The Bontrager Inform RL Saddle is a completely new design for Bontrager and I decided to dig behind the technology of these saddles to see just what it is that makes the Inform different.

It’s pretty well known that much saddle reasearch has been undertaken and that much of that research has focused on the blood flow, (or lack thereof) in the pelvic regions of cyclists. Bontrager set out to build off of this research and added some areas that were of specific interest. Bontrager then turned to a major university to help in the research. What resulted is what Bontrager calls, ” the most exhaustive scientific study of saddle comfort ever.”

Bontrager set out to undestand saddle comfort using three variables which are physical saddle characteristics, rider anthropometrics, and cycling kinematics. The saddle characteristics looked at included shell compliance, foam compliance, surface shape, and curvature. The rider anthropometrics included measuring the ischial tuberosities of the test subjects and plotting those measurements against a national database to help set standards of sit bone width. Then the testing included pressure mapping to correlate pressure points with human anatomy. One of the surprises in this research was that the highest pressures were not found at the point where the sit bones contact the saddle surface. They concluded that cyclists do not sit on their sit bones. Then cycling kinematics were employed using motion capture cameras and the aforementioned pressure mapping to look at riders cycling in real time and examine how that affects pressure points on saddle surfaces. What they concluded here was that saddle curvature and compliance affected comfort the most.

Another thing to note is that during all this testing Bontrager was able to examine how using the tops on drop bars and the drop section affected the comfort and peak pressures involved in using different posistions on the bike.

In conclusion Bontrager found the following results.

*Riders really don’t sit on their ischial tuberosities (sit bones) when riding a bike.

*That saddle cut-outs actually increase the pressure on soft tissue instead of relieving it.

*That one size does not fit all. (InForm saddles are available in three different widths, each size with its own unique curvature.)

*Riders shift position on their saddle, which needs to be addressed in saddle design.

*There is an optimal placement and density of padding.

*Saddles designed to support your skeletal structure feel better.

Inform saddles were designed with these findings in mind. Hopefully that will help you see that the Inform line of saddles isn’t just some good looking new saddle line but that there actually is brains behind that beauty. The reasoning behind the lack of cut outs is a very interesting thing which may be one of the more controversial points in the Inform’s design.

To be sure, different widths of a single model of saddle is not a new thing, but the fact that each of Bontragers Inform saddles is essentailly a custom curvature and shape is impressive. The three widths were chosen through the results of the testing to cover the widest range of folks and should allow for a much greater degree of fine tuning and comfort for the discerning cyclist.

For the complete lowdown on the Inform story see the story here.

I’ll be putting in some long hours on my test saddle here soon and will report back with my results soon. Stay Tuned!