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The Best (Bike) Seats In Beijing Come From Lutz

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By B.C. MANION

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 8, 2008

LUTZ - When Steve Toll tunes in to the Olympics in Beijing, he'll be more than a casual observer.

You might say he has a lot riding on it.

Two female members of the U.S. Olympic triathlon team - Laura Bennett and Sarah Haskins - will be riding bicycles fitted with seats that Toll invented. Becky Lavelle, the team's alternate, also uses one of Toll's patented bicycle saddles.

The women's race is set for 10 a.m. Aug. 18, Beijing time. Since there is a 12-hour time difference, the race will begin here at 10 p.m. Aug. 17.

The bicycle seats that Bennett and Haskins will use don't look like traditional bicycle seats.

They are designed to make riding more comfortable, said Toll, 53, the founder and sole employee of Tampa Bay Recreation LLC.

Toll became acquainted with the Olympic athletes after becoming a supplier for USA Triathlon and learning that Haskins, Bennett and Lavelle were using the seat he designed, he said. He now sponsors all three athletes.

"When these girls were first riding the seat, their goal was the Olympics," Toll said. "But we didn't know if they were going to make it. Sarah didn't qualify until June."

Toll came up with the idea for his modified bicycle seat 11 years ago, after finishing a painful ride on the Pinellas Trail.

"I was in the bathroom reading for about an hour, and I thought, 'Wait a minute, this is more comfortable to sit on this hard toilet seat than it is to sit on my bike seat.' So I came out, sketched a design and gave it to my brother; he's a model maker."

Toll now has five styles in his line of Ideal Modified Saddle bicycle seats, ranging from $59.95 to $169.95.

Lavelle, reached by e-mail, gave Toll's invention high marks.

"I found out about the saddle through Laura Bennett and Sarah Haskins, who were riding it last year at a training camp in Australia," Lavelle wrote.

"I've been using it since December of last year. I love it. It's as comfortable as a bike saddle can be."

Toll estimates he has sold about 20,000 of his seats since they went on the market in 2005.

It has been challenging to get the word out, and to overcome resistance by bicyclists, who are wary about trying something that looks unconventional, Toll said.

Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium, 14407-B N. Dale Mabry Highway, has been selling the seats for the past couple of years, said Brian Eckman, shop owner.

"At first, it was sort of mixed reviews," Eckman said. The seat is so different, it takes getting used to, he said.

But riders who get the seat set up properly give it good reviews, Eckman said, noting he personally uses the racing style of the seat.

"I really like it," he said. "I feel comfortable. No pain, no soreness after a long ride."

The seats are available at about 800 bicycle shops nationwide and in some places, internationally. For information, go to www.ismseat.com.

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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