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Factory Tour: Prologo shows how saddles are made, plus an inside look at Velo

Prologo saddle factory tour with hosts Stella and Salvatore
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Prologo saddle factory tour at Velo

Any story about Prologo starts at Velo. Stella Yu started Velo Saddles in 1979 and has been producing saddles for other brands ever since…to the tune of 15 million saddles per year across multiple factories. Chances are very good the saddle you’re riding today was made by Velo.

But her dream, according to Prologo brand manager Salvatore Truglio, was to produce something under her own brand and produce something at the top level that could compete with brands like Selle San Marco or Selle Italia.

Around 2006, Salvatore met Stella and she was looking for an Italian company to collaborate with. Meanwhile, he was working for various other cycling companies before becoming a regional sales manager for Columbus, which had developed the Cinelli and Gruppo brands. Stella was looking for someone to help drive the premium brand project, and Salvatore was looking to create something of his own. So, they set up headquarters in Busnago, Italy, which was near enough to many other major Italian cycling brands that it benefitted from that country’s cycling and manufacturing cultures, as well as their racing and teams.

Prologo saddle factory tour with original V-Max saddle

To start, they had to consider what they could do that would be better, and different, than the competition. Their first product was called The Choice, which had an interchangeable top section.

Prologo saddle factory tour with original V-Max saddle

Prologo saddle factory tour with original V-Max saddle

With just two small screws on the tail, you could release the top section and swap the padding between mountain bike, gel and road racing options. It also introduced a new vacuum molding process and resulted in no stitching.

The Choice saddle debuted in 2007 and was raced by Tinkoff and Milram teams, capturing several podiums and Giro stage wins with Petaki on it. From there, he started with working with Bjarne Riis to get feedback from his athletes, going through several prototypes with something like 10 day turnaround between his comments and his athletes riding new saddles. This quickness helped convince the team Prologo was serious about making good saddles, so CSC switched all of their saddles over for the season. And Bjarnes was “maniacal” about providing detailed feedback, giving Prologo the information they needed to make top level products.

Prologo saddle factory tour with custom seats

Then, in 2008, they introduced the first ever TT-specific saddle for Cancellara. The Nago Evo TTR debuted with a shorter nose, slide control embossing to keep him in an aero position without slipping off the nose, and a lifted tail. They launched in at the Tour de France in Monaco and took home the yellow jersey. Since then, they’ve switched the embossing to their vibration damping CPC material, and had to make the tail flat to comply with the UCI…the model is in its fourth generation for 2017.

Prologo saddle factory tour with custom seats

Prologo saddle factory tour with custom seats
Prologo also makes a lot of special edition saddles throughout the year for major events or teams.

Prologo saddle factory tour with custom seats

In the years since, they’ve partnered with doctors and universities to refine the shape of the saddles and develop their MyQ fit system to help riders find the right saddle for them. Options include flat, semi-round and rounded shapes, cutouts or not, and multiple widths. MyQ also incorporates a sit-and-fit pad and software system for retailers that takes riders’ height, weight, flexibility and riding style and experience into account before making recommendations.

Prologo saddle factory tour with hosts Stella and Salvatore
Stella and Salvatore show off a few saddles fresh from the production line.

In Italy, they run the company, manage sales, research and development, testing and design. All manufacturing is handled by Velo in Taichung area in Taiwan. Velo makes about 8,000 saddles per day at this factory. They also have Shanghai and Shenzhen operations, but this Taiwan factory makes the high end stuff. Here’s how it happens…

HOW PROLOGO & VELO MAKE THEIR SADDLES

Prologo saddle factory tour at Velo

They use various types of foams, covers, etc. Velo works with the brands and materials suppliers to make sure everyone gets what they want in the finished product. For other brands, they will explain what options are available and then advise on what to use. Because of the volume they do, they often get exclusive rights to some of the best materials…things like temperature stable foam, etc. Above is pre-made foam layers that get cut to shape for some saddles.

Prologo saddle factory tour at Velo

Prologo saddle factory tour shows foam molding process

Others use injection molded foam, sometimes with the shell going into the mold so they’re sort of co-molded together. Above, you can see several shells laid into the foam molds.

Prologo saddle factory tour shows foam molding process

Prologo saddle factory tour shows foam molding process

Molds are slotted into a conveyer belt, then filled with a liquid that’ll expand into foam and bake itself into shape as the conveyor turns the corner and runs through an oven. This process lets them create multi-density foam. Each section is poured into it’s own section of a full sized mold, then they fuse into a single piece but maintain the zoned density.

Prologo saddle factory tour shows foam molding process

Once they’re removed, excess foam is trimmed and they move on to be covered.

Prologo saddle factory tour assembly and trimming

Prologo saddle factory tour assembly and trimming

Prologo saddle factory tour assembly and trimming

The covers are glued and stretched over the foam and stapled into place.

Prologo saddle factory tour assembly and trimming

Prologo saddle factory tour assembly and trimming

Then the excess material is trimmed off, and they move on for final assembly and packaging.

Prologo saddle factory tour assembly and trimming
Salvatore inspects a saddle’s cover installation.

Prologo saddle factory tour rail bending and cutting

Rails used to be hand bent, now they’ve designed their own machine to automate the process and bend the rails in a matter of seconds. This not only creates massive efficiencies, but it ensures the saddles are perfectly level. In the pic above, a spool of wire gets pulled through a cutting machine.

Prologo saddle factory tour rail bending and cutting

Those sections are then placed into another machine that bends them into shape. This one is an older machine. Stella’s newest one is their own design that works much faster, is absolutely mesmerizing to watch as it pulls wire through and bends it in real time. It was awesome, and all photos and video were 100% off limits. She doesn’t want anyone else copying that technology. The carbon fiber based and rails are manufactured in a totally depart building, and even Salvatore isn’t allowed there…Stella likes to keep that process secret, too.

Prologo saddle factory tour shell molding

Prologo saddle factory tour shell molding

Just down the road is another of her factories, which is more modern because it’s newer. Here, they do the plastic and composite injection molded bases for the saddles. They also make handlebar tape and grips there.

Prologo saddle factory tour shell molding
Rows upon rows of molds for grips, saddle shells and other parts are warehoused with a small forklift running down a central track to retrieve them.

Prologo saddle factory tour shell molding

They make 800 pair of grips per machine per day. There are 43 machines for saddle shells and grips, plus another 33 grip machines in another building. Tri-density grips come out from a single machine, and they have three of those machines.
In total, they make one million pairs of grips per month and have no warehouse – they’re shipping them as fast as they can make them.

QUALITY CONTROL

Prologo saddle factory tour shows testing and quality control

Inside the QC lab are machines for testing both durability and quality of manufacture.

Prologo saddle factory tour shows testing and quality control

Inside the weather tester, one hour is equivalent to one month. Temp range runs from -20° to 80° C (-4º to 176º F), and it tests for UV color stability.

Prologo saddle factory tour shows testing and quality control

Prologo saddle factory tour shows testing and quality control

Saddles get pounded with 110kg over 200,000 cycles to meet 10% higher than ISO4210 standard. Also tests for graphics and material longevity.

Prologo saddle factory tour shows testing and quality control

Lastly, saddles are measured for balance and even-ness.

Prologo saddle factory tour with custom seats

The end result is a high end saddle with features that won’t make its way to any other brand’s seat. We saw a lot of other brands there, and Velo seems to bend over backwards to continually find new materials and better designs to offer their OEM customers, but there are a few things they reserve for their own baby. Or that Prologo brings to the table, like the CPC Airing vibration damping, a technology they developed and patented.

Huge thanks to Salvatore and Stella for the tour and hospitality!

PrologoTouch.com

 

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11 Comments
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Billy Conley
Billy Conley
6 years ago

To any cycling company in search of new blood: Stella Yu (along with Sky Yeager, Roxy Lo, and countless other, lesser known or entirely anonymous, but equally strong and intelligent women) is proof enough. Stop hiring only privileged white guys. Women can and do design and build quality items throughout the entire industry, from saddles to frames to tyres to pedals and beyond. We all benefit. Not just women, not just in the “fresh perspective”, patronising, mansplaining sense. Not just to expand the market and therefore your bottom line, but as equals simply doing a job.
-Sincerely, a privileged white guy.

iloveschlampe
6 years ago
Reply to  Billy Conley

Nice b8 m8. Do r8, 8/8.

If serious, start your own company and do what you want.

VeloKitty
VeloKitty
6 years ago

> Rails used to be hand bent, now they’ve designed their own machine
> to automate the process

Such innovation! It’s almost factory-like!

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Paul
Paul
6 years ago

Too bad prologo saddles are so damn hard and uncomfortable!! They look great but tech is quite basic. Never been impressed and happy despite wanting to like them and spending over $1000 us on a few hoping for something that isnt bruising after 70 miles or so. I cant evem sell prologo on ebay nobody wants it!

Thomas
Thomas
6 years ago
Reply to  Paul

You spend $1000 US on a Prologo saddle? Or any kind of saddle, for that matter? For what it’s worth: I had a Selle Italia on my first road bike, then got a Prologo on my second (and current) road bike. I’ve also been on a f’i:zik for some time on a third road bike while living abroad temporarily. When I had to replace the Prologo last year due to wear, I had a clear preference to go with Prologo again. For me, they did not only look great, but they also work great. But I also wouldn’t buy a used saddle on eBay, not even from my favorite brand.

Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot
6 years ago
Reply to  Thomas

Can you elaborate on not buying a used saddle? I’m on a prologo scratch and have loved it for 3 years.

Tom
Tom
6 years ago

I don’t see the problem, so long as it’s in good condition. You obviously don’t want one with bent/broken rail/hull etc, but trying saddles out is part of the game, some times it doesn’t work. Sell it and move on. Not like buying a used car with a cracked head gasket.

Tom
Tom
6 years ago

never tried one, but the top of the line model w/ carbon shell and rails is prodigiously expensive

Paul
Paul
6 years ago

Spent 1000$ on a few trying and hoping theyd be comfy as they looked good, but c130 is a rock, no sophistication whatsoever and not that light, and others were even heavier and so dense felt like rocks after 40 mins.

myke2241
myke2241
6 years ago

Those grippy things don’t play well long term for bib shorts. Btw one of the worst names in the industry. That being said I still want the company to do well as there is a product for everyone

1Pro
1Pro
6 years ago

Please bring back the Scratch Pro 143 from 2012… i dont like the newer version.

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