Fizik | Cicli Corsa

Antares Versus Evo R3 Adaptive | Large 149 mm | Fizik

A 3D printed bike seat with a carbon reinforced nylon shell and a Kium hollow rail with high strength-to-weight ratio grad (R3).

A 3D PRINTED PADDING

The evolution of digital 3D printing allowed us to develop a new saddle without the constraints or limitations imposed by traditional production methods and materials. The Adaptive saddle padding is crafted by Carbon using its revolutionary Digital Light Synthesis technology. DLS is an additive manufacturing process which uses digital ultraviolet light projection, oxygen permeable optics, and programmable liquid resins to produce parts with excellent mechanical properties, resolution and surface finish.

TAILORED ZONAL CUSHIONING

Using Carbon technology, biomechanists and engineers have an unprecedented possibility: to design and manufacture multiple functional zones within the saddle, tuning each of them separately for specific mechanical properties.Each of these key functional zones is engineered with a distinctive cushioning and mechanical response, joined together progressively and seamlessly in the same padding.

LAB TESTED, ROAD PROVEN

Professional cyclists and amateur riders were tested in both the fizik labs and on the road. During each development phase, every iteration was carefully tested. A great focus has been put on understanding how the pressure patterns change according to different bike geometries, riding positions, and riding styles.

FROM AN IDEA, DIRECTLY TO SCALABLE PRODUCTION

Thanks to this one-of-its-kind combination of process and material, we’ve been given the chance to develop a product five times faster, creating and field-testing hundreds of iterations. Being applicable to mass production, this technology completely remaps the traditional manufacturing process, accelerating and leaping over all intermediate phases.

History of the Fizik Brand

Fi’zi:k is the premium, racing brand of Selle Royal S.p.a. Its name is synonymous with the shape and form of the human body; hence the intuitive association with products that are contact points between riders and their bikes.

More than this, fi’zi:k represents beauty, speed, passion, freedom for those who race against each other, race against the clock and for enthusiast cyclists around the world who identify with the feeling of the fire of competition. The humble origin in 1998 stemmed from a vision to improve rider performance by creating superior saddle comfort.

Today’s Spine Concept™ provides a guideline to help riders find their most comfortable saddle. Integral to this comfort is the design collaboration with professional athletes and the fact that each saddle is 100% “fatto a mano” (hand-made) in Italy.

Some credit Fi’zi:k with redefining the racing saddle category thanks to its destructively-innovative elegant products that are not only comfortable, but also a source of style and beauty in their own right.

The Arione, launched in 2003 is one such example. In 2006 fi’zi:k launched a product for riders’ hands: a strong, washable Microtex bar tape. Shoes were then launched in 2010 offering a unique blend of innovative materials with an inimitable style. 2014 sees fi’zi:k launch road cockpit components employing The Spine Concept™ to help riders choose their perfect handlebar shape.

In 2013 fi’zi:k saddles were ridden by 8 out of the 19 UCI World Tour Teams. Fi’zi:k’s relentless innovation is facilitated by many such committed professional athletes, from all cycling disciplines. Relentless testing and refinement has helped fi’zi:k to push the boundaries of possibility. It will come as little surprise then that Fi’zi:k products have been ridden to many Cycling World titles, Ironman World Championship titles and beyond.