Selle Italia launches 3D printed saddle shaped by individualized pressure data
Unica range replaces fixed cushioning zones of standard 3D printed saddles with a lattice engineered from individual biomechanical measurements
Bicycle saddle manufacturer Selle Italia has released the Unica range at the International Bike Festival, a line of 3D printed bicycle saddles whose internal lattice is formed from a rider’s measured pressure distribution, rather than from a fixed set of cushioning zones.Â
The approach is an innovative take on the already-established process of 3D printing saddles, in that it truly drills down into a personalized design based on anatomical data, to fully take advantage of 3D printing’s ability to produce a product that is unique to a user’s requirements.
Commercial 3D printed saddles have generally shipped with predefined zones of varying lattice density, tuned to a population rather than to a person. Selle Italia says that Unica departed from that approach, with every saddle individually engineered from pressure mapping data so that stiffness varies around the load pattern recorded for a specific rider.Â
The external shape of the chosen model stays unchanged; only the internal 3D printed padding differs from unit to unit. The company says the result improves support and stability where a rider needs it and reduces pressure elsewhere.
The process begins at an authorized Unica center, where a qualified bike fitter carries out a biomechanical analysis using a digital camera. The fitter then uses the idmatch Pressure Map System to record load zones and pressure distribution across the saddle, and uploads the results to the idmatch portal. Selle Italia uses that data set to generate the 3D structure matched to the rider’s anatomical profile, printing it at individually calibrated densities.
Delivery currently takes around three weeks from the analysis. The saddle goes back to the center, where the fitter installs and adjusts its position on the bike. Customers can track the manufacturing stage through the my.idmatch web app.
Unica is currently offered only on Selle Italia models that already carry a 3D printed surface: the SLR 3D and the Novus Boost Evo 3D, with Carbon or Elite rails.
3D printed saddles at the elite level of professional cycling have taken off in recent years, in a sport where marginal gains, lightweight materials and personalization of equipment have all proven to make significant impacts.
