Are you sitting comfortably?

A team of design engineers has come up with a new, high-tech carbon fibre composite material bicycle saddle.

The seat, which is also spring-loaded, aims to smooth over the jolts from crossing potholes and curbstones, making for a more comfortable ride and – ultimately – a better back.
 
Made from carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRPs) the saddle, made by the Fraunhofer-Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal, is ultra light and, - claim the developers - extremely effective.

Commenting on the design, group manager Oliver Geiger said: “The impetus for this came from our colleague and bicycle enthusiast, Sergei Belaew. The component is based on two CFRP profiles that work like laminated springs. In this respect, the spring rigidity was calibrated to keep the deflection within the 10 to 15 millimeter range. That tangibly augments rider comfort.”
 
The thumbs up came from triathlon world champion Daniel Unger, who said: “A hardtail mountain bike with this new kind of CFRP seat post rides as if it were a full suspension bike.”

Full production is expected to start soon.

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