Discover the engineering behind the new ALM Halo. We looked beyond the cycling industry for innovative, high-performance solutions to successfully modernize an icon. Welcome to the world's most advanced saddle.
The Ghost of 2015: A Legacy of Innovation
We had massive shoes to fill. In 2015, the original ALM redefined the rider and machine interface, achieving what had never been done before in full carbon saddle construction. The original team collaborated with Airbus to create an iconic design celebrated for its timeless silhouette and genuine, unexpected comfort, achieved despite radically thin padding and a stiff base.
For the new ALM, the mandate was not to replace a classic, but to evolve it. We reconnected with the original lead engineer, now at the National Composites Centre (NCC)—the facility handling research and development for Airbus—to strip away the unnecessary and find the purest form of performance.
The Physics of Discomfort: An Engineering Problem
To improve the ALM, we dissected how traditional saddles fail under pressure, tracing the issues back to two primary ergonomic flaws. The first is hammocking: when the middle of a saddle sags down its profile under load. While initially soft, this deflection crunches the rider into position, causing deep discomfort during pelvic rotation for aggressive efforts. The modern industry solution is simply cutting a massive hole in the center. It works structurally, but it leaves an aggressive, polarizing skeleton that ruins the aesthetic lines of a custom build.
The second flaw is the pivot effect. When you lay down power, the wings of a standard saddle flex downwards, causing the rail bonding points to act as a fulcrum. This forces the center of the saddle to flex upwards into the rider. Our engineering goal became clear: maintain the legendary leaf-spring comfort of the original ALM rails, but systematically eliminate both the hammocking and the pivot effect.
Project HALO: The Formula 1 Solution
Working directly with the NCC, we subjected the original ALM to brutal load-to-failure testing to expose its absolute limits. The data showed us exactly where to intervene. We began iterating using Tailored Fiber Placement (TFP), an advanced Formula 1 technology that allows us to stitch continuous carbon fiber exactly where structural demands require it.
This process revealed a critical breakthrough: connecting the rear two rails into a single unibody base creates massive rigidity. We dubbed this the HALO design. This continuous rear wrap-around structure completely neutralizes the upward pivot flex when driving power through the wings. Because the wings flex less, we adjusted their geometry to curve naturally downwards, preserving the unmistakable leaf-spring compliance at the rails while locking the base solid. Comprehensive structural data regarding this unibody base is detailed thoroughly in the ALM Whitepaper .
A Study in Reduction: The Final Form
Producing a retail saddle directly via TFP would push the price out of proportion, so we used the TFP prototypes as our definitive blueprint. We translated those blueprints into a highly refined, hand-laid carbon fiber thermomoulding process.
We flat-out refused the modern trend of chopping the nose to a stubby 245 millimeters or hacking a relief channel through the deck. Because we engineered out the hammocking from the inside, we did not need to compromise the outside. We kept the continuous, clean lines and the original deck design with minor material tweaks. Even on our pressure-relief model, the top padding remains elegantly closed to hide the advanced technology within.
The final result places material only where performance demands it. It is designed for the purist, the racer, and the style-lover. It does not scream for attention or look out of place on a custom build; it just works. Hitting our exact target weight of 145 grams and holding the line on price, we successfully modernized an icon. Welcome to the evolution.