Bicycles

Reprieve Bicycle Saddle goes for comfort with a dip and a bladder

View 3 Images
3 West Design's Reprieve Bicycle Saddle
3 West Design's Reprieve Bicycle Saddle
Its bladder is inflated using a separate pump
Its mid-section drops down by three-quarters of an inch
View gallery - 3 images

If there's one recurring complaint about conventional bicycles, it's that the saddles hurt peoples' nether regions. As a result, we've seen ergonomic seats that have no material in the middle, that are made up of independently-moving ribs, and that move around with the rider. One of the latest, the Reprieve Bicycle Saddle, combines a dipped middle with an inflatable nose.

Designed by Texas-based 3 West Design, the Reprieve features a fairly normal rear end that supports the rider's "sit bones" much like any other saddle. Its mid-section, however, drops down by three-quarters of an inch (19 mm). This is to relive pressure on the rider's perineum, by not requiring it to take as much of the rider's weight as it would otherwise.

Additionally, the rider's soft tissues are supported by an inflatable polyurethane bladder in the nose of the saddle. This allows the seat surface to deform in response to pressure applied by the perineum (and by ... other things), instead of simply pressing back against it.

Its bladder is inflated using a separate pump

The saddle itself features a genuine leather surface, titanium rails, and weighs about 210 grams (7.4 oz).

If you're interested, 3 West Design is currently raising production funds for the Reprieve on Kickstarter. A pledge of US$100 will get you one, when and if they're ready to go. The planned retail price is $185.

More information is available in the following pitch video.

Sources: 3 West Design, Kickstarter

View gallery - 3 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
5 comments
martinkopplow
I just bought a second hand bicycle last week, and it had ... drumroll ... an inflatable bladder in the saddle. The bike must be at least 10 years old. So, this does not appear too much of a new feature. A pump and a valve below the rear edge even allow to pump it up or let off some air during the ride by the simple press of a finger.
Art Toegemann
Addresses a real concern. I have often thought of redesigning the bicycle seat so that it is shaped like a 3/4 soccer ball, inflated.
wle
ugliest saddle ever!
i also don;t think this ''solution'' is new, even if it does solve anything, which i also doubt
wle
grtbluyonder
Years ago I met a guy who invented a bicycle seat for men. It was essentially a split seat with a space or gap down the center to store our manly packages and keep them safe for the lumps and bumps of roads and trails. He couldn't sell it because he claimed, people would not accept the different and unconventional look of the thing.
Too bad, I tried it and it worked.
EyeMars
@grtbluyonder Are you referring to the Bi-Saddle (which I have, but is now extinct) or the Hobson Seat? I think something called the "Spongy Wonder" was also similar.
Myself, I definitely have a hard time going back to a classic saddle after having spent years on the Bi-Saddle, though some "triathlon" saddles seem promising.