It is a reality that any cyclist who has received abuse from an irate driver might appreciate: riding a bike is a pain in the backside.
In a bid to change this, a Scottish designer has invented a new seat that he claims will bring relief to hordes of saddle-sore cyclists.
At first glance Jon Catling's new creation looks a bit like the head of a garden rake, but he explains that its unusual structure imitates the comfort of reclining in a chair.
Mr Catling, who is launching the saddle through his new Edinburgh start-up company Manta Design Ltd, said: "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."
He added: "Our saddle looks different because it's designed for the bike-mounted human physique, not just for the bike. Most other comfort designs are essentially modified conventional saddles, which compromises them from the start.
"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. After hundreds of hours of testing we're confident it ticks all the boxes."
He dreamed up the design in 2001 in a bid to address the pain which many bicycle seats cause to riders' behinds. It is also designed to tackle the more serious risk of permanent damage to the sexual organs of cyclists through prolonged saddle pressure.
The saddle will be manufactured by Scottish plastics specialist Protomould in Fife with a view to marketing it in the UK later this year.
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