PressCamp2014: Fabric Components

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One of the few Brits in residence at PressCamp this year was Nick Larsen – best known for being the man behind Charge Bikes. (Nick was also the marketing brain behind the Pashley TV campaign from years ago). Well, Charge Bikes is still doing well, but Nick has also launched Fabric Components as a technology-led component company with very top shelf aspirations. In seeking out the latest technology for Charge’s titanium bikes, Nick forged an alliance with Airbus and took some of its research into combining carbon and titanium and developed it for saddle manufacture.

The result was a saddle with 3D printed titanium rails and a carbon shell that was ultrasonically combined with the tiny pins on the saddle rails. A hugely trick saddle, but unfortunately hugely expensive too (think £700 or so…) However, Nick and his engineers discovered that the same shape was as strong, and lighter and cheaper, in carbon, so a full carbon saddle was developed, coming in at way under the hallowed 200g mark and a ‘mere’ £199.

Super light and very sculptural… The new ALM Carbon – complete with Airbus logo.
There’s a thin layer of leather glued on the top for comfort and grip.
Meanwhile, there are some super-clean looking ‘normal’ saddles too, like this Ultimate Scoop.

Fabric will also be doing saddles in three different curves to match whether you’re a flat-back racer, a regular mountain biker, or a ride-to-work vicar.

There’s a whole range of Fabric saddles coming out.
There’s also this Line saddle, complete with comfort groove.

And showing a fair amount of out-of-the-box thinking, Fabric went to a shoe factory, rather than one of the (mere) three saddle factories to make its comfort saddle. The result is the Cell, which takes saddle design in an interesting direction, using air instead of gel to support the rider.

Fabric going for the soft cell.

For more on Fabric. Have a look over here:
http://fabric.cc/shop/saddles/

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

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Comments (5)

    superdansuperdan July 3, 2014 at 8:40 am

    I had assumed from the pictures that the Cell was solid, like the DMR Squid.
    How long is that likely to last before it punctures/wears out down the side? My Nike Air Max trainers used to have a very short finite life before they went all squishy.

    TPTcruiserTPTcruiser July 3, 2014 at 10:12 am

    Dr Martin does saddles!
    Air Wear shoes with cleats next.

    The PinksterThe Pinkster July 3, 2014 at 3:26 pm

    I’d love a pair of Air Wear soled bike shoes. My Docs work great on my commuter flatties

    slofoxslofox July 4, 2014 at 9:03 am

    So what were Charge saddles are now Fabric saddles have I got that right! And are they now available under the new name?

    slofoxslofox July 4, 2014 at 9:06 am

    The line looks very interesting as my specialist says I have to use a split type saddle if I want to ride after my Brachy operation! But are they just prototypes or are they available yet?

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