Home > Other Fun Stuff > Prototypes & Concepts

SaddleSpur Shoves a Spur Up Your Saddle for, uh… Back Support?

19 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

We’ve seen a number of wild saddle concepts in our days, but this SaddleSpur might take the cake. Its secret lies in the “coccyx connection“. By extending a unique ‘Spur’ up from the rear of the otherwise normal saddle design, SaddleSpur promises more rider comfort and efficiency by reducing lower back pain and “bum ache” by giving you something to push up against.

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic saddle design with rear support

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic cycling saddle design with rear coccyx support, complete bike
(Photos/SaddleSpur)

Developed by John Downing to make riding a road bike more comfortable, this SaddleSpur saddle is the realization of almost a decade of development to make cycling “better”. Downing has patent applications dating back to 2016 describing various iterations on this same concept.

You love riding. We love riding. But we don’t love it when riding hurts. Lower-back pain, saddle sore, bum ache – whatever you call it, it slows you down and sucks the joy out of cycling. That’s why we created SaddleSpur.

How does it work?

With a ‘spur’ extending up from the rear of the saddle, the rider does not have to pull on the bars and strain their shoulders and lower back to push down into the pedals. An extension of the 7mm round aluminum rails from the conventional front half of the saddle transfers forces to the seatpost clamp, taking strain out of your lower back.

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic cycling saddle design with rear coccyx support, prototype

The unique spur design helps anchor the rider and gives them a surface to push against, enabling more power to transfer to the pedals. At the same time, the expanded surface area of the spur removes pressure and friction from the sitting bones.

But why?

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic cycling saddle design with rear coccyx support, pictogram

Generally bicycle saddle innovations fall into a few basic categories to improve the user experience. Ultra-lightweight construction satisfies weight weenie cravings. Or alternative ergonomic designs eliminate pressure points with conventional or radical cutouts, pressure-mapped fitting. Or dialed-in sizing at home, or even unique noseless designs. And more recently, customized shaping takes advantage of 3D-printing for a bespoke fit. Maybe the most out-of-the-box ergonomic solution we’d seen had been the Essax Shark saddle, that stuck a fin in your butt crack to make sure you were evenly balanced on the seat.

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic cycling saddle design with rear coccyx support, Kickstarter

SaddleSpur has been making the rounds for quite a while. As Downing has tried to bring his ergonomic saddle concept to market with the goal of improving rider comfort & efficiency. It last showed up on Kickstarter in a failed 2022 crowdfunding campaign for a carbon fiber version.

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic cycling saddle design with rear coccyx support, side profile

One big hurdle to SaddleSpur’s adoption is the fact that it will seriously limit the rider’s ability to shift their weigh back over the rear wheel. Either to simply change weight balance of respond to a panic stop. Downing admits that a new “riding experience does involve a change in body dynamics. In an [sic] situation where the instinct is to shift backwards on the saddle, with SaddleSpur the instinct shifts to transfer the force through the arms – to arrest the body from projecting forward“.

That sounds a bit scary to me.

Tech details

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic cycling saddle design with rear coccyx support, top view

Downing describes the SaddleSpur as a flat profile, short-fit style saddle, suitable for men and women. A narrow 130mm wide x 236mm long, with a claimed weight of 310g. The polyurethane padded saddle features a snub nose, a generous pressure relief cutout, and a “flexible base” for comfort.

The ‘sturdy’ padded rear Spur is relatively narrow. But is said to be shaped to comfortably cup the coccyx for comfortable power transfer.

SaddleSpur – Pricing & Availability

SaddleSpur unique ergonomic cycling saddle design with rear coccyx support, dildo

Downing’s SaddleSpur is available consumer-direct now as a pre-order for £125 including VAT and shipping in the UK (~$150 or 140€). No official statement on exactly when those saddles will ship. But word is that some pre-orders are expected to be filled before the end of this year.

Are you brave enough to give it a try? Let us know in the comments!

SaddleSpur.com


Want to know even more about saddles? How they are made, how they differ, and how to pick the right one for you? We wrote a 5-part series on Everything You Need To Know About Saddles. Check it out here.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Dann
Dann
3 months ago

Hopefully it has more fore/aft adjustment than the old (UCI banned) Selle Italia lumbar support TT saddle!

mud
mud
3 months ago

BR up for a review?

Hamjam
Hamjam
3 months ago

Wait… You’re supposed to put that whole back part up your butt? Finally some real innovation in the bike industry.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
3 months ago
Reply to  Hamjam

I’d definitely want this on a powerful dropper

Mike Connair
Mike Connair
3 months ago

My new cyclocross saddle!

Fig Ciocc
Fig Ciocc
3 months ago

Imagine if you accidentally sit a little further back than normally one time

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
3 months ago
Reply to  Fig Ciocc

Like a lays potato chip

Horacio R
Horacio R
3 months ago

bad joke

Joenomad
Joenomad
3 months ago

Probably comes with instructions advising you that you have been mounting your bike wrong. Looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Chris
Chris
3 months ago

The fact that the saddle is mounted backwards on the seatpost speaks to the legitimacy of the product. Even without the spur, the saddle looks very flat and very uncomfortable. Pass.

Fig Ciocc
Fig Ciocc
3 months ago
Reply to  Chris

I think this is for people who follow that stupid fit aero methodology of short saddle railed forward into a single fixed position, slammed long stem, and short cranks. There is a bike fitter who is popular with triathletes that I’ve seen who does this fit on 100% of his customers and in cases where the seat tube doesn’t allow he’ll flip the post to get the rider forward. Not a good fit methodology in my opinion but there’s a triathlete born every minute.

Larry Falk
Larry Falk
3 months ago

How are they going to convince anyone to buy this unique saddle when they do not even show anyone riding it?

WhateverBikes
3 months ago
Reply to  Larry Falk

There’ pictures of people riding the saddle on their website.

Larry Falk
Larry Falk
2 months ago
Reply to  WhateverBikes

I clicked everywhere on their website and I didn’t see one pic. ???

WhateverBikes
3 months ago

“the 7mm round aluminum rails”
Aluminium saddle rails? I have a very hard time believing that is true.

WhateverBikes
3 months ago

“One big hurdle to SaddleSpur’s adoption is the fact that it will seriously limit the rider’s ability to shift their weigh back over the rear wheel looks like there’s a dildo stuck to the saddle”

Corrected it for you.

Rob
Rob
2 months ago

I can’t even believe what I’m seeing

Peterq
Peterq
2 months ago

April fools day is months away.

Bnystrom
Bnystrom
2 months ago

Not to worry, he’ll probably be sued out of existence by people who:

  • Get hurt when trying to mount their bikes and get hung up on this thing
  • Break their tailbones while riding this thing.

“Comfortably cups the coccyx”? Uh…no.
It reminds me of the South Park episode called “The Entity.”

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.