From Catch-Up to Category Leader
In 2018, Fizik approached Phil Burt with a clear goal. Enter the short-nose saddle game — and do it fast. They were late to the category and needed more than a quick response. They needed insight. Precision. A process. That’s where Phil Burt Innovation came in. What followed wasn’t just a project. It was a total reinvention of how a saddle could be developed, tested, and delivered.
Fizik’s team made frequent trips to Phil’s lab in Manchester, bringing prototypes, materials, and early concepts. Together, they engaged in deep, rider-informed testing — not just by feel, but through real-time pressure mapping. Phil used his saddle pressure mapping system to track how each design iteration distributed force, compared it with rider feedback, and zeroed in on the sweet spot between comfort, support, and performance. What they found reshaped the development process entirely.
Instead of relying solely on CAD or conventional testing, Phil and the Fizik team got hands-on.
They began working with artist’s model foam, hand-shaping each prototype — sanding, filing, and refining the form with incredible attention to detail. Once the ideal shape emerged, it was 3D scanned and digitally captured, ready for refinement.
But the real breakthrough came with pressure. Phil identified that the saddle's central pressure relief zone — a cut-out designed to reduce numbness — had too steep a transition.
“It felt like riding off a cliff.” Riders weren’t just uncomfortable — their pressure maps confirmed it. Phil advised Fizik to smooth the transition zones, reducing the abrupt drop and creating a more even, rider-friendly pressure gradient. The result?
The Fizik Argo — a short-nose saddle that not only caught up to the market but began setting a new standard for comfort.
