“Existing “comfort saddles” are compromised. They lack a neccesary form and function. Movement is restricted by width, adding chaffing, and the supported area is little better than with most sports seats.

The priority wasn’t for the perception of comfort, instead an absence of what creates discomfort. The problem needed turning round to provide maximum support with no loss of performance. 

I contacted BBC Tomorrows World, who had an innovations competition programme coming up, but I was advised not to go public, with a design with commercial potential, until a patent was applied for.

Several years were spent organising patents and talking to NESTA about prototype market trials, at a great cost, for what you learned from it. We decided to head into product development for manufacture – to get real-world feedback. This was acheived with vast assistance from friends, riders and the likes of DuPont, Velo, in Taiwan, and back to Protomould, in Fife to make the final tooling for the initial production run. This took about 8 years.

What kept the motivation, was the contrast, with increasing evidence of damage caused by conventional nosed saddles – and their sheer discomfort – they’re unsuitable for the job of supporting the human anatomy – we changed that.” – Jonathan Catling (designer)