predictable surface no matter where the riders sits down. Padding is available in straight polyurethane foam, in two densities, or a polyurethane gel and foam combination, also available in two densities. Gel adds 20-30g. Our gel is laminated as a sheet deep inside the foam, so instead of destabilizing the rider like traditional gel saddles, actually improves stability as the rider settles in.

I've strived to create a really supportive platform. The wide cutout allows you to roll your hips forward so the ischial rami (in addition to the ischial tuberosities) can bear weight, without creating too much perineal pressure. In combination with the shell contours, this creates a very stable, ergonomic platform. Former US national champion and World Cup XC rider Sam Schultz immediately noticed this on his first ride on one, and asked to keep the saddle.

Shells are available in 140mm rear width for the Kickstarter campaign, which generally fits average to larger men and average to smaller women.

This has been built from the ground up in Missoula, MT, USA. Save for the embroidery and heat treating, all manufacturing is done in-house to ensure the highest quality product.

Kickstarter runs till Aug 2.

Don't hesitate to ask questions. You can see more at:
instagram: catahoulaergonomics
facebook: Catahoula Ergonomics
web: http://www.ridecatahoula.com
kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/11 ... scerning-r

Cheers,

Brian Williams
Attachments
top.jpg
side.jpg

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



User avatar
prendrefeu
Posts: 8580
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:32 pm
Location: Glendale / Los Angeles, California
Contact:

by prendrefeu

Sounds like you've done a lot of research, testing, thought and consideration into your saddle!

Best of luck with the Kickstarter and your project :)

Why the name Catahoula?
Exp001 || Other projects in the works.

NealH
Posts: 546
Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 3:40 am
Location: Ormond Be, FL

by NealH

I like a large cutout but the edges in the mid section of this saddle look painful.

User avatar
ms6073
Posts: 4288
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:24 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

by ms6073

prendrefeu wrote:Why the name Catahoula?

My guess is he has ties to Catahoula Parish in Louisiana, or he likes the dog breed of the same name.
- Michael
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"

Post Reply