VabsRider, the ‘world’s first virtual axis bicycle seat,’ is an innovative bicycle saddle featuring two sides that move independently as you pedal to distribute the load more evenly for a more comfortable ride.
Australian engineer Robin Macan had always wondered why no one had come up with a more comfortable bicycle seat. The flaw of the common saddle was obvious – “no amount of cushioning can compensate for the inherent pain points on the human body,” so he came up with a concept for an articulating bicycle seat that would dynamically distribute body weight as the rider pedaled. He took his prototype to the Inventors Association of Australia, a nonprofit offering support to inventors, and that was where he connected with industrial designer Philippe Guichard. The two set out to refine the design, and after two years of work, they combined forces with Whistle, an industrial design and engineering company, to develop a market-ready product. Now, the vabsRider split-seat bicycle saddle is ready to offer users the most comfortable bike ride of their lives.
Photo: ataraxyBSC
“The innovative split seat design allows for individual movement of the legs, rotating around the hip joints on an axis that is virtual to the seat,” Macan’s company, ataraxyBSC, writes. “The vabsRiderTM transfers the pressure from the sit bones to the femurs ensuring an evenly distributed load.”
AtaraxyBSC describes vabsRider as “the ideal bike saddle: dynamic, flowing, in motion with your body and pain-free.” Macan and Guichard figured out that when a part of the human body is pushing against something that doesn’t move along with it, it becomes sore. So, by allowing the adjustable saddle to move up and down with the legs, the pressure is shifted from the sit bones to the femurs, greatly decreasing discomfort.
Photo: ataraxyBSC
To further maximize the rider’s comfort, the split-seat comes equipped with set screws that facilitate multiple adjustments, including the fore/aft and height positions, as well as the angle and width of the saddle.
The ataraxyBSC vabsRider is set to hit the market in the very near future, and it certainly sounds like something that could have great success among bicycle riders. The company hasn’t announced a price yet, but it’s probably a bit more expensive than the average bike seat.
