A really comfortable bike seat? Even Lance Armstrong might scoff at the idea. But DuBois inventor George Angelo has designed a two-part seat that moves as the rider pedals, and he’s betting the idea will take wing. Literally.
Angelo, an 48-year-old engineer with Metaldyne Sintered Components in St. Marys, designed a saddle without a horn–just two pads to support the hipbones, with a two-and-a-half-inch gap between. The rider sits with the pads under the gluteus maximus, with pressure distributed over a wider area than a conventional saddle. The seat pads move up and down with the rider’s legs.
Angelo patented his idea, dubbed Angel Wings, in 2003. but spent the next several years trying to develop a prototype. His search for support led him six months ago to Sally Moran, coordinator of Penn State DuBois technology transfer efforts. She aids local business and entrepreneurs in finding backing and exposure.
“I had some down time and contacted the continuing education department,” says Angelo. That led the tech transfer connection. With Moran’s help, Angelo’s invention was recently cited in Planet Eureka‘s “top 100 innovations list.”
Plans are now underway to build and test prototypes of the seat on exercise bikes in university fitness labs, and Penn State will investigate possible applications for the seat in physical therapy. Angelo, whose preferred bike is a recumbent model, says the seat prototype will cost about $285 to build, with a final retail cost of about $250.
Sources: George Angelo, Steve Harmic, Penn State DuBois
Writer: Chris O’Toole