Padded Bicycle Seat Invented in Cleveland [Cleveland.com]

The Bicycle Seat: Greater Cleveland Innovations

Published: Monday, August 01, 2011, 10:00 PM     Updated: Tuesday, August 02, 2011, 6:20 AM

 By Ellen Kleinerman, The Plain Dealer 

This story is part of a mid-summer series about lesser-known inventions, ideas and innovations that originated in Northeast Ohio. If you have suggestions for future stories, email your ideas to metrodesk@plaind.com

CLEVELAND, OHIO -- Cyclists have a Lorain County man to thank for saving their butts.

That man, Elyria native Arthur L. Garford, invented the first padded bicycle seat in the world 119 years ago. When no one bought the patent, Garford decided in 1892 to manufacture the seat --with cushions and springs -- himself.

"He was able to launch an industrial empire because of the saddle seats," said Bill Bird, director of the Lorain Historical Society. Sales hit over 1 million seats annually during the decade Garford headed the company.

[continue at Cleveland.com]