Dayton Startup Sets Records with an Ultra-Comfortable Bike Seat

How Edge Cycling Technologies is rethinking comfort without sacrificing speed

Ever wondered why bicycle seats don’t seem to be designed for the human body? So did the creators of Edge Cycling Technologies. Now, the Dayton-based bike-seat manufacturer is revolutionizing the rides of cyclists across the world and setting records along the way. Edge was founded by President and CEO Shane Page, a physical therapist who didn’t think traditional bike seats made sense. His first entrepreneurial venture set out to fix that problem, and has already helped set a new Guinness World Record in the process.

“There are a lot of different seats out there that are doing their best to maximize comfort, but I think they’re missing the point in finding the actual cause of the pain,” said Page. “Our anatomy is curved, and your typical seat is flat, pressing against some very sensitive structures in the body. Our seat is the only truly anatomical seat that takes the rider’s anatomy into consideration. You sit in the seat versus sitting on the seat, which takes away the compression and allows for a pain-free and comfortable ride.”

The search for that comfortable ride is how Page arrived at the idea for Edge’s seats, called the Physiosaddle. While studying at the University of Dayton, Page and his roommate decided to try to ride the six miles to and from class. But like many bike seats, his was too uncomfortable to make the ride plausible, causing him to wonder why the seats aren’t designed around actual human anatomy.

“After about a month of school, I was over it,” said Page. “My butt was hurting, and I ended up telling my roommate, ‘I’m done with this.’ Later that morning, I just happened to be in an anatomy lecture. I’m sitting there hurting and looking at what our body looks like thinking, ‘Why is the seat shaped that way if our body looks like that?’ I started doodling some ideas and came up with different designs. Eventually, I met some cyclists who thought I had a great idea. That was in 2017 and we haven’t looked back since.”

Three years later, Edge seats are growing in popularity. The equipment is available on the company’s website, Amazon and some Dayton-area bike shops. So far, the most emphatic praise of the seats has come from the highest level of cycling. Late last year, competitive cycler Bharat Pannu rode the seat to a Guinness World Record in India by completing a 2,200-mile race more than 15 hours faster than the previous record time. The news was widely covered, providing a major exposure boost for Edge.

“It was huge; waking up that morning and seeing the news was amazing,” said Page. “Bharat has been a great ambassador for us, and he’s always in constant communication. When he was done with that race, he sent a Facebook message right away saying, ‘Hey, I just crushed the record. Thank you so much. Your saddle was a huge contributor. I couldn’t get comfortable on the other ones.’ But really, almost every one of our customers has been successful and happy riding with our product, and the response has been fantastic.”

Looking ahead, Page said Edge has plans to expand their seat offerings for triathletes and casual riders as well. And as the company grows, they’ve leaned on the support of Dayton-area organizations like The Entrepreneurs Center and the Fastlane program at the University of Dayton Research Institute. Already making a global impact from his hometown, Page said he’s excited to see Edge Cycling grow from within Ohio, where he has the resources to achieve his goals.

“There are so many people who know what they’re doing around this area that are willing to help small businesses and startups,” said Page. “That support has just been phenomenal. I take pride in being part of the entrepreneurial system here in the Dayton area. I was on a trail recently and I walked out of the bathroom and saw my seat on someone’s bike. Never in a million years do you think that you’re going to produce something that could make waves and start to make a change within an industry. So to see this guy on my seat in my town was just so rewarding.”