Since their recent debut, UK brand Fabric continues to demonstrate its dedication to challenging the industry established design norms. Offering a collection of fresh and ultra-functional saddles and accessories Fabric’s line includes accessible entry price points and piles of color options.. They include a comfort saddle that accomplishes suspension with air cushioning rather than gel, a tri saddle with integrated water bottle carrier mount, a cageless integrated water bottle system, and a multitool with an integrated ratchet for getting into hard to reach places…
In developing the Cell saddle, Fabric once again looked outside of the cycling industry for an innovative solution to the comfort saddle. Rather than add more material to mimic the cushioning common with gel saddles, Fabric designers recognized opportunities in running shoe technology, specifically air cushioning.
The polyurethane cell structure layer (first photo) and saddle surface (second photo, left) is heat-bonded to a polycarbonate base to be permanently air-tight and waterproof. This air suspension negates the need for extra material in the saddle and keeps the overall weight of the complete saddle (above) at 356g (actual). Fabric chose the Radius profile of their Scoop saddle, the roundest of the three available, to be conducive for more upright riding positions. It also has the widest widths of their saddles at 155mm and is available in a variety of candy colors, reminiscent of late 90’s iMac styling. So far, the saddle has mainly been tested off-road with positive feedback. The Cell will be available in December for $99.99 MSRP.
The Tri Saddle was developed from the ground up, rather than adapted from a road saddle, for triathlon and time trial specific functionality. The split bonded pad features water vents to encourage water to flow off the surface for wet riders after transitions. The saddle construction is similar to the Line in that it shares the built in flexing feature of the base – there is a depression in the pressure relief channel of the base to allow flex for rider comfort.
The fun feature of this saddle system is that it comes with an optional water bottle mount included. The small clip in the saddle rear can be removed and water bottle mount can be inserted and secured with two bolts into the saddle body. The whole system will be available in stores in September for $89.99 MSRP for the cromoly version, and $109.99 MSRP for the ti-railed version.
The minimal cageless Water Bottle system consists of a bottle and a pair of studs. The studs bolt directly to your existing water bottle bosses. The bottle slides directly onto the studs, concealing them completely when installed. Because there is no cage to maneuver the bottle up and over, the bottle can be placed in small frames or those with tight geometry in the front triangle – it only requires about an inch of lateral movement to be installed or removed from the stud mounts. Fabric claims the system is secure, having tested it on downhill bikes. When pressed on whether they had other projects in the works to exploit this bottle-style mounting interface, Fabric conceded some things could be in the works (maybe we’ll see an aero bottle or tool pack). The bottle will be available in stores in September for $20 MSRP.
Last but not least is the Chamber multi tool, featuring thirteen different functions. Each bit clicks securely into its individual spot within the body of the Chamber. The canister style top features a tiny ratchet for the tools to be loaded into. The ratchet has exciting implications for allowing users to get into tight spots when on the road or trail. If you’re not sold on the ratchet aspect of the tool, there will be a rigid interface system avaialble for $50 MSRP. The ratcheting version will be available for $60 MSRP.
