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Dash Cycles Introduces Insanely Light, Fully Adjustable Saddle/Seatpost Combos, Plus 770g Carbon Disc Wheel

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Dash Cycles ultra lightweight carbon fiber saddle and seatpost combination

Dash Cycles is known for their wicked light carbon fiber saddles, but seems they’ve really outdone themselves this time.

Our current test model, the recently introduced Strike 9, comes in at just 111g with padding. Which is incredibly light. Well, their new saddle and seatpost combination does away with the rails and clamps to come in at a combined weight of as little as 112 grams! That weight is for the S.4 polished carbon saddle shown above, but they’ll soon be offering their full selection of saddle shapes with the new cradle system.

Some really light saddle/post combos achieve their cloud-like weights by molding the two parts into one. The beauty of Dash’s (patent pending) system is that it still offers both fore/aft and tilt adjustments. See how it all works, along with their new 11-speed compatible, full carbon disc aero wheel, after the break…

Dash Cycles ultra lightweight carbon fiber saddle and seatpost combination

Two versions of the cradle system will be offered. The first is the top-mounted style shown on the S.4 at the top of the post. That’s the lightest version. The other is shown here on the Slate.7, a padded saddle that uses a side-mounting design.

Dash Cycles ultra lightweight carbon fiber saddle and seatpost combination

For the side-mount saddles, a countersunk bolt comes through the saddle’s shell…

Dash Cycles ultra lightweight carbon fiber saddle and seatpost combination

…and a conical set screw meets up with those bolts to pull it down into the “brick”, or cradle, and locks the saddle into place. Fore/aft adjustments are made before the set screws are fully tightened.

On the top-adjust saddles, there are fixed nuts inside the cradle and the bolts on the top of the saddle screw directly into the cradle. The top adjust version is only available on their full carbon (non-padded) saddles. All others will get the side adjust.

The top of the post has a curved surface, and the cradle has a matching curve. The tilt adjustment is made by loosening the center set screw and positioning the seat; then tighten it down to lock it in place.

The polished carbon saddle with post or the TT9 is $1,100. All padded saddles with the integrated post system are $1,000. Right now, they’re only available in 27.2 diameter posts for standard frames, plus Cervelo S5, P2, P3, P4, P5, and the Specialized Shiv non-UCI.  They are working on a 31.6, Trek Speed Concept, and Scott Plasma and are taking requests for any other posts. Prices for the frame-specific models will be the same as for standard round posts. Sample claimed weights are:

  • 27.2/300mm post with S.4 saddle = 112g
  • 27.2/300mm post with Slate.7 in triple layer padding = 170g
  • Cervelo S5 post with a fully padded triple layer Stage.9 saddle ? 190g (the stock S5 post is a little over 250g)

In addition to the two mount varieties, two weight limit models will be offered. The weights listed here are for the “under 85kg” rider weight limit. Slightly heavier ones will be offered for riders from 85kg to 100kg (187lb – 220lb).

DASH CYCLES GRETCHEN 770g FLAT DISC REAR WHEEL

Dash Cycles Gretchen 770-gram carbon fiber flat disc rear wheel for 10- and 11-speeds

Hot on the heels of their Gizelle lenticular rear disc wheel comes the Gretchen, a perfectly flat 770-gram cargon fiber tubular disc wheel. It, too, will have two versions with the same rider weight limits, and the lighter 770g one is for the lower limit.

The wheel is 21mm wide at the brake track and uses the same unidirectional layup and 17mm axle with 4×6803 bearings as the Gizelle. The main difference is the narrower (flat) disc to better accommodate aero frames with tight clearance at the stays. The flat profile has the added benefit of making room for their new Shimano 11-speed compatible freehub body. That means it’s also Campagnolo compatible.

Retail is $2,800 with a slight lead time. Here’s a very short video of the wheel in action:

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36 Comments
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Sean
Sean
11 years ago

How long before those saddle bolts pull right through the saddle?

carl
carl
11 years ago

@Sean – +1

Tiz-urkey
Tiz-urkey
11 years ago

“Wicked” hmmmmmmmmm as the bolts pull through the saddle on this high dollar ass hatchet. I bet this thing flies pretty good across the room, broken and disgusted, after spending over $1000.00 for this. zero point zero rating on this- buyer beware

Stefan
Stefan
11 years ago

@Sean – My guess – never. The loading is in the opposite direction, if I am not mistaken.

Sevo
Sevo
11 years ago

Sean and Carl-It’s a non issue. Should be just fine.

WG
WG
11 years ago

As far as I understand, Dash Cycles will pay their users for bibs if they tear them against bolts?

What a fugly thing!

notapro
notapro
11 years ago

with sean’s observatiob with a $1K price tag this is really testing my new year’s resolution early to be more positive/constructive towards things.

John
John
11 years ago

Innovative – kudos for pursuing something new!!!

Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
11 years ago

The saddles look like a road version of the Pivotal BMX seatpost system. Nothing inherently wrong with that and I don’t think normal road and TT use would put a lot of stress on the interface between the bolts and the saddle. However it would be a very bad idea to put this on a CX or MTB where you do hit the saddle hard and I can’t imagine spending $1000 on a saddle and post when I would be hard pressed to spend $500 on a conventional setup.

plebs
plebs
11 years ago

If that screw were to catch…

SWijland
SWijland
11 years ago

I would just get a Schmolke TLO seatpost combined with a Dash saddle. It’s lighter, fully adjustable and proven.

championismo
championismo
11 years ago

I don’t always TT but when I do its on the sidewalk.

Ben
Ben
11 years ago

I feel like there are better places to save weight than your saddle. Can anyone seriously imagine riding 5+ hours on this thing? Not a chance. Give me a San Marco Concor or a Selle Italia Flite or something I know I’m gonna be comfortable on when I’m putting in the base miles. Do any of these weight weenie types even ride a bike or do they put it in their living room to look at?

dale
dale
11 years ago

The dash saddles look awesome I want a white one!

ascar larkinyar
ascar larkinyar
11 years ago

seems like the seatpost would make the seat stronger if it had a channel to match the seat’s bottom shape. then the bolts would not tear though.

carl
carl
11 years ago

@ Sevo – Oh…. ok. Sign me up.

@Ben – If you are removing static weight from a bike, high up is a good thing. You can feel the difference readily, especially when out of the saddle and moving the bike left and right as in climbing or sprinting. It is sometimes called “swing weight”. Still, I agree with you… definitely eye candy for dentists or lawyers.

animallover
11 years ago

Correction: Dash Cycles ain’t known for nothing in the bike industry. Trek is known, Cannondale is known, Stan’s NoTubes is known, Thomson is known, hell I’d even say that Park Tools is known. Dash Cycles isn’t known because they make idiotic crap like this. This is an early April Fool’s day joke right. An $1100 post/saddle colabo…does it suck you off or tickle the g spot pre, post and during ride??

greg
greg
11 years ago

^
… somebody is bitter because they’re poor.
i like the thing. only real downside i see is the loss of the “hammock” effect you get with conventional saddles, lending some comfort. prob not a big deal for tri geeks, but roadies (and mountain bikers) would appreciate that.

mudrock
mudrock
11 years ago

If innovative thinkers listed to knuckleheads like you guys we would still be riding pennyfarthings. It would be easy to make this setup more durable, and the weight would still beat the common rail attachment. Dash is going after the weight-weenie crowd because they are the spare-no-expense early adopters. Tons of trickle down potential here. I like it.

bang
bang
11 years ago

Animallover: So Dash Cycles are known?

Sam
Sam
11 years ago

Wow, animallover, first of all, if you think People know of Stan’s NoTubes over Park Tool, well, (deleted). Additionally, of what quality and corresponding price tag do you think any major innovation in cycling comes in at? Maybe you should examine the early days of Dura Ace and then go cry? Just maybe.

FreddieMerckx
FreddieMerckx
11 years ago

SO MUCH HATERAIDE DRINKING GOING ON PEOPLE!

Sean
Sean
11 years ago

The saddle acts as a number of levers with ones body weight acting against it. There’s the whole fore-aft piece which I was initially thinking would cause pull-through, but, thinking again, the side to side weight shifts (we call it “pedaling”) would cause minor, but alternating, stresses on the pseudo-rail. That’s where I see pull-through coming from.

Think of it this way: take a pair of 2x4s, and arrange as a T (ala the saddle). Put in two nails to hold it in, and rock back and forth the top piece. The nails with work their way down, and cut into the wood, much like what the screws will do to the carbon.

Rob
Rob
11 years ago

Sean above is 100% correct.

The screws/bolts will cause stress concentrations in the seat, which after a given number of load cycles (such as a full pedal revolution) will cause a fibre/resin/interface failure which will lead to a delamination. Which after some time will cause failure of the whole seat.

I have seen this happen many times with composites loaded cyclically.

pmurf
pmurf
11 years ago

My god…..you guys are right! Quick, tell Dash about this 2×4 experiment! They most likely have done absolutely no testing of this concept and need to be informed of the inherent dangers of this design before rushing this ticking time bomb to market. Thank heavens for people like you, keeping the innocent cyclists safe from the horrors of carbon saddle failure. We really dodged a bullet here.

Rob
Rob
11 years ago

Companies have no legal requirement to test products like this…. Believe me, this will be about as good an idea as carbon spokes were a few years back

ArmchairEngineer
ArmchairEngineer
11 years ago

you’re so right about carbon spokes. Lightweight hasn’t proven that yet…

Speedy
Speedy
11 years ago

@AmrchairEnginner – don’t forget madfiber.

And for all the haters – don’t like it – don’t buy it. And sometimes, it’s best to let others just make their mistakes (not that this is one) and figure out for themselves.

This would be great for a fit, 140lbs racer that climbs like a mountain goat and wins races. It’s also great for fairwheel bikes to sell to doctors and lawyers. I for one applaud capitalism at work here.

bin judgin
bin judgin
11 years ago

People wonder why the industry is failing

notmikeb
notmikeb
11 years ago

i really want to know more about this “cargon fiber disc wheel”! Is that how it got so light? is cargon fiber lighter than carbon fiber?

Nash
Nash
11 years ago

Think this a prop from that film Saw.

Rob
Rob
11 years ago

Just wait and see, this seat will need redesigning because those bolts will not work out.

Source: My amazing brain

James
James
11 years ago

The original patented design of the saddle is from BME – http://www.bmeres.com/saddles70.htm .

Pat
Pat
11 years ago

I just was forwarded this from a friend .. yes, BME has been developing this for years and exhibited the latest version at BFS in Berlin last spring. It makes me sick that there are so many a/holes out there just jumping other dudes ideas and racing to beat them to market when the guy with the idea and the IP takes his time to do it right and maybe isn’t as resourced. I haven’t heard of dash before but if they are unaware that someone else owns the IP to this then I think they should have the courtesy to drop BME a line to discuss. As to the functional aspects of the design then it’s maybe worth discussing with BME as their frames are laboratory tested rigorously to certified standards as well as having been ridden for years in prototype before they even get that far so I can’t imagine corners are cut with the saddle/ seatpost.

shawn o
shawn o
7 years ago

love dash, i have seat, broke it once, they sent me another one for $100 bucks, love it, will always ride it, they stand by their word

Ive
Ive
5 years ago

Tried a dozen seats over 2 years time.
Would get the center pressure in the worst desirable areas.
Finally tried the dash stage 9.
In the first 25’ I could not believe the instant enjoyment of no pressure in the center (duh).
I have 5 dash seats for my 5 bikes during the last 4 years.
My average rides are 40-60 miles x 2 per week.
If you haven’t tried it, your opinions are just worthless!!!
What a great product!!!

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