By John Marsh, Editor & Publisher
HOT!
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Price: $325 for full-carbon, custom-made saddle; $250 for custom saddle with carbon shell, solid stainless steel rails Tech Specs |
Innovative Custom-Made Saddle Delivers on its Promise
Meld Saddles got my nod as Best of Show at last fall’s Interbike, the annual bicycle industry showcase for everything related to cycling. The company makes custom saddles in its California factory using U.S.-sourced materials, a novel process and plenty of computing power.
Meld is the brainchild of computer science Ph.D. Ethan Ee, a former Google employee who has worked at various startups as well. Meld offers direct-marketed custom saddles built to your specific physical “impression” and inputs you add on the company website to help determine the shape and final attributes of the saddle.
This new approach to saddles is indeed innovative. While other saddle companies do tests and take measurements of your sit-bone width, they use the info to determine which size of their otherwise off-the-rack saddle will best match your data.
Meld’s fully custom seats, and the “semi-custom” play, both will likely have roles in making the “try them till you find one that works” approach an outmoded methodology for riders.
Here’s How Meld’s Process Works:
- You sign up for an account at https://www.meld3d.com/
- Meld sends you an “impression kit” – a box inside a box containing a piece of dense foam on which you sit (wearing cycling shorts) to create an impression of your anatomy that contacts the saddle. The impression kit comes with easy-to-follow instructions and a return shipping bag. See the series of photos.
- You send back your impression.
- Meld scans and computer maps the impression in order to customize the saddle to your body. For example, the distance between the lowest points on each side of the impression equates to your sit bone width, which in part will help dictate the overall width of the saddle. And so on.
- Using the “Dashboard” in your account, you input such things as your weight and choose various parameters to meet your needs (shape and type of saddle – there are 6 different shapes; carbon fiber or stainless steel rails; short or tall rails; thickness of the saddle’s padding; graphics (you can get your team or other logo, national flag and/or name on the synthetic leather cover; the graphics are printed on a piece of material about 1-1/4 inches, or 31mm, wide that is affixed to the cover of the saddle. You have to look closely to see that the band is not part of the seat’s cover. See photo below.).
- Combined with the “suggestions” inherent in your mapped physical impression and inputs (for instance, a Clydesdale-weight rider would likely be directed toward the super-strong stainless steel rails, which are also preferred by MTB riders), a final saddle will be decided on and custom made using materials sourced from around the U.S.
- The actual fabrication takes a minimum of 1.5 weeks, though demand will dictate the final timetable for delivery.
The shell of all Meld seats is aerospace-grade carbon fiber, mated with either the carbon fiber or stainless steel rails, and synthetic leather cover. Depending on the model and the types of rails, etc., a Meld saddle can weigh anywhere from 126 – 260g.
Again, as each saddle is custom-made, a rider with narrow sit bones, for instance, choosing a smaller saddle shape, carbon rails and thinner padding would get a saddle that weighs less than the same saddle made for a larger rider – which would by definition be wider and contain more material.
The full carbon saddles cost $325, including shipping, and the stainless steel rails models run $250, including shipping. There’s also a model with a triathlon carbon shell, which adds $25 to the price.
Perhaps the coolest thing is that, if you’re not satisfied with the finished product, Ee says Meld will continue to work on additional iterations of the saddle for you. And if the product is still unsatisfactory, Meld will issue you a full refund.
How the Process Worked for Me
When the impression kit arrived and it was time to take a seat, as it were, I’ll admit to a bit of trepidation. But the accompanying instructions were fairly straightforward and reassuring. Sitting on a block of foam is not exactly rocket science! We’ve all been making butt prints our entire lives; we just never capture those prints (exceptions are made for the occasional holiday party copy machine capture, of course).
I sealed the boxes in the supplied poly shipping bag and dropped it off at my local UPS store.
Then I went back to my account dashboard on the Meld site and started making choices. Among them are:
- Saddle shape (there are six “outlines” to choose from, all but one of which are 280 mm long; the other is 300 mm long). I chose the “pagemill” shape. You can see all the outlines here: https://www.meld3d.com/outlines. All are reminiscent of saddle shapes you’ve probably seen before.
- Shell (in addition to the normal carbon fiber shell and the triathlon shell mentioned above, there’s one other choice, called “Alps,” for “long-distance road cycling.” The Alps shell, which does not cost any more than the regular shell, is a bit more flexible to allow for greater comfort over longer miles. I went with the Alps shell.
- Rails (tall or short, solid stainless steel or carbon braided). I chose tall carbon rails. The padding is EVA foam, and the cover is synthetic leather. You can see all the components here: https://www.meld3d.com/components.
- Channel, color, padding thickness, graphics, etc. You can see the full array of dashboard choices here: https://www.meld3d.com/dashboard. Among the most fortuitous I made was – for the first time in my riding career – choosing a saddle with a channel. More on that below. I also spec’ed the graphics for my saddle, attaching the RBR logo, and finalized the remaining choices.
A couple of weeks later, my saddle arrived. It looked great, and I was eager to get the testing process going.
How the Saddle Has Worked for Me on the Road
No matter how light (about 126 g), how cool (it’s admittedly a kick having your name, national flag and logo on your seat), or how fun it is to regale your riding buddies about your custom saddle, the butt-print-making process, et al – if the seat is uncomfortable or doesn’t work for you in some profound way, then none of that matters.
That was not the case for me. It delivered on its promise from the first ride on.
(This is where I feel compelled to run our usual saddle-review disclaimer: It wouldn’t be an appropriate saddle review if I didn’t acknowledge the one true thing about saddles: One size, or brand, or model, or shape – even if it’s custom-made – will not work for every rider. We all have different bodies, different physical attributes, ailments, etc. The ideal seat for one rider may be a literal pain in the butt for another.)
That said, after a bit of fore/aft adjustment over the first couple of rides to dial in the position, it seemed evident that my sit bones were contacting the saddle precisely where they were supposed to. In fact, it took me a few rides over a couple of weeks to “break myself” into the saddle based on that fact and the minimalist padding. (I suspect that on other saddles where your sit bones are not “aligned” well with the saddle’s geometry, there may be more padding between your sit bones and the saddle. That’s just a supposition.)
But the fact is, my anatomy felt like it was “in the right place on the saddle,” whether I was sitting up or, pelvis rolled forward, down in the drops. I won’t say it fits like a glove, but you get the idea.
And I was immediately impressed with what the channel has done for me.
On my old saddle, I would occasionally get some perineal chafing based on the shape of the saddle, which would press up into that soft tissue. The channel on the Meld has totally, 100%, eradicated that issue for me. I haven’t had a single instance of perineal discomfort during the almost six months I’ve been testing the saddle.
Long Test Period Offered a Variety of Rides, Conditions
That’s right, almost six months. I wanted to give the seat a long, fair shake. Doing so has allowed me to put it through the gamut of weather, riding conditions, training and ride types that make up my time in the saddle.
So, through the low-and-slow miles of winter, into the spring build phase of added miles, and added intensity, through high-mileage training for a 2-centuries-in-2-days ride in May, and lately in the wet- blanket searing heat and humidity of summer riding in Atlanta (oh, and a couple of nice rain rides in there, too), I’ve got a few thousand miles on the Meld.
It’s been as comfortable a saddle as any of its type that I’ve ridden over the years, at all distances and in all conditions. (As with any saddle, on long rides I need to get out of the saddle on occasion and “refresh” my legs and butt, stretch my back a bit, and get comfortable again. That’s about the body, not the saddle.)
And I now have the utmost confidence that I will never again have any perineal chafing as long as I stick with this saddle. In short, I’m sold on the slot.
The only shortcoming I’ve had with this seat is based on the shape of the nose. Because the saddle is fairly thin (top to bottom) at the nose, and fairly flat on both sides, I occasionally snag my shorts when rising back up from a standing position to sit down again. It’s an issue I’ve not had often on any other saddle. But through a bit of extra focus in re-seating, I’ve learned to avoid it. (You’ll note on the mock dashboard, https://www.meld3d.com/dashboard, that you’re given a choice of whether you want the nose tip curved down. Given the choice again, I might have chosen that option.)
Finally, a quick look around the Internet shows that there are a few models of big-name saddle makers that sell for far more than the $325 for the full-carbon, made to order custom seat you get from Meld.
If you’re looking for a new saddle or considering a switch from your current seat when the time comes, Meld is certainly worthy of your consideration. A custom saddle built to your specific physical “impression” and inputs makes for a one-of-a-kind bike seat – and some interesting stories to tell your riding buddies.
July 2017
John Marsh is the editor and publisher of RBR Newsletter and RoadBikeRider.com. A rider of “less than podium” talent, he sees himself as RBR’s Ringmaster, guiding the real talent (RBR’s great coaches, contributors and authors) in bringing our readers consistently useful, informative, entertaining info that helps make them better road cyclists. That’s what we’re all about here—always have been, always will be. Click to read John’s full bio.
it’s a great saddle until you hit a bump, then it suffers catastrophic failure and it’s the rider’s fault for “attacking potholes”! With all the digitizing of your butt profile and personal parameters, there was NO stress analysis done, not even a generic analysis. It’s planned obsolescence. And the above “review” is merely a paid marketing ploy.
Hey Anthony,
As we discussed, we consider normal forces on the saddle experienced while pedaling (i.e. flexing), as well as impact forces due to potholes, crashes, etc.. Issues with the former are covered under warranty, while the cause and magnitude of the latter is much more difficult to determine. If the impact force is large enough, any piece of equipment will break. Instead, for failures due to impact, our goal is to minimize the occurrences and have them be rare exceptions. We do so by continually monitoring the rates of impact failures and updating the saddle strength appropriately.
We are sorry you did not opt for our 80% discount replacement (normally it’s 66% for the first). Also, you requested for a specific change to the saddle model, normally we’ll only do that if it benefits a significant number of our users.
Finally, we did not pay RoadBikeRider for the review, we only provided the custom saddle itself.
A bunch of my cycling mates and I are using Meld saddles and thought we ought to put in our two cents. We were early adopters, purchased our saddles when they were just announced around Sep 2016. We did initially think about structural soundness of the saddles since they look so thin, but after a combined tens of thousands of miles, it’s safe to say that’s no longer on our minds. Even if something were to happen in the future, we would gladly pay full price for a replacement.
That said, a long time ago I used to be in the customer service frontline. In general, when something goes wrong, no customer will admit it’s their fault. It’s always an issue with the product, and as much as possible the blame is pushed onto the seller. That’s not to say sometimes the problem IS with the product, but the general goal of the customer is to claim warranty and get a free replacement.
In the case of Anthony Shafer, since he doesn’t seem to have a brain-mouth filter, it’s only fair that my cycling mates and I say what’s on our minds. As we’ve hit more potholes than we can remember, we find it very unlikely that a single pothole can cause such damage, unless that pothole is huge. In that case, if he’s cycling alone, does he not have the situational awareness or the skills to avoid that pothole? If he is cycling with a group, what sort of cycling mates does he have who do not sound out such obvious irregularities to the cyclists behind? If he was racing, is he that lazy to not recon the route prior to the race? And if it wasn’t just a single pothole that caused the damage, is he that big of a drama queen to deliberately lie in order to distort the big picture?
Furthermore, it is highly irresponsible of this Anthony Shafer to make claims such as paid reviews WITHOUT ACTUALLY PROVIDING ANY PROOF. What sort of whiny, tantrum-throwing spoilt brat goes around spewing falsehood without substantiating it? More likely, HE’S the one who’s paid to smear Meld.
To summarize: based on my personal and my cycling mates’ experiences, Meld saddles are a HUGE step forward in cycling tech. On the other hand, this TURD of an Anthony Shafer, this lying, skill-deprived, lazy, irresponsible, whiny, tantrum-throwing spoilt brat of a drama queen is a DISGRACE to mankind.
Fantastic saddle, amazing how comfortable it is given its minimalistic look and light weight.
Quick tips not mentioned in article: when you’re sitting down on the foam, make sure you don’t get up till you stop sinking. Also, don’t sit on the saddle’s nose on your perineum in the upright position, it will feel hard (in general don’t sit on your perineum). If the saddle feels hard, push it forward until your sitbones are properly supported.
I agree.
I agree with Anthony. Meld unfortunately offers terrible service. The customer is always wrong. I have purchased a saddle and asked for some changes and the company keeps spitting out excuses like, you are sitting wrong, your frame is too big. They have gone as far as to say “it’s not our fault”. I recommend not purchasing a sale with them because they do not give the services they promise on their website front page.
I agree with you,I am having the same experience as you..This saddle is so uncomfortable, my sit bones have been sore since I’ve been using it.Meld kept on blaming me with all kind of excuses,but nothing possibly wrong on their part.This is the most expensive saddle I bought and am really disappointed with it and the customer service.I would not recommend this saddle for the pain I still get after trying out every possible fix and the terrible service after purchase and tryout.
[quote=Anonymous]I have purchased a saddle and asked for some changes and the company keeps spitting out excuses like, you are sitting wrong, your frame is too big. They have gone as far as to say “it’s not our fault”. [/quote]
We have been working with buyer for the past month on the issues he encountered. Based on the photos and information he provided, we have determined that the saddle was not correctly installed. According to our policy which buyer acknowledged before he could place an order, it is the buyer’s responsibility to ensure that his bike allows for proper installation of the saddle, and that it is up to our discretion on how to proceed in such cases of equipment incompatibility.
While troubleshooting, we noted multiple discrepancies between what he claims to be true vs what we can observe from the photos he provided. For instance, he first claimed an adjustment of 6mm, then 9mm, when the photos show an adjustment of 1 inch. When we notified him of this discrepancy, he acknowledged that we are correct.
Another discrepancy is the location he sat on the saddle. He initially claimed he was sitting on the right place. But based on his observations, we concluded that he was not, and after suggested adjustments, he again acknowledged that we are correct.
We regret to say that we have not been able to rely on buyer’s claims up to this point in time, our suggestions had to be based on the photos he provides. Further adjustment of the saddle positioning needs to be done, but, as his photo shows, his bike does not allow for this.
We have been listening to buyer’s suggestions and giving feedback. The last two suggestions he provided was
a) to have a less curved surface, a feature already present on the saddle and can be utilized if only it is installed appropriately, and
b) to have thicker padding, which we indicated we can accommodate.
In addition, we have provided suggestions on how to proceed:
a) buyer can switch to a different bike component (zero-setback seatpost)
b) buyer can switch to a smaller bike frame that will allow the saddle to be installed appropriately.
We hope that the buyer can give some thought to both his own and our suggestions, and come to an agreement.
So…. instead of figuring out what’s wrong, perhaps trying what both you and Meld suggested, you decided to come to the Internet and crap all over the place?
You’re not really interested in a comfortable saddle, are you? You just want Meld to die, because they point out issues with your equipment. OMG.
My experience has been completely the opposite: they were very prompt and very helpful with their responses.
Based on their description of your interaction, it sounds very much like you realized you have issues with your bike frame/seatpost, but you’re not willing to do anything about it so you’re trying and failing to push all the responsibility to Meld. That’s not cool, the cycling community needs fewer people like you.
Why the aggression on Anonymous’ part? Some people lash out in anger blaming the other party in order to divert attention from their uncovered lies (aka the ‘discrepancies’).
I’m just saying.
This response is an attempt cover up Melds inadequacies and nit pick how I documented my saddle issues. When they say “working with” they really mean arguing with.
-The movements I made were incremental 3mm,6mm,9mm, and then closer to an inch. meld did not realize this from my email chain and chose to make an issue of this rather than my other feedback.
-Meld did offer quick input but after putting my sit bones in the right place and expressing discomfort they claimed I need a new frame and a new seat post. Why would I spend possibly hundreds of dollars trying to make their saddle work?
Meld disregarded my feedback after a certain point and stopped working with me and just argued with me.
Meld never once took any ownership for any issues.
My experience was bad. others had a good experience, that does not make me a liar it just means there are flaws to this service whether Meld or others want to hear it.
Just because our experiences were different does not mean cycling needs less people like me. I just want to get what I paid for and not get taken advantage of. I work hard and loosing $250 is a sizable amount. I do not want others to experience the same thing.
Brad Cartier:
– The adjustments made were actually really critical, since, as we explained, they
(a) confirm that you were initially sitting quite far forward on the saddle nose (1 inch is a lot in terms of fore/aft adjustment), matching your observation that you felt the saddle was too wide (initially), and therefore you could not have been sitting on your sitbones as you first believed
(b) after moving the saddle forward 1 inch, you’ve hit the max as shown in your photo, and with your observation that the saddle was too curved, it matches the fact that you were sitting in front of the flat portion where your sitbones are supposed to be.
– As we stated above, your observation that the saddle was too curved, and your saddle fore/aft positioning was maxed out, indicates that your sitbones were never in the right place. Also, seatposts are typically not that expensive, and you don’t have to buy one right away, you could have asked your cycling club mates, or your race team members, to borrow one for a minute or two to try it out. You had also suggested spinning your current seatpost around, so that the setback points forward, just to try. You had multiple options, even one which you yourself suggested, yet you never considered trying any of them.
The feedback that we gave is critical: we corrected your misconception that your perineum is your sitbones, corrected your sitting position to some extent (but not enough), and let you know that the geometry of your current bike does not work for you. The health benefit will last you the rest of your life, how much is that worth to you? Is that worth trying out your own suggestion: spinning your seatpost around and seeing how it feels?
We’ve never disregarded your observations, only your corrected your claims about where you were sitting on the saddle. Your claims not match your observations, nor the photos you sent. We took a lot of pains to explain to you, between 5pm and midnight last Friday. Unfortunately, it seems sometimes things just don’t work out.
Finally, as we explained to you, customer service to us is not always about agreeing with the customer. If we had done so, we would have been trying to make a saddle that’s comfortable while you’re sitting on your perineum, and that is wrong.
Brad, you suggested turning your seatpost around so you can push your saddle forward further. Why didn’t you follow up with your own suggestion? It doesn’t cost you anything.
It sounds like things are binary to you: you feel that Meld should agree with and do everything you say, otherwise they are completely out to scam you. That’s like the Sith mentality, and we know how they end up. Perhaps you can consider the possibility that you aren’t correct in everything you say, and listen to Meld’s analysis? If you feel that their analysis is not correct, say so and substantiate your claims. All I’m hearing are angry repetitions of: “Meld not good, because I say so. And because I say Meld is this bad, they are also that bad.”. That’s not the way to convince anyone.
I’ve seen your posts in other places. Frankly, you come across as someone impetuous and completely blinded by rage. I think it will help you to consider anger management treatment. Like Meld correcting and stopping you from sitting on your perineum, learning how to manage your anger will benefit you (and everyone around you) for the rest of your life. Please give that a thought.
@brad cartier
You cherry-picked bits of the narrative for the sole purpose of supporting your claim. You deliberately mislead your audience. That’s deceitful, and demonstrates a general lack of respect for people.
I hope, for your own sake, that you can become a better person.
[quote=Jesus C.]Brad, you suggested turning your seatpost around so you can push your saddle forward further. Why didn’t you follow up with your own suggestion? It doesn’t cost you anything.
[/quote]
Yeah, I can’t get past the fact that he doesn’t even try following up on his own suggestions. There’s definitely more than a few screws loose in this guy! 😀
[quote=Anonymous]they claimed I need a new frame and a new seat post. Why would I spend possibly hundreds of dollars trying to make their saddle work?
[/quote]
Hi Brad,
I sell bikes, and have a Meld saddle. An adjustment of 1 inch is very significant, it means your saddle’s positioning was really way off initially.
Regarding whose responsibility it is to resolve bike fit issues: I’d say it is first the seller’s responsibility, then if you visited a bike fitter, it’s the fitter’s responsibility. When my customers take a new bike out for a spin, I’d eyeball the fit and raise issues if I see any. If they sit upright on the saddle nose, I’ll say so too. It’s very obvious, the big patch of the saddle at the back is visible.
If you went for a bike fit, and the fitter says, “I can help resolve this and that issue, but you really need to change this component.” Would you complain about that online? Would you refuse to pay him/her?
If Meld remakes your saddle to fit your bike, it’s an extra special bonus. But, based on the (insufficient) 1 inch adjustment you made, I’d say that the resulting saddle will look like an abomination and you won’t want to put it on your bike. If you do, you’re going to get weird looks from other cyclists. Everyone likes their bike to look good, even if they won’t admit it.
Take care, I hope you resolve the issue soon.
Brad, are you a member of a cycling club? It’s likely there’s people in any one club can help you, with feedback on your fit and seatposts. I and many cyclists I know have spare components, like stems, seatposts, saddles, etc. Ask around, cyclists are normally nice people.
THAT IS BECAUSE BRAD IS A TROLL
Guys, don’t feed the trolls.
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/general-cycling-discussion/meld-saddles-two-thumbs-down-365528.html
Awful customer service. Avoid these guys.
LMAO. There’s this one guy, SmithJeb/AvidCyclist who’s been posting on multiple forums crying for attention. He’s been called uncouth, a ‘mockpuppet’, and is basically dismissed as a troll by different forum members. To him I’d say, Grow up, be a man, be responsible for your own actions. Loser. LOL.
Just went through the start of the process with these guys. The sour reviews are accurate. Slow to receive the mold kit. I wrote a note on the mold box “please call me to discuss options” and my phone number so as to dial in what I was looking for and get exactly what I wanted. I mean, these are custom saddles, right? Sent it in… No phone call. I bumbled through the clickers on the dashboard and submitted the request. I followed up with an email – please confirm that I did in fact select tall carbon rails (as that is somehow chosen on a different dashboard screen). The email I got back said “We reviewed all communications from you. It seems that the services we provide aren’t a good fit for you, and we don’t think we should continue with the process. We have provided a full refund, thank you for your interest in our saddles.”
I have received no such refund.
I ordered a custom saddle and wanted to discuss specifics – literally got told that we’re unwilling to provide customer service and help you out – here’s not your money back.
Unbelievable.
DO NOT TRUST
We received an email from chriswoods918 on Thanksgiving morning. In it we were asked why USPS had not yet delivered the imprint kit as they (USPS) had indicated. He also asked why wasn’t the kit sent on a more direct route to his location.
We were not available on Thanksgiving morning to respond. When USPS ships, it is on a best effort basis. Due to the holiday season, there may be more delays as the volume of packages increase. We also do not control how USPS routes its packages.
The kit was delivered the next day by USPS.
We received, scanned and uploaded his imprint on the next Friday evening. This is after work hours. The design was finalized and submitted by him that same evening, about an hour and a half later. This indicates to us that he had no issues with the options. If he had, don’t submit the design, send an email.
As we mentioned before, there are limits to the services we can provide at this time. We do not provide round-the-clock service. We are not able to respond on Thanksgiving. While we emphatize with late package delivery, we cannot control how long USPS takes or the route they pick. Our refund process goes through Amazon/Paypal and we have no control over how long they take. While we do consider feedback, we cannot act on all of them. If we feel that the service we provide isn’t a good match for a user for whatever reason, we will stop the process and provide a refund.
No customer service. I was not clear on the foam sit instructions after I was told I did not sit on the foam correctly and would need to pay for second foam mold. Unwilling to discuss it they took a cut of the money I paid, refunded the balance and they said so long. Nice to have a business that is so successful that they can be arrogant and terminate a sale on a whim.
For a couple of years now we have stated that there is a non-refundable fee associated with each imprint kit, to cover the costs of shipping, materials and labor. We state this upfront, and ask that the customer acknowledge this before the purchase can be made.
The process of ordering the saddle, dealing with the mold, etc, all went smoothly for me.
I do not typically have problems with saddle comfort (had been using a Spec Toupe which was fine up until doing a 200k on it), but the Meld saddle is just way too stiff for comfort (and I chose the more-padded option).
I now have an expensive saddle that I cannot use.
-NJg
DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THIS COMPANY! When the saddle breaks (and it will. Even on a trainer. Even if you weigh 135 ilbs) they will ignore your messages and block you on social media.
My experience with my meld saddle was terrible. When I first put it on my bike it was horribly uncomfortable. Then I took my bike to our local bike shop and got professionally fitted. That helped a little. I rode over 1000 miles with my meld saddle. It never got any more comfortable. I also was having problems in the bedroom while riding this saddle. I finally went back to my bike shop, bought a new saddle from them and my first ride was like heaven. And miraculously my bedroom problems went away.