It started with a link to a 3D printed saddle on TEMU. At first glance, it looked strangely familiar. The shape, the carbon rails, the details - and eventually we discovered something even more surprising: our own photos were being used to sell it. So we tracked down the saddle, compared it to our custom-made Joyseat, and investigated what happens when a copycat product meets real-world engineering.
How We Discovered a Clone of Our Saddle on TEMU and AliExpress
What we didn't expect was a saddle that looked remarkably similar to our custom-made Joyseat - and a product page using photos taken inside our own factory. What followed was an investigation into reverse engineering, copycat products, and the real difference between a saddle that looks the same and one that actually performs the same.
How We Discovered a Clone of Our Saddle
The story started with a message from a colleague.
He sent us a link to a 3D printed saddle listed on TEMU and simply asked whether we had seen it. At first, we weren't particularly concerned. The cycling industry has always been full of products that borrow ideas from one another, and we never expected to be the only company making 3D printed saddles.
However, the more closely we looked, the more similarities we noticed. The overall shape looked familiar. The rear insert looked familiar. The pressure-relief channel, the proportions of the shell, and even the carbon rail design seemed remarkably close to our own custom-made Joyseat saddle, which we've been manufacturing in the Czech Republic since 2022.
Then we spotted something that immediately changed the situation.
The product listing wasn't just showing a saddle that resembled ours. It was using photos taken inside our own manufacturing facility. Alongside those images were claims about years of development and extensive research and development, despite the fact that the photographs had been taken during the actual development of our own product. At that point, curiosity turned into investigation.
The Listing Disappeared, But the Questions Remained
We reported the images to TEMU as a copyright violation. To their credit, the platform acted quickly and removed not only the images but the entire product listing within 24 hours.
The problem was that by then we had already become curious. If the saddle was this similar on screen, how similar would it be in real life?
Originally, we planned to buy one directly. Unfortunately, the listing disappeared before we could place an order. A few days later, however, one of our colleagues found the exact same saddle on Facebook Marketplace. The owner had purchased it, ridden approximately forty kilometres, decided it wasn't comfortable, and was now trying to sell it because returning it wasn't an option.
We offered him a custom-made Joyseat in exchange for the saddle.
A few days later, it arrived.
Was It Really Reverse Engineered?
The moment we unpacked the saddle, one thing became obvious: this wasn't a copy created from internet photos alone.
The level of detail was simply too precise.
The carbon rail geometry closely mirrored our own. The shell proportions were nearly identical. The rear structural elements and several small design details appeared so accurate that it became difficult to believe they had been recreated without access to a physical product.
While we obviously cannot prove exactly how the manufacturer created the saddle, our experience with 3D technologies suggests a likely explanation. Modern 3D scanners are capable of capturing highly detailed geometry, which can then be imported into CAD software and used as the basis for a new design.
In other words, copying the shape of a product has never been easier.
Copying the engineering behind it is a very different challenge.
Looking the Same Doesn't Mean Riding the Same
Visually, the copied saddle was surprisingly convincing.
If you placed the two products side by side, many riders would struggle to tell them apart at first glance. The carbon structure in particular looked remarkably similar to our own.
The differences became obvious once we started examining the 3D printed padding.
The surface felt noticeably rougher, several pressure hotspots could be detected by hand, and the transition between support zones felt abrupt rather than gradual. The nose section was significantly stiffer than expected, creating a completely different feel compared to the progressive support characteristics we intentionally engineer into our saddles.
This highlights one of the biggest misconceptions about 3D printed saddles.
Many riders assume that if two saddles use a similar-looking lattice structure, they will deliver a similar riding experience. In reality, the material, manufacturing process, support tuning, and overall design philosophy have a huge influence on comfort.
You can copy a shape.
You cannot easily copy years of refinement and customization.
Are Cheap 3D Printed Saddles from TEMU and AliExpress Comfortable?
Over the past years, we've seen more and more riders shopping for 3D printed saddles on TEMU and AliExpress. The appeal is obvious: these products often cost a fraction of what premium brands charge while appearing very similar in product photos.
But comfort is about much more than appearance.
A comfortable saddle depends on pressure distribution, support characteristics, rider anatomy, riding position, and material behaviour over time. A generic saddle can work well for some riders, while being completely unsuitable for others.
That's precisely why we started Posedla. Our goal was never simply to make a 3D printed saddle. The goal was to create a saddle tailored to the individual rider, with the 3D printing technology serving as the tool that makes that customization possible.
Are TEMU and AliExpress Saddles Safe and Reliable?
This is perhaps the most important question of all.
Most reviews of cheap 3D printed saddles focus on first impressions. A reviewer may ride the saddle for a few weeks and conclude that it's comfortable or offers good value for money.
What those reviews rarely answer is what happens after thousands of kilometres of riding.
- How does the material age?
- How durable is the structure?
- What happens if the saddle cracks?
- Who handles the warranty?
When developing Joyseat, we created internal testing procedures designed to simulate approximately 30,000 to 40,000 kilometres of riding. Saddles are repeatedly loaded over thousands of cycles while we evaluate how the structure behaves over time and whether the material retains its intended properties.
That type of testing is expensive, time-consuming, and largely invisible to consumers. It's also one of the hardest things to copy.
So, Is a TEMU or AliExpress 3D Printed Saddle Worth It?
If your goal is simply to find the cheapest way to try a 3D printed saddle, a TEMU or AliExpress saddle may seem like an attractive option.
However, if you're looking for long-term comfort, reliability, support, and confidence in the product you're riding, the decision becomes more complicated.
The difference between a premium saddle and a low-cost copy isn't just where it's manufactured. It's the years of development, testing, quality control, customer support, and accountability that stand behind the final product.
Those things don't appear in product photos.
Yet they're often the difference between a product that merely looks the part and one that genuinely earns a rider's trust.
The Real Difference Between an Original and a Clone
Finding a copy of our saddle online was surprising.
Finding our own photographs being used to sell it was even more surprising.
But the biggest lesson wasn't that somebody copied our design. It was seeing how easy it is to reproduce the visible parts of a product while overlooking the things that riders actually depend on every day: fit, comfort, durability, testing, customer support, and accountability.
Because in the end, a saddle is much more than its shape.
It's everything behind it.
Want to see just how close the copy was?
In the video below, we compare the clone and our original Joyseat side by side, look at the details that made us believe it was reverse engineered from a real Posedla saddle, and discuss whether cheap 3D printed saddles from TEMU and AliExpress are actually safe, comfortable, and worth buying.
Watch the full video below. ↓
