Interbike 2012 Dispatch: Ergon’s new grips, saddles, and seatpost

By Adam Newman

Best known for its line of ergonomic grips, Ergon continues to expand into new product segments for road and mountain biking.

The BA3 enduro bag is designed for mountain bikers with a gravity persuasion. It can carry a full-face and your pads on the outside and 15 liters of cargo on the inside. Available in two sizes, it can also be futher adjusted to a perfect torso fit with a four-stage adjustable back length. Price is TBD.

After first designing mountain bike saddles, Ergon introduces road saddles for 2013. The SR3 line is available in three different widths for a perfect fit, and three price points, from $140 to $240.

While the heart of a saddle is the base, the foam is what determines comfort. Most super-light saddles use thinner foam to save weight, but the base of the SR3 dips away, allowing for a deeper pocket of the dual-density, German-made foam under the riders’ sit bones.

Below that saddle, the CF3 Pro carbon seatpost is a novel take on increasing rider comfort. By realizing that the force of road impacts large and small does not travel vertically, but rather in an arc pivoting around the bottom bracket, Ergon designed the seatpost to move a small amount forward and back to absorb vibrations.

The post is actually two pieces that slide up and down against each other, and are secured with a set screw. Because the saddle mounts are on bushings, the saddle does not tilt as the post flexes backwards, it remains level. The system is maintainence-free, offers simple adjustments, and weighs in at just 200g. Look for it to go on sale in the spring.

While strictly for road bikes at this point, the design could eventually make its way into a mountain bike version.