3D-printing has become the go-to saddle upgrade for many. Now, with the advent of designs such as Posedla's latest Joyseat, you can get a fully custom design tailored to your requirements.
Alternatively, you can use one of the many saddle-measurement systems, such as Selle Italia’s idmatch.
In truth, using either approach can get you a great saddle. However, Posedla’s fully custom process means you should get a perfect fit from the get-go, with pricing for both saddles around the £400 mark.
I tested the Selle Italia SLR 3D and Posedla Joyseat Pro 3.0 head-to-head and, while both proved to be excellent saddles, I concluded it's worth the five-week wait for the superior comfort of the fully custom option.
Introducing the saddles
Posedla Joyseat Pro 3.0
When it comes to 3D printing, Posedla goes further than most brands. You don’t simply buy a saddle off the shelf. Instead, when you place an order Posedla sends you one of its Smiling Butt Kits. This consists of a cardboard box that contains a special gridded foam core that you sit on (not in padded shorts).
This impression is then photographed and the box is sent back to Posedla, once you've filled out a survey including your annual mileage, type of bike (road, gravel, MTB, ebike, etc), your riding style (recreational or performance), an assessment of your personal flexibility, and your age, sex, height and weight.
The dimensions of your saddle are created through the data generated from the kit and the other factors come from Posedla’s fit experts.
With all this information, Posedla creates a fully bespoke, mapped 3D-printed saddle with the touch points custom-created between soft and firm compounds. This is combined with width points and custom padding stiffness, thickness, saddle width and curvature.
My saddle width came up at 144.5mm, with a sit-bone width of 122.2mm, with low curvature and thickness requirements.
Selle Italia SLR 3D
I got the 'off-the-shelf' Selle Italia SLR 3D using the idmatch system some time ago.
Idmatch is Selle Italia's saddle-measuring system, which uses a 'Smart Caliper' to measure the intertrochanteric distance (the distance between the two large femur tuberosities), otherwise described as the bones on which you sit.
This, combined with your thigh width, pelvic-rotation measurement and pressure measurement, gives a corresponding Selle Italia saddle shape.
Mine is the L3, which corresponds to a 145mm width (very similar to Posedla’s findings).
How I tested – 3D-printed saddles
For both saddles, I went through the fitting process (idmatch and Smiling Butt Kit), and then rode each for eight months in all weather conditions.
Each saddle was fitted to bikes according to my fit data. I tested them on rides of various distances, at both high-tempo and steady-endurance pace.
Both were fitted to and swapped between two of my favourite bikes, a Cannondale SuperSix Evo and a Mosaic RT-1, with the SuperSix Evo having a race-oriented ride position and the Mosaic more of an endurance-bike position.
Posedla Joyseat Pro 3.0 vs Selle Italia SLR 3D build details
The Selle Italia SLR 3D is 145mm wide and 242mm long, and weighs in at a feathery 146.6g. The Posedla Joyseat is 144.5mm wide, but longer (at 256mm) and heavier (at 163g).
The difference in weight, aside from the Joyseat’s extra length, comes from the Selle Italia shell being made from lightweight UD carbon, compared to the Posedla’s Twill (woven) carbon shell.
You can upgrade to a UD carbon-shell Joyseat Ultra, which drops the weight to around 155g, but costs an extra £70. Conversely, the alloy-railed ‘Plus’ model adds a few grams, taking it to circa 220g, but drops the price by £100 / $100 / €100 to £299 / $399 / €389.
The Selle Italia SLR 3D I tested is priced at £409.99 / $479.90 / €449.90.
Both feature 7x9mm carbon rails, and of course, both have a 3D-printed structure in place of traditional padding.
On the Selle Italia, it’s a diamond-like geometric-shaped pattern, where the diamond shapes alter both in size and depth throughout the padding. On the nose, they’re almost hollow, while at the sit bone, there’s much more material to offer support.
Posedla’s design is different from most because the upper design consists of a circular-holed pattern, with different-sized holes throughout. The changes in size and depth give a far broader span of compliance and stiffness to the padding, which I could feel.
Posedla Joyseat Pro 3.0 vs Selle Italia SLR 3D performance
Getting the right saddle is paramount to getting the most out of your riding. In general, the more comfortable you are, the better you’ll perform and the longer you can ride. Of course, saddle comfort is highly subjective and depends on many more factors than the saddle itself.
It’s also worth noting I’m not usually troubled by saddles. After more than 25 years of bike testing across myriad saddle shapes and styles, I’ve become somewhat immune to all but the worst saddles.
But even with these caveats, I’ve been impressed by both the Selle Italia SLR 3D and the Posedla Joyseat.
The Selle Italia’s compact shape, with its generous cutout, is very comfortable. I particularly liked the pronounced ridged texture across the mid-point of the saddle, running through to the nose.
This worked particularly well in wet conditions, offering grip to slick Lycra tights where traditional saddles slip and slide. The Posedla’s smoother outer skin isn’t as grippy as the Selle Italia saddle, but again, it's far superior to a traditional covered saddle.
I’ve always got on with the Selle Italia SLR's shape and this latest generation is no different. It's got a little shorter over the years, but the fundamentals haven’t changed. The flat profile, with tapering wings, is the shape I look for in a road saddle, and Selle Italia has hit the comfort sweet spot (for me), through both shape and padding density.
Posedla’s full-custom approach, however, takes things to another level. For every saddle I’ve ever tested, there has always been some adjustment to make, be it sliding it along the rails, altering the angle slightly or simply having a period of getting used to the subtle differences.
With the Joyseat, that wasn’t needed. The saddle was fitted (according to data from my last bike fitting), so it's set back 10mm on the rails on a zero-offset post, and that's it.
As soon as I got aboard the Joyseat, it felt like a saddle I’d been using for years. There were no pressure points, no irritating changes in firmness and no friction of any sort.
Posedla Joyseat Pro 3.0 vs Selle Italia SLR 3D verdict
Posedla Joyseat 3.0 Pro
Pros: Comfort; bespoke-made; lightweight
Cons: Doesn’t look as premium as other top-end, off-the-peg saddles
Selle Italia SLR 3D
Pros: Featherweight; great finish; excellent comfort
Cons: Doesn’t come cheap
Selle Italia SLR 3D versus Posedla Joyseat 3.0 Pro bottom line
Posedla’s solution is around the same price as Selle Italia’s most premium saddle, but it takes around five weeks to get a saddle made.
The wait is worth it, although I’d argue the finishing and aesthetics of the Selle Italia are more premium and certainly slicker than the Joyseat's.
That said, Posedla’s approach edges it when it comes to its primary purpose, keeping me comfortable on the road over all kinds of distances.
So, if you're looking for the ultimate comfort in your performance saddle, going the full-custom route is the option I’d recommend.
