Meld 3D Saddle Review - BUYER BEWARE

[otoman]

to 'wet the bush'...

I’m very curious about this wetting of the bush

I’m a very happy customer, I’ve posted it before. I have two saddles. Best thing I ever did for my comfort on the bike. I find it interesting about the assumptions being made about any positive reviewer. To be very clear and open, I have zero relationship or interest in Meld or their people, affiliates blah blah. I am purely a very satisfied customer and will buy another one if the need arises.

The saddles are light, they’re very comfortable and they have been durable for me (185 lb rider). Also I ride a very low position while still maintaining my sit bone contact on the proper part of the saddle - I’m decently flexible that way... these saddles aren’t for the sit up and beg position.

FWIW I have seen multiple big brand saddles break when the rider hits a pothole. It happens.

[Mr.Gib]

I’m a very happy customer, I’ve posted it before. I have two saddles. Best thing I ever did for my comfort on the bike. I find it interesting about the assumptions being made about any positive reviewer. To be very clear and open, I have zero relationship or interest in Meld or their people, affiliates blah blah. I am purely a very satisfied customer and will buy another one if the need arises.

The saddles are light, they’re very comfortable and they have been durable for me (185 lb rider). Also I ride a very low position while still maintaining my sit bone contact on the proper part of the saddle - I’m decently flexible that way... these saddles aren’t for the sit up and beg position.

No one is suggesting that it is not possible to have a satisfactory experience with a Meld saddle. This thread is about Meld the company and their fascinatingly incompetent response to a customer complaint and their bizarre machinations to defend themselves.

[C36]

I’m a very happy customer, I’ve posted it before. I have two saddles. Best thing I ever did for my comfort on the bike. I find it interesting about the assumptions being made about any positive reviewer. To be very clear and open, I have zero relationship or interest in Meld or their people, affiliates blah blah. I am purely a very satisfied customer and will buy another one if the need arises.

The saddles are light, they’re very comfortable and they have been durable for me (185 lb rider). Also I ride a very low position while still maintaining my sit bone contact on the proper part of the saddle - I’m decently flexible that way... these saddles aren’t for the sit up and beg position.

No one is suggesting that it is not possible to have a satisfactory experience with a Meld saddle. This thread is about Meld the company and their fascinatingly incompetent response to a customer complaint and their bizarre machinations to defend themselves.

I could question if the initial poster experience is representative. If it is (and maybe it is), then the forum is “doing his job” in raising the awareness. If it is used to exaggerate a possible bad experience, then it’s just a “trip-advisor-crying-session” and it’s not helpful.

Would I be mad to have the saddle cracked, yes, regardless if it was a defect or a normal failure. Would I try to push for a warranty replacement in all cases, yes. Could Meld be right to refuse... maybe, and one upsetting example may not be representative. Without taking one side or the other just looking for a balanced point of view.



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[Stitchking]

This is one of those situations where the customer is always right approach works a treat, even if the customer is wrong. If meld had backed their product up they might have lost $350 in revenue but now as soon as you search meld review on google, this thread it the top result, and then there are several similar threads saying the same thing from different websites. I'm pretty sure removing that kind of negative press is worth far more than $350, especially for a small company

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[Mr.Gib]

This is one of those situations where the customer is always right approach works a treat, even if the customer is wrong. If meld had backed their product up they might have lost $350 in revenue but now as soon as you search meld review on google, this thread it the top result, and then there are several similar threads saying the same thing from different websites. I'm pretty sure removing that kind of negative press is worth far more than $350, especially for a small company
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Well this is the point exactly. Would you do business with a company that is run by people that do not realize this dynamic? It tells even more about character then business accumen - none of it good.

This is one of the great things about this web forum. The members are collectively so knowledgeable about what a bike part should be/do and absolutely savage with manufacturers who transgress. I would love to see a market share graph for Speedplay - I suspect they took a hit when they decided it was a good idea to sue their customers who were servicing their own pedals and the good folk at WeightWeenies took them to task for it. In fact now that I think about it, we really don't see Speedplay pedals around much anymore.

[luthcol]

This is my 1st post on this forum. I have owned 3 Meld saddles and I can honestly say the saddle allowed me to continue riding. I am older and have nerve damage and Meld is the only saddle that I can ride without experiencing extreme pain and numbing. I have tried so many other saddles it is hard to keep count.
I did have one of them crack between the side and the cutout and they imediately refunded my money. The only problem is they would not build me another saddle because they felt it was a possible safety issue.
I will say that it can be a bit frustrating not being able to talk with anyone in the company by phone.
It is an incredibly comfortable saddle. I only have the cutout versions and it really flexes with your movement. I do have a friend who did not get the cutout and it is much stiffer.
If you are considering a Meld I would go for it. They have a money back guarantee.

[Mr.Gib]

I did have one of them crack between the side and the cutout and they imediately refunded my money. The only problem is they would not build me another saddle because they felt it was a possible safety issue.

So the first saddle was also unsafe? What sort of company would sell an unsafe saddle?

@luthcol, when all your Meld saddles break, and the company is no longer in business, be sure to try SQLab saddles before you give up on cycling. Did you try SQLAb? The 612 Ergowave model allows the rider to control the exact location of the pressure. As an added bonus they do not break in half.

[ilikegreen]

Interesting logic:

-You have three of the same saddle.
-One of them breaks.
-The manufacturer deems their design unsafe.
-The manufacturer refunds the broken saddle.
-You are now left with two unsafe saddles.
-The manufacturer won't sell you any more unsafe saddles so you join an internet forum to recommend the manufacturer to others.

Hmm.

[luthcol]

I mentioned the immediate refund because in another post the buyer did not have the same experience.
I have had no issues with my 2 other Meld saddles, 1 has been on my main bike for over 2 years. Meld is by far the lighest saddle I have owned, though that is not my reason for the purchase. I reasoned that the light weight carbon top would allow it to flex more beneath my sit bones, which it does, similar to a well broken in Brooks leather saddle but without the extremely uncomfortable nose.
I did try the SQ Lab saddle but unfortunately it did not work for me. I have been looking at the Landyachtz Reform saddle as a possible replacement if I have another failure with one of my Meld saddles.

[cwhitman88]

Purchased a $350 Meld custom saddle from www.meld3d.com in Sept, 2017.

Ever since then - this company has done nothing but blame me for the failure of their saddle. The latest excuse is “impact” from possibly hitting a pothole. I have ridden dozens of saddles over the years and never seen anything like this happen.

Their tone is rude, demeaning, and pointed to everything I have done wrong to cause damage to the product. I have dozen of Hi-Rez pictures to support that the saddle looks absolutely brand new and has never even been leant against a wall.

THIS COMPANY IS BAD NEWS IF YOU NEED HELP WITH THEIR PRODUCT. LOOK AT THEIR BBB RATING (D+). They have a growing number of negative feedback on various websites with customers experiencing same failure and lack of support.

I am hugely disappointed. These folks are a black mark on the cycling community which I love.

Hi, this may be an old thread but I just want you to know I have also had a similar experience with meld. They blame the customer and nothing is their fault. Thank you for sharing your story. This company is terrible with customer service. They keep changing their policies to protect their less than decent product and terrible service.

And yes some people will have good experiences but this company must handle the bad experiences from their homemade product better.

[RocketRacing]

Man, i have been a pretty big fanboy for a few products i like that i feel have great product/customer service (berk, darimo, felt, wren stems), but this thread went south in a hurry.

Treat a customer really well, and they may tell all their friends. Treat a customer poorly... and they might tell all their friends.

[Smithjeb]

Rumor out there that these guys are defrauding a bunch of people. Heads up it's getting worse.

https://forums.roadbikereview.com/gener ... 528-2.html

[Smithjeb]

Any updates on Meld? I've been pursuing a refund but no money and they kept the saddle I returned. Never sent back. Lol. F'n crooks.

[Smithjeb]

Maybe this answers..... https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-jose/prof ... 216-879480

Not sure I've seen an F before.

[unclearv]

OMG this is on the front page of their website:

"We do not provide personal concierge services. We do not have dedicated engineering staff sitting beside the phone waiting to answer questions. If you need someone on the phone 24/7 and emailing us is out of the question, then the service we provide is not a good fit for you."

I've never seen anything like this, let alone their behaviour in this thread. It's like they are guaranteeing a questionable product and bad customer service! hahaha