Our history

The first pads we produced were done with deer skin, which once washed, became rough so the cyclist had to rub the surface with specific oil or crème. We started thinking about a simpler way to solve the problem, like polyester fiber tissue for instance, which had the same skin softness. So in 1994/1995 we started producing coagulated with “tissue non tissue” base (Alcantara). The main characteristics of these “tissues non tissues” are: transpiration, absorbency, softness, the problem instead is their cost. In the following years weavers discovered microfibers which, suitably brushed and frosted, had their way on the specific market, this time for good. But the new millennium required a great effort to increase technical performances and comfort. In fact, vibrations the cyclist has to withstand are still very important, so the first demand to satisfy is to pass these vibrations through the pad, which is to be made with different density foams exactly in the zone ischial bones touch the saddle. Anyway the foams, not considering their density, due to body weight, go to zero not protecting from vibrations coming from the road. Unfortunately, increasing foams density and thickness, the cyclist loses bike control, as the distance between bones and saddle becomes too big!
Pro cyclist as Pantani, Bettini and Petacchi always used trousers with foamless pads to better control their bike. To solve this problem, in 2002 we decided to use gel, which has these specific characteristics:

– No liquid
– Dimensional stability
– Shock absorbency
– Low heat conduction
– Antiseptic proprieties
– And, most of all, if subject to continuous pressure, never goes to zero.

All our gel pads have these characteristics, but the innovation we introduced in these years is to use a gel similar to the medical one, used for decubitus sores. It has been a great innovation that has spread worldwide . So we introduced gel also to gloves production, placing it on the palm (where hand is in contact with handlebar).

Construction

The construction method for all our pads is based on haute couture. Models are hand-made, with disappearance stitching, transpiration holes and gel positioning only on hard stress zones. This construction method lets us to follow the pad production step by step, maintaining high quality in every phase. Nicolini s.r.l. uses thermoforming machines, which standardizing production, with a partial and precise tailoring intervention, coupled with a prudent choice of foams, gel and cloths, takes product quality to the top. Finally, the characteristic all our pads share is an accurate perforation. We strongly believe it can offer a very good ventilation to the part in contact with the saddle. In conclusion, we managed in the years to reach the characteristics which are indispensable to the cyclist to feel at ease on the saddle: maximum comfort, transpiration, antiallergic materials and top construction, all of this at high quality and at moderate prices. Test our products and you’ll verify what we said.