We here at Slowtwitch have spent years looking at bike fit and the primary contact points you have on board a bike. By my last count, we have over a hundred articles in our bike fit category alone. We've looked at the importance of aero bar choice and its implication on fit and handling, generally. We're avowed Speedplay aficionados because of the adjustability available. And we have more than 20 articles dedicated to saddles alone. We love trying to solve for bike fit problems.
The launch of Position One has us asking ourselves: have we gotten it all wrong, this entire time?
Because, when we think about it, our contact point to the saddle has another barrier between your bottom and the bike. It's the chamois in your shorts. And for all of the innovation in materials that we've had in chamois over the years, there has been one constant: they're designed for a more traditional road bike position, and the kinds of saddles that fit well into that position. It's part of the reason why, in any forum (including ours), there are dozens of threads about saddle sores (or worse) for athletes riding frequently in aero position -- it's a bad match of short to saddle.
That's an area where Dan Kennison thought it might be time to make a change. Kennison, of course, is well known around these parts for the Premier Tactical bike and associated products. Kennison's a tinkerer. And eventually started thinking through that conundrum of saddle pain when in the aero position. Position One is the theoretical solution.
The theory goes something like this: modify the pad itself, making it more inline with the split-rail saddles that are most popular with triathletes, and then move that pad when sewn into the short to better align with the more forward seat-tube angle that triathletes typically sit at. Then put the best fabric and other materials into the short to make them as comfortable as you can. It's what they call getting out of "the pain zone," which is what they've termed the problematic area around traditional triathlon pressure points on a split-rail saddle. You can read more about their approach to the issue here.
It's a theory that I'll be putting to the test over the next few weeks. The packaging materials themselves scream quality. Initial feel in-hand is excellent -- it is at least as nice as some of the Rapha, Castelli, and De Soto items that I have here at the house. And as I step up my training for my return to triathlon after a four-year absence, I'll be spending plenty of time in the saddle seeing how the products (sent to me as part of a partnership agreement between Slowtwitch and Position One) works.
This all said, although the focus is on aero position based riding and the subsequent apparel answer to potential issues, Position One is more than a one-trick pony. At launch, there are tri suits, bib shorts, jerseys, accessories, and chamois cream (made without animal testing) available. You may make your purchase here.
