“The genesis of the MANTA Saddle came after riding around Skye in the late 1990’s, often cycling to meet the works transport, which was only 7 miles but very potholed and hilly. Inspiration to tackle the design problem itself occurred following a damp, but spectacular job with a team building footpaths up the Cuillin hills.” (Enjoying his job with a view, Jon was also busily contracting fibromyalgia) “I eventually had enforced ‘time off’ …as it turns out the design challenge required a great deal of trials and research, before an almost accidental discovery came out the ether while using ‘yet another’ promising prototype. This moment inspired years of meticulous development, this was due to the complexity of forms required to perfect the necessary articulation, required to follow a human form when pedalling.”

“I had long been aware how saddle pain impacts on endurance – the legs are good for more miles, the backside isn’t. My history as a sculptor, and from work in diverse engineering arenas, plus the unexpected ‘opportunity of spare time’, I felt I would seek a better way to support the human body on a bike (and help not get bored).

Existing “comfort saddles” were compromised. They lacked the neccesary function, and form, movement was restricted by width, adding to chaffing, and the support area was little better than on traditional seats. A priority wasn’t for a temporary perception of comfort, but an absence of what creates the pain – not quite the same thing. The problem needed turning round to provide maximum support with no loss of performance.

Varied mock ups of what I thought might work, eventually led to a line of prototypes that began to show promise. There was a breakthrough. I initially contacted BBC Tomorrows World, who happened to have an innovation programme coming up, but I was advised not to go public until a patent was at least applied for – several years were spent organising patents and talking to NESTA about prototype market trials, at great cost – so we headed into product development, for manufacture. This was primarily in-house, but with vast assistance from friends, riders and the likes of DuPont, then Velo saddle makers in Taiwan, and back to work with Protomould in Fife to make the final tooling for the 1^st production run. This took about 8 years.

What kept me fully motivated, along with a ride like a flying sofa, is the increasing evidence about the damage conventional nosed saddles cause to blood vessels and soft tissues. They’re simply unsuitable for supporting the human anatomy. Just wrong. We’ve changed all that.” – Jon Catling, the designer