Inventor hopes cyclists will sit up and take notice of revolutionary saddle

Published on Friday 20 February 2009 08:55

IT may look more like a garden rake than a comfortable seat, but an Edinburgh company is hoping its radical new bicycle saddle will change the appearance of cycling around the world.

After eight years of development, and hundreds of miles of testing, Manta Design is getting ready to launch its innovative new saddle.

Manta's managing director Jon Catling, 46, came up with "spine and ribs" design after working for years to create the ultimate comfortable saddle – testing prototypes in the living room of his home at Vexhim Park, The Jewel.

Mr Catling said: "It is nothing like saddles as they are known just now. The saddle looks different because it's designed for the bike-mounted human physique, not just for the bike."

He explained how the rider's weight is distributed more evenly, avoiding pressure points that lead to saddle-sores and loss of circulation. The flexible material also means the saddle can bend, even enabling the rider to deliver more power through the pedals.

Mr Catling added: "Anyone who uses a bike needs proper support, but the acid test is how badly it hurts after a 'big hit' landing, so we've designed our saddle for both on and off-road bikers.

"We are hoping to get this saddle under the bums of the Olympic cycling team. It supports the body load over almost the same area as an office chair, puts no pressure on the medically sensitive bits, is much better ventilated than other saddles and the rider retains complete control of the bike.

"It feels different to begin with, but after a while it's positively unpleasant to go back to a conventional saddle."

Having worked previously as an electrical test engineer, sculptor, and builder, Mr Catling gave up regular work eight years ago to develop his saddle design.

He explained: "I realised discomfort was affecting my stamina. Anything over ten miles on the bike and I was thinking, 'I just want to get off'."

While the initial idea was developed on the rural terrain of the Isle of Skye, where Mr Catling spends part of his time, much of the testing has been carried out on a turbo trainer in his Edinburgh home.

With support from Business Gateway, Mr Catling set up Manta Design Ltd and is hoping 500 saddles will be on sale next month.

'It is an absolute treat'

GARY BELL, 48, of Lothians cycle campaign group Spokes tested out the prototype saddle.

"How wonderfully wacky," he exclaimed when he first set eyes on the unique design.

But he was keen to give it a go and climbed on to the prototype mounted on a turbo-trainer in Jon Catling's back garden.

Mr Bell, above, was pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the seat.

"At first you look at it and think 'what's that?', but you sit on it and realise it works."

It didn't take long for Mr Bell to ditch the testing frame and take the bike on to the road for a proper ride.

He added: "The joy of this is instead of trying to amend yourself to fit on the saddle, the saddle is amending itself to fit you.

"It gives you extra lift – you can feel you are getting an extra oomph. You're getting something for nothing. It is an absolute treat."