After hinting on the potential for particular person rider customization with their first 3D-printed Adaptive saddles, Fizik One-to-One lastly delivers that full customized saddle match. Powered by confirmed GebioMized saddle strain mapping, the true innovation is simply how simple Fizik has made the customized becoming course of. Developed to be easy and quick, Fizik will measure you in your bike, then customized print a saddle to satisfy your particular assist wants. It’s not low cost, but it surely’s additionally not that costly – as little as 15% greater than the price of their earlier top-tier Adaptive saddle.
We have been intrigued. So I acquired fitted. I acquired a customized saddle made. And I’ve been driving it for the previous 2 months. And the customized match actually does ship on consolation.
Fizik One-To-One customized 3D-printed bicycle saddle
3D-printed saddle padding principally made 2 major claims from the beginning. 1, it meant that each separate zone of a saddle might supply a novel degree of assist, relying on how a lot was wanted in every space. And a pair of, for the reason that padding was printed one by one, the one factor stopping every saddle from being customized printed for every rider was a necessity to gather particular person rider information and design a padding construction tailor-made to that rider.
So first, Fizik developed their inventory 3D-printed saddle line with the whole (and not too long ago rising) Adaptive vary. Its zonal cushioning provides stiffer assist below the sit bones the place you want it, however much less resistance in opposition to delicate tissue. It’s a fairly large deal, and the driving force behind Specialised’s related Mirror saddles. Each primarily based on piles of averaged rider place information, matching rider physiology with focused assist constructions within the padding.
Then, Fizik labored on particular person customization.
GebioMized strain mapping made easy
The principle impediment to creating a customized match saddle obtainable to the lots was amassing particular person rider match information.
So, Fizik when to the corporate that was already doing it on a smaller scale. German firm GebioMized has been utilizing their distinctive patented strain mapping system for 20+ years to measure actual dwell pressures between the bike owner & saddle. A giant a part of that’s used for refining rider place on the bike and matching the most effective current saddle to the rider. I did a GebioMized strain map match 4 years in the past, and lowered peak strain by 20% – an actual sport changer. However I caught with one in every of their inventory saddle shapes and padding.
The difficulty is/was, it was a protracted match course of, and required about 90 minutes with a talented bike fitter. Not a low-cost course of, and simple so as to add no less than $200+€ to the price of a saddle. Nonetheless completely value it in my thoughts for a dedicated bike owner, although.
An attention-grabbing apart, Czech customized saddle maker Posedla acquired across the complicated information assortment course of with a a lot lower-tech resolution to deliver customized match 3D-printed saddles to market two years in the past, at a barely lower cost.
However, Fizik labored with GebioMized and their strain sensor tech to make the method quicker and simpler.
One-on-One, step-by-step
So, Fizik labored with GebioMized to create a easy smartphone app-based setup that may acquire rider strain information shortly and get you on the best saddle for personalisation. All it’s a must to do is pop into one of many choose Fizik match studios with your individual bike, get a quick strain match check in about quarter-hour or much less to create a customized 3D-padding profile distinctive to the person assist wants of your physique in your bike.
To try this, you roll your bike on to a Wahoo curler coach that grabs your entrance wheel. Fizik places their new 64-point Bluetooth strain sensor mat on prime of your present saddle. You journey for a minute in a number of positions to get a basic strain map profile.
The app suggests what saddle form and width appears most applicable.
So then, the bike store will swap in the usual Fizik saddle in that form. And so they rerun the strain map check. The ensuing strain readout is then despatched to Fizik, the place their parametric design system adjusts their honeycomb padding construction to supply assist the place you want it, and delicate construction the place you don’t.
You choose which saddle rails you need, after which, Fizik provides it to the 3D-printer queue.
The saddle padding will get printed (which takes about half a day), after which in the end connected to a inventory shell.
After which delivered again to you to journey a full customized saddle.
So how does it really feel & how does it journey?
I went to Italy a little bit over two months in the past and acquired my very own customized match, 3D-printed Fizik One-to-One Adaptive saddle. The method put me on a large 155mm Aliante saddle form, which I might not have considered. And it recognized an imbalance that me noticed placing extra strain on the best aspect.
And the saddle it created is distinctly asymmetrical in its padding stiffness. There may be even a brilliant delicate space on the center of the left aspect the place it seems like there’s nearly no assist, however which corresponds to my strain readings.
The Fizik One-to-One Adaptive saddle doesn’t right any match subject or right imbalance that you just at the moment have, it merely responds to the strain out of your sitting positions, and accommodates that with matching assist.
So, I’ve been driving most of my highway and gravel rides for the previous a number of weeks on this saddle and I can say the match is nice. I don’t really feel like I’ve the flexibleness to maneuver round as a lot on the saddle as I usually would on a flatter saddle. However I’m completely content material to simply sit in place and spin, in whole consolation.
I do know it’s not low cost. And I do know for cyclists with a number of bikes, the considered spending 5 hundred bucks on each saddle is a bit wild. However we spend a lot time sitting on a saddle. I feel it’s actually value placing within the further effort to optimize consolation below your butt.
Fizik One-to-One Adaptive saddle – Pricing, choices & availability
The brand new Fizik One-to-One 3D-printed Adaptive saddles can be found now once you get a customized slot in one in every of their choose 25 worldwide sellers already geared up with the particular coach and pressure-mapping tech. Get match, and get a customized saddle.
The saddles themselves can be found in six shapes on carbon-reinforced shells, and a couple of widths every, from highway to gravel to XC to triathlon.
And pricing is $499 / 459€ for the R3 collection with ti Kium rails, or $599 / 499€ for R1 with full carbon rails to save lots of a number of grams. Fizik selected to not supply a customized One-to-One Adaptive saddle on the full carbon 00 degree, as the extra stiffness doesn’t guarantee the identical rider consolation afforded by the customized becoming.
All saddles are made-to-order (clearly) within the northern Italy manufacturing facility headquarters of Fizik. And as soon as ordered and paid for by means of your native store, Fizik will both ship it on to you. Or you’ll be able to have it despatched to the Fizik supplier store the place they are going to do a follow-up strain mapping check to point out how your saddle strain has improved.
You’ll be driving on a customized 3D-printed saddle about 2 weeks after you get your customized match.
Fizik.com/one-to-one
