New bicycle seat to be made in Centerville wins $50K in UD funding

A patent-pending bicycle seat made by a University of Dayton alumnus was named the winner of this year’s Flyer Pitch contest.

A patent-pending bicycle seat made by a University of Dayton alumnus was named the winner of this year’s Flyer Pitch contest.

A new kind of bicycle seat has won the University of Dayton’s annual Flyer Pitch competition, taking the top prize of $25,000.

The “physiosaddle” is a bike seat for long-range cyclists, according to UD. The seat, which was created by Edge Cycle Technologies, is designed to help reduce pressure and improve comfort.

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The patent-pending bike seat is the only one that “accepts our anatomy instead of pressing against it,” said the inventor Shane Page, a UD alumnus who graduated with a doctor of physical therapy degree.

Page came up with the idea for the “physiosaddle” while sitting in an anatomy lecture after riding his bike to campus. The idea became reality later at Page’s physical therapy practice.

Along with the $25,000 cash prize, Page will receive another $25,000 in support from Dayton’s Entrepreneur’s Center, according to UD.

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The prize and support will allow Edge Cycle Technologies to finalize the patent and have the seat on the market by late summer. It will be manufactured in Centerville and can be pre-ordered online.

The bike seat was chosen from more than 200 submissions that included ideas from teams from the U.S., Vietnam and China. Flyer Pitch has helped more than 30 business ventures launch and raise a combined $15 million in capital since the competition was founded, according to UD.

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