Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast

Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast


What Goes Into Designing a Saddle – With Mark & Clayton from WTB

June 08, 2020

If you ride a mountain bike, then you own a saddle, but have you ever thought about what actually goes into designing and making it? Have you ever wondered how to find a saddle that is comfortable for you? Well, WTB has been at the forefront of saddle design for decades, and this week I’m joined by one of WTB’s founders, Mark Slate and their Product Marketing Manager Clayton Wangbichler to find out more. We sat down to talk about how saddles have progressed since mountain biking began, how a saddle is designed, prototyped, manufactured and tested, and how you can go about finding the right saddle for you, and making sure that it’s set up properly on your bike, so hit play below and give it a listen.

You can find out more about what WTB have to offer, and use the Fit Right system to find your perfect saddle at wtb.com. If you’re based in North America, then they have 10% off saddles during June 2020.

This month, We Are One Composites are back to support the podcast. We Are One have been big supporters of what I’m doing from the start, and for that I’m really grateful. They also make amazing carbon fibre wheels which are hand made in Canada, and have recently added their DaPackage bar and stem to their line up. I’m running their Faction 29er rims on my new bike, and they look and feel amazing. They’ve managed to find the sweet spot between stiffness and compliance, making a wheel that tracks, but doesn’t feel harsh to ride. They’ve got a whole line up of wheels, so there is always something to suit your needs. Head to weareonecomposites.com and check out what they have to offer. If you’re tempted, then as a Downtime listener they have kindly offered you 15% off until 30th June. All you need to do is enter the code ‘handlaid2020‘ at the checkout.

My webstore is BACK! It’s all brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All the products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. Check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time.

I’ve got another live episode coming up on 10th June at 8pm BST with Polygon UR rider, Joe Breeden. You can head over to my YouTube channel now to set a reminder, and catch up with all the previous live episodes at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast.

If you are enjoying the podcast, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free, and it means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can also find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, you can also join our newsletter, which means you’ll get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday.

If you want to share tips and advice with other podcast listeners on anything mountain bike related, you can join our Facebook group, head to www.facebook.com/groups/mtbperformance/ request permission to join the group and get involved!

Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at