Imp Adventures

15/05/2025

Love cycling in Lincolnshire and love coffee just as much...

Looking for a pit-stop? These bike-friendly coffee shops around Lincolnshire offer great hospitality and delicious drinks and cakes.

13/05/2025

A work project I signed recently:

The White Peak Loop is an incredible route of just over 42 miles through stunning and diverse scenery, the White Peak loop is set to make Derbyshire one of t...

12/05/2025

3D printed saddles

3D-printed saddles are bicycle saddles that have their padding layer created using 3D printing technology. This allows for a highly customized and potentially lighter, more comfortable padding than traditional methods. The padding can be made with a complex lattice structure for enhanced breathability and shock absorption.

The "3D printed saddle craze" gained significant traction in the cycling industry around 2020, with Specialized being the first to commercially launch a 3D printed saddle, the S-Works Power Saddle with Mirror technology, in June 2020. This saddle was produced in partnership with Carbon, a company specializing in 3D printing technology. Following Specialized, other brands like Fizik, Selle Italia, and Selle San Marco also began offering 3D printed saddles, expanding the availability of this technology.

After 5years of this 3D printing technology being used to create more and more expensive saddles 'with mixed reviews' I thought it was time to test out the alternatives now readily available from the usual outlets on Ebay and Temu etc . Below are some example costs of the current popular choices:

Specialized S-Works Romin Evo with Mirror: RRP £350

Fizik Tempo Aliante R1 Adaptive One-to-One: RRP £499

Posedla Joyseat: RRP £390

Selle Italia Novus Boost Evo: RRP £399.99

Prologo Nago R4 PAS 3DMSS: RRP £349

Selle San Marco Shortfit 2.0 3D Carbon FX: RRP £359.99

Elves Magic Osse Pro: RRP £158

Bucklos Saddle £61.99

Having tried several of these new 3D printed saddles over the last few years I thought it was about time I reviewed the ever-growing number of alternative 3D printed saddles from the usual online Far Eastern websites along with Ebay etc.

My 1st saddle was a basic offering from ‘Kocevlo’ on Temu which was seemingly well constructed but after a short 50km ride I was not convinced that it was a significant improvement from any other traditional saddle and the slightly rougher cell finish soon started to pull at my bibshorts and was not really a viable option for £42.44

My second purchase was a Bucklos saddle which was slightly more expensive from Ebay and was an exact copy of the £289 Specialized S-Works Power Mirror 3D Carbon Road saddle. This saddle was very impressive - carbon rails, carbon body, 180g and with a lovely smooth finish that was hard to distinguish from the Specialized version. After four rides of over 60km each I am sold! This saddle offers the same support and comfort as its Specialized twin for a fraction of the price! I will be most definitely buying another, and this one is def worth the £61.99 cost.

see image - Genuine Specialized S-Works and Bucklos copy on my bike:

26/02/2025

1st Spirtive spannering job of the year for me. Who’s riding it?

Join us at the Cambridgeshire Classic cycling event for a fun and challenging day in the saddle. Open to all ages and abilities with 3 routes to choose from, ranging from 66km to 130km

29/01/2025

https://www.pedallincolnshire.co.uk/coffee-and-cake-shops

Looking for a pit-stop? These bike-friendly coffee shops around Lincolnshire offer great hospitality and delicious drinks and cakes.

06/01/2025

Virtually every delivery rider in Lincoln and every other town are riding dangerously modified ‘illegal’ electric bikes. These death traps endanger the users and everyone else on the road. Most police forces aren’t interested and turn a blind eye to these morons. Visit any fast food joint and you’ll see these illegal bikes, funny how the police can’t find and destroy them!

This adapted bike was stopped on Mill Street, Openshaw by GMP Motorcycle Unit after being seen travelling at 30mph via engine power. Seized and rider reported 👍

16/10/2024

Building a lovely Merlin Malt G2X Gravel crusher up with Shimano 2 x 12 speed GRX820, Deda finishing kit and WTB hoops. Just waiting for the shifters and stoppers to arrive from Deutschland so I can finisher her.

16/10/2024

Temporary closure of the Water Rail Way between Bardney and Southrey for essential maintenance. Please avoid this stretch and pass on to other cycling forums thank you.