A new level of comfort is coming to Specialized and their saddle range with Mirror. Instead of foam, the brand is using 3D printed liquid polymer to fine-tune the comfort and support to an incredible level of detail to provide a ride like no other saddle. It’s more than just a new technology though, it is the culmination of over 20 years of work of Body Geometry to help provide the best fit and function to protect and comfort cyclist bodies.
Specialized partnered with a company named Carbon to bring 3D printing using liquid polymer to their saddles. Specialized isn’t the first to use 3D printing technology for saddles, but the amount of knowledge they were able to bring through their Body Geometry and Retul experience is unrivaled. Carbon’s software has helped design complex shapes that have been used in other areas like running shoes and football helmets. These shapes can be controlled down to less than a millimeter to allow extremely fine-tuning of how the saddle supports and cushion a rider in ways that are not possible with foam. See, foams only have a single density. You can tune it by using multiple foams, each with their own density, but not to the finite level of 3D printing with liquid polymer.
The analogy that Specialized uses is the move from steel to carbon frame construction. Steel can be tuned by tube sizes, thickness, and the type of steel you use. With carbon frames, you can tune the bike’s characteristics to an even higher level by adjusting the types of carbon used, the orientation of each piece, and where it is placed. This knowledge that goes into the construction is what helps make a great bike even better. It is similar with the Mirror technology, it is only as good as the knowledge behind it, which is where Specialized’s Body Geometry comes in.
Go back to 1997 Bicycling Magazine article “Impotence and Cycling. Are You at Risk?” and that is where Body Geometry began. Over the years, Specialized has brought in experts like Dr. Roger Minkow and Dr. Andy Pruitt to create saddle solutions to promote blood flow in sensitive areas for both men and women. From there, they expanded out to other touchpoints like shoes, footbeds, chamois, grips, and gloves to make ergonomic products that perform at high levels.
MIMIC was the Specialized’s solution for soft tissue issues for women. They used three different densities of foam to mimic soft tissue in the contact area to help prevent soft tissue swelling and the scarring that can occur from a lack of blood flow.
From there, they moved to better support the sit bones and reduce the pressure there. The question they faced is can a performance saddle be supportive and comfortable?
“We’re always trying to find that perfect balance between the two, where you still get a real performance advantage, but you’re not killing yourself,” explained saddle product manager, Garrett Getter. “You want that shape, you want it to be supportive, but we wanted to find a way to take the edge off, right?”
With the new 3D printing technology available, Specialized started with a platform of the Power, the saddle kicked off the short nose trend back in 2015. The Power already is known for being a supportive perch with reduces pressure on the sit bones and soft tissue and a wide cutout to help keep blood flowing. With Carbon’s help, they were able to create a lattice matrix to replace the foam and cover of the saddle. After a prototype proved the concept, the team went through over 70 versions to test and fine-tune the support using info from Body Geometry and a vast library of Retul fitting data.
“What the true story is and what makes this saddle unique is the fact that we are able to customize the durometer of Mirror Technology—we can change it anywhere, in any way,” said Getter. “Where we’ve decided to focus that technology with the S-Works Power with Mirror is in how it supports your sit bones.”
That’s not the end of the story though. After doing their own pressure mapping and ride testing, the saddle went off to Todd Carver, Human Performance Manager at Specialized’s Boulder Innovation Center to go through even further pressure mapping and blind saddle testing in a study of 20 riders. Riders completed surveys after riding each saddle without seeing what they were riding. Carver collected the data, and Specialized repeated the study on their own, which reduced data bias and confirmed their findings that the S-Works Power with Mirror improved comfort without sacrificing comfort or performance.
Now that you know the backstory, which I’ll admit is a lot for a product launch, it’s time to tell you about the rest of the saddle. Underneath the Mirror top is Specialized’s FACT carbon shell and rails, providing just the right amount of flex for comfort and support, in a very lightweight package. The shell has SWAT mounts molded in to provide a sleek solution for integrated storage.
The saddle is available in two sizes, 143 and 155mm. Weights come in at 190g and 194g respectively. Compared to the standard S-Works Power saddle, the Mirror version is an extra 31 and 33g, which I’d gladly give up for more comfort.
The S-Works Power with Mirror is definitely a premium saddle. Between the new technology and the high-end carbon base, you know it is going to command a premium price. At $450, it is one of the most expensive saddles on the market. That’s $150 over the former top of the line Power saddle. Is it worth it? I can’t really say yet, as I haven’t had a chance to try out the Power line, but if the comparison to steel vs carbon is true, the new Mirror saddle is the beginning of a new era in comfort and support.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
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