Airide chamois aims to raise 20,000 pounds on Kickstarter

27 Jan '16

2 min read

The Airide chamois (or padded insert) which is claimed by its makers to be a “revolution in cycling pad technology”, is currently on Kickstarter where it is hoping to raise £20,000 ($28,556) in funding.

The inventors' claim that this new chamois is the most advanced yet is based on to the 3D spacer fabric it's constructed from. Most padded inserts are typically made from a polyurethane foam, with many different types of foam used depending on the design and the price of the shorts.

The Airide chamois uses 3D spacer fabric, which is produced using a special knitting manufacturing process that creates a three-dimensional fabric. Available in varying thicknesses from 3 to 20mm, it's more commonly used in mattresses and office chairs.

The fabric has been developed at the University of Bolton in a project led by Professor of Technical Textiles at the University's Institute for Materials Research and Innovation, Professor Subhash Anand MBE, and local company T3 Sports Technology. They have worked together to bring the fabric to the cycling market and it's been two years in development.

The benefits of the 3D spacer fabric are that pressure is distributed over a larger area and so provides more support for your sit bones, leading to improved comfort. It's also breathable, washes easily and can even be recycled. Those are all the sorts of claims that should provide a comfortable cycling short.

“We believe there is a huge market for our product – cycling and triathlon are popular sports with massive numbers of amateur as well as professional participants,” said Professor Anand.

“The product we have created is not a million miles away from my cushion for wheelchair users – in fact, it is that research product that brought Matt and I together.”

The shorts are expected to ship in April 2016. (SH)

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