Interbike Goodie #1: Reform moldable carbon saddle

Reform Road

Sit bones get the personal touch.

The Reform saddle comes from a company named Landyachtz is a company I’d never heard off out of Vancouver, Canada. They got their start in, off all things, longboards but then branched out into bikes and saddles.

There are a million saddles out there that attempt to dial in your comfort with their own opinion on how best to fit saddles — the various widths, shapes channels, cut-outs and materials.

The Reform goes in a totally different direction: a custom, heat moldable saddle with allows your sit bones to form the shell. The way it was described to me was that your sit bones are actually “punching out holes in shell.” Not literally but it’s creating depressions for your sit bones to relax into.

That fit should perfectly match your unique riding position because you sit on the saddle while on a trainer. Basically they plug in a heating element that connects to the underside of the saddle (almost like the power cord on an Apple laptop). In 4 to 5 minutes the saddle is heated up and then you form the saddle as you rider on the trainer for 15 minutes.

The heating molding of carbon isn’t a new thing. Cycling shoe companies such as Bont and Lake already use the process. It’s also something that Fischer does on their high end ski boots.

The benefits of this heat molding go beyond comfort — which is already a pretty solid one. Because you’re sit bones are fitted into the saddle, you’ve got a decrease in pressure points and an increase in contact area. That extra contact gives you more control over the handling of your bike.

And for those whose eyes immediacy go to the weight scale, the Reform is super crazy light. The Road 45 is 188 grams while the Road 55 comes in at 189 grams — the full carbon rails assist with the weight loss. There is also an off-road version called the Explore that’s more an endurance saddle.

At this point, I don’t see these new models reflected on the Landyachtz website. However, I was told the Road version will be priced at $350. That’s a lot to play for a saddle but with this degree of sit bone personalized fit and light weight, I suspect plenty of people will get excited.