3D Printed Saddles - future or fad

[robeambro]

Hi all,

I have just watched maybe a dozen of "Bike Checks" videos for Unbound 2022 on YouTube (for reference, you can find them yourself on the "Pure Gravel" channel").

Other than riders just blurting out sponsored specsheets, I have noticed that most of them are running these 3D printed saddles by Specialized (oftentimes even by riders not sponsored by Specialized) and Fizik, which instead have not quite made much of an appearance in the road pro peloton.

Which made me think, are these saddles truly revolutionary, and, are we likely to see them getting far more widespread? Or perhaps these are just a temporary "fad", which will disappear over time?

Why are we seeing higher adoption in gravel racing, and yet not so much in the pro peloton (I wouldn't be surprised if the old-fashioned pros thought that a 50g weight penalty is not worth the added comfort )?

If I recall correctly, only Specialized and Fizik are currently 'allowed' to produce these given some patent restrictions, but I don't know how long that will last.

[Lina]

The only way I see 3D printed saddles being better in a truly revolutionary way is if they make it for you. Instead of just making what are essentially normal saddles that are all the same, just done with 3D printing.

[RadB]

I just see something impossible to clean and really, really expensive.

[Kumppa]

I have been interested to test one but have no clue how long lasting these saddles are.

Lots of marketing for comfort but still not much appearance in the road peloton is quite interesting. I don't think the little extra weight is the biggest reason.

[Dov]

I bought the Fizik Adaptive OO one and it is very good. Albeit, very expensive. Lightweight enough at 167g (actual weight).

It's supportive and squashy in equal measure which come together in a good way.

It looks like it will be almost impossible to keep clean if you're riding off-road, but on a road bike that's less of an issue. Only gripe would be that it has a very grippy surface so if you like to slide around the saddle a bit then it might be worth trying it out before dropping a load of $$$

[apr46]

I have a few thousand miles on a Fizik Antares Vs Evo R1 Adaptive. Its a great saddle, but in my opinion its not much different than the standard Antares R1. I have run both on my gravel bike. Cleaning it is actually not a problem. Just use a hose and the dirt runs right out.

The Adaptive saddle varies in three ways.
1. Its stickier. This could be good or annoying depending on the type of riding you are doing.
2. The cushion is more variable than can be acheived with different densities of foam. You feel this a lot more with your hands than you do on the bike. For me, the different falls into the 'marginal' bucket.
3. More durable in my experience as I tended to rub through the covers of the standard R1.

I also completed the 2021 Unbound 200 and I think the reason you so many riders use equipment like these saddles is that it's tough to do the 200 miles and ANY marginal gain for comfort where the only tradeoff is $$$ is something a lot of people will spring for. After all, if you are flying to the event, renting a car, and staying in a hotel thats more than few thousand dollars in expenses just to line up.

Why arent they used more on the WT? Probably because they are still new and saddle preferences are hard to change while offering very little advantage to a rider on a road bike in most circumstances.

The specific tech used is by a company called Carbon and they have branded it DLS (digital light synthesis), and they are only working with Specialized and Selle Royal, but given patent activity I suspect Bontrager will have a product coming as well.

[Kumppa]

The specific tech used is by a company called Carbon and they have branded it DLS (digital light synthesis), and they are only working with Specialized and Selle Royal, but given patent activity I suspect Bontrager will have a product coming as well.

Also smaller producer Björn have 3D printed saddle with Carbon inc DLS. Interesting looking and I was considering this earlier but sadly world situation...

https://bjorncycles.com/tproduct/1-242246431431-setka

Thanks for the good review.

[MichaelK]

The only way I see 3D printed saddles being better in a truly revolutionary way is if they make it for you. Instead of just making what are essentially normal saddles that are all the same, just done with 3D printing.

This. The implications for retail supply chains would be great.

[tommyboyo]

They are amazingly comfortable, but do change the 'feel' with the bike slightly on the road. God send after 5+ hours, but not a big deal on shorter rides. Can see them being a game changer on rough terrain though.

Speaking as someone who has put a fair bit of time on the original power mirror and now Romin mirror and coming off years of using a Romin Evo mixed in with a Toupe and Power Arc for a bit.

[spartacus]

The only way I see 3D printed saddles being better in a truly revolutionary way is if they make it for you. Instead of just making what are essentially normal saddles that are all the same, just done with 3D printing.

They're not the same as normal saddles. They are constructed differently and have very different physical properties.

[Lucendi]

3D printing can be used to inexpensively create one off moulds in order to manufacture tailored carbon fiber shell saddles. - Novel Method for the Manufacture of Complex CFRP Parts Using FDM-Based Molds

[raggedtrousers]

I'm relatively saddle insensitive out on the road, but do struggle after 90 mins + on the turbo. The only saddle to date where that isn't torture is the Power Mirror. For longer trainer sessions during the winter months, it's worth it.

[spartacus]

3D printing can be used to inexpensively create one off moulds in order to manufacture tailored carbon fiber shell saddles. - Novel Method for the Manufacture of Complex CFRP Parts Using FDM-Based Molds

You can easily do this at home if you have design skills and a 3d printer that can reliably print petg

But I think this is a different topic...

[Lina]

The only way I see 3D printed saddles being better in a truly revolutionary way is if they make it for you. Instead of just making what are essentially normal saddles that are all the same, just done with 3D printing.

They're not the same as normal saddles. They are constructed differently and have very different physical properties.

They're normal saddles in the sense that they're mass manufactured saddles done from a single mould. I understand that they're not the same as normal saddles. But that's not revolutionary. It's revolutionary when you can walk into a Specialized shop, sit on a trainer that has a few sensors on the saddle for a while, pick one of their base designs that's then adapted to your ass. Noseless saddles are more revolutionary at the moment than 3D printed ones.

[CyclingGiraffe]

I am intrigued by the 3d printed saddles, but several things keep me from buying one. First, concerns about durability. I've seen several threads where the 3d matrix appears to break down. Second, cleaning. I only ride road, but weather and road conditions pick up a lot of grime, which could be a pain to clean. Third, "stickiness"; I like to slide around a bit on my saddle, depending on whether I'm climbing steep hills, coming down them, or JRA. Fourth, weight. While not boat anchors by any means, the 3d saddle are heavy for their price points. Which brings me to my fifth concern, cost. Not that other premium saddles are cheaper per se, but generally are known quantities performance wise and lighter to boot.