We’ve got loads to bring you in our latest weekly tech round-up, not least a crazy-looking moving saddle that is promising “revolutionary cycling comfort” for the masses, or at least those who’ve put forward £130,000 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Elsewhere, there’s loads of new autumn and winter kit being announced as the seasons change here in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as a contender from Met for cycling’s most bizarre marketing of recent times… well, since Colnago told us its new £15,000 bike “is not a bike”.
This mad-looking moving bike saddle has raised £130,000 on Kickstarter and claims to reduce pressure by 80%
Remember this? Last year we first brought you news of “the world’s first virtual axis bicycle seat”. Yep, that’s a two-part, split-seat design which moves and tilts as you pedal. It’s probably easier just to show you it in action, but essentially the design’s USP is that it “allows for individual movement of the legs, rotating around the hip joints on an axis that is virtual to the seat”.
It is called the vabsRider and is the design of Ataraxy, an Australia-based company who put it out on Kickstarter to fund its production. We checked back in with the campaign to see how things are going and were somewhat open-mouthed to learn the official fundraising ended earlier in the summer and saw 295 backers pledge a total of A$265,133. A quick visit to the currency exchange confirmed that’s a little shy of £130,000. The cheapest option was £479, with two backers apparently opting to bag four for £1,916 in a bundle “perfect for bike store owners” looking to “distribute vabsRiders in your local area”.
Ataraxy says it is hoping to have shipped the final product to buyers by December and is still offering its “world first dynamic bike seat” to customers via its website, production said to be starting next month.
But why would you want one? Well, according to its designer the vabsRider “eliminates any pain on your sensitive areas” and split seats can reduce cycling pressure by “up to 80 per cent”.
“The two seats rotate independently around the vabsRider’s virtual axis,” the designers state. “When this is perfectly aligned with your hip joint, it allows your legs to rotate with the natural movement of riding. A dynamic seat with a virtual axis has never been incorporated in saddle design until now.”
At 2.3kg it’s not going to be too popular in the hill-climbing scene, but could it break through in an urban, recreational or touring setting? It comes in one of three selected seatpost diameter options: 27.2mm/ 1.07 inches, 30.9mm/1.22 inches, 31.6 mm/1.24 inches, and it can apparently be fitted to the rider with adjustments to the fore-and-aft positioning, height, and tilt.
The Kickstarter includes some support from six-time Olympic medallist on the track Anna Meares who called it “a game changer for the everyday cyclist”.
“I’m someone with a love of riding that has suffered from significant back pain which has limited my joy of riding since I retired,” she said. “After testing the product, I very much looked forward to riding each day using the seat.”
Convinced? Check out all the product details here…
Met’s new helmets aren’t white, they’re “light, bright, absolute, the lightness of white, absolute white”
Following on from the aforementioned bizarre marketing work from the good people at Colnago the other week, here’s Met’s contribution to the genre… the helmet brand bringing out a limited-edition collection of lids that are… *checks notes*… “light, bright, absolute, the lightness of white. Absolute white”.
Come again? In Met’s own words: “We could tell you this limited-edition collection is a nod to our history. We could pull a piece from the archive and say ‘we did this first’ or ‘this is where it began’. Instead, here’s the truth: this colourway makes its own history. Not by chasing trends or leaning on our heritage as helmet specialists, but by existing exactly as it is: light, bright, absolute. The lightness of white. Absolute white.
“It’s bold, yes. Refined, absolutely. And impossible to ignore. We’ve given this unique design treatment to three road helmets, each with their own approach to speed, performance and style: MET Rivale, MET Manta and MET Trenta.
“Engineered to stand out while you’re in motion: under the sun, in the glare of a marble quarry, or on a stretch of empty road. The innovation isn’t just on the surface either. For the first time, these helmets have a transparent Mips Evolve Core low friction layer built into the design – a proven safety system collaboratively re-engineered to match your aesthetic without compromising on protection.
“Elsewhere, we’ve continued to break the mould, going against those aspects of helmet design that have remained unquestioned: black straps, black buckles, black EPS foam. Because when we said we wanted to go white, we wanted to* go absolutely white*. That means a non-black strap, a white buckle and white EPS, creating a design statement that becomes a smart style choice for riders. White isn’t empty. It’s everything.”
Well, there you go. Absolute white. The Trenta and Manta versions are priced at £230, with the Rivale a bit cheaper at £150. They’re all available in sizes S (52/56cm), M (56/58cm) and L (58/61cm).
Frog launches new range of road and gravel bikes for the next generation of riders
Children’s bike brand Frog Bikes has updated its range of youth-specific road and gravel bikes, aimed at riders between the ages of 5 and 13. The new 53, 61 and 67 models are replacing the previous 58, 67 and 70 models, and all feature disc brakes, boosted tyre clearance, “lighter and narrower frame and forks” and additional mounts.
Interestingly, Frog’s new road bikes are all “easily converted” for gravel use with an optional extra gravel wheel kit, the interchangeable wheels making use of the wide tyre clearance to give more versatility from ride to ride and surface to surface. Kids these days don’t know they’re born…
The 53 (20″ wheels) is aimed at ages 5-7, the 61 (24″ wheels) for ages 8-10 and the 67 (26″ wheels) for ages 10-13. Each model is available solely in the gravel set-up, and yep, you guessed it, you can then buy the road wheel kit and easily interchange your kid’s ride back the other way to a road model too.
Loads of fresh new winter kit from MAAP, Assos and Gobik
It’s that time of year for us in the UK, things starting to look a little bit autumnal out there. It won’t be long before we’re plunged into darkness and heading out for a bike ride turns into an element-battling mission of puddles, wind and rain. A cheerful thought to start your weekend, I know.
Just as the leaves are starting to turn and the evenings getting shorter, brands from across the cycling scene dropping info about their new autumn and winter clothing for 2025/26 is a sure-fire sign that summer is drifting off into the background and colder months are on the way.
First up we’ve got MAAP who, despite being based in sunny Melbourne, are gracious enough not to rub all our Northern Hemisphere noses in it about how they’re about to enjoy summer Down Under. For the change of seasons, MAAP has added a long-sleeve thermal jersey to its Aeon collection, as well as unveiling a new waterproof Elements Pro Race Jacket featuring Polartec fabrics.
Elsewhere it has also updated its Apex Deep Winter Jacket and Bib Tights, both now reimagined in V2.0, while there is also a range of accessories to “complete a comprehensive update designed to tackle the forces of nature”. Maybe we should all just move to Melbourne… if not, you can check out the full New Season Road collection here.
Over at Assos there’s new stuff to share too, the brand saying its work with Tudor Pro Cycling has led to the development of this, apparently “the next evolution of performance layering”. It’s the Equippe RS Shell Jersey, a piece which Assos claims “redefines the boundaries between a racing jersey and a stormproof jersey”.
“Pro riders needed a layer that would maintain the aerodynamic silhouette of their race jerseys while delivering the wind and water protection of an all-weather gilet,” Assos told us, explaining how the new jersey is “a low-volume, two-layer softshell
engineered for fast, dry, breathable rides in shifting fall conditions”. It’s certainly got a pro-level price tag, one of these costing £215.
And finally, this three-for-the-price-of-one winter kit round-up ends with Gobik who has launched its Unity Advanced Season – Cold 26 collection for the chilly months ahead. Just like Assos, Gobik says avoiding limiting performance was at the top of their priority list when designing these.
There’s the lightweight and breathable €90 Vanquish long-sleeve jersey, an updated €115 2.0 Hyder Blend long-sleeve jersey, and the updated 2.0 €125 Superhyder for wetter days.
Check the full range out here.
EF Pro Cycling x Knog collab
Several of Knog’s most popular products, such as the Blinder 900 Front Light, Plus Rear Light, Scout Bike Alarm & Finder, StVZO 120 and classic OI Bell are now available in EF Pro Cycling colours.
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
4 thoughts on “This mad-looking moving bike saddle has raised £130,000 on Kickstarter and claims to reduce pressure by 80%, plus Met’s new helmets aren’t white, they’re “absolute white””
I like the pink knog Oi bell.
I like the pink knog Oi bell.
“light, bright, absolute, the
“light, bright, absolute, the lightness of white. Absolute white”
I might be wrong, but could they have been going for a Hitchhiker’s Guide reference here? It’s been a while, but was it Disaster Area’s ship that was utterly and completely black, both inside and out? I feel like Adams (or one of the characters in the book) described it in a similar way.
How much more white could it
How much more white could it be.
None more white…
Those clever guys at Assos
Those clever guys at Assos have invented the Gabba! Who’d have thought it possible to make a jersey that’s wind and rain proof allowing you to keep racing in adverse conditions…