Specialized Power Saddle with Mirror Technology
Carbon 3D + Specialized Collaboration
October, 2019
This project began as a collaboration between Specialized Bicycle Components and Carbon 3D to design a saddle that utilized a 3D printed lattice structure that would allow for precise support properties in different areas of the saddle surface. I worked as a consultant with the team to define the aesthetic presentation of the saddle.
Why develop a 3D
printed saddle?
Traditional saddles are constructed with molded foams which have uniform compression properties throughout the material. As you can see from the pressure mapping comparison to the right, supporting the human body on a bike saddle requires varying degrees of support and compression throughout the saddle surface.
Customer Benefit
By constructing a saddle using Carbon 3D's lattice structure, precise padding properties can be achieved in all parts of the saddle allowing the rider’s weight to be supported more evenly than ever before. Additionally, it would allow for an aesthetic presentation that would otherwise not have been possible.
Digital Sketch Development
The ideas were distilled down to
three main concepts.
These visuals were created using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
The Final Concept Rendering
The rendering below was created to present the product to the final decision-makers within the company. The skin top surface, texturing, and embedded logo are all only possible using Carbon 3D’s proprietary printing technology and are meant to help highlight the revolutionary manufacturing process used to create the saddle.
The Final Product
