It’s a mantra S.D.G. founder and president Jerome Mel lives by. As a budding
extreme sports athlete in Southern California, he inscribed it on his favorite
gear for inspiration, and in 1991 it seemed like a natural name for the company
he was about to launch.
Jerome’s first product was a seat made specifically for mountain bikers,
replacing the delicate leather used by traditional European seat makers with
a super-tough and light weight material known as “kevlar”. Operating
from a small factory in Southern California (a place they still call home),
S.D.G. crafted unique, high-quality seats by hand, slowly carving out a niche
among the mountain bike cognescenti. During the mid 1990’s S.D.G. introduced
some of the best-loved, lightest weight saddles, featuring super-light foams,
and distinctively stitched covers. Many have become “classics”,
and some, like the Bel Air, Satellite and Slim Jim, are still in production.
By the end of the ‘90’s S.D.G. seats were standard equipment on
most top-shelf mountain bikes.
As the seeds of the Freeride movement germinated, Jerome created the Grand Prix,
a seat recently lauded by the media as “King of All Freeride Saddles”.
As riding became more and more extreme, Jerome saw that traditional rail design,
over 100 years old, needed an update. Integrating a single fiber composite base
and clamping area, the I-Beam System eliminates bent and popped rails on bicycle
seats forever, while simultaneously shedding ounces off the bike. The newest
generation I-Beam seat post features a 15-second install/adjust, using a single,
easy-access bolt. Seat angle adjustment is virtually unlimited, and there’s
more than twice the fore/aft travel of any other seat. Today, many of the world’s
top cyclists, in all categories, are winning on I-Beam. |
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In the summer of 1999, Jerome applied his innovative thinking to motocross seats.
He saw the endless amounts of money and time riders spent applying aftermarket
covers and foams to their bikes, and so developed the first complete, affordable
aftermarket MX saddle. The Gripper saddle compromises the base, brackets, foam
and cover, fully assembled and hassle free. Today S.D.G. offers over 52 models,
and its seats are ridden by such top racers as Red Bull-KTM, Factory White Bros,
Tyler Evans, Ty Davis Racing and many more.
In 2002 the sales of S.D.G.’s XR50 tall seats were taking off, signaling
the emerging popularity of mini motocross bikes. Enthusiasts were piecing bikes
together from costly aftermarket components. As the mini movement grew, S.D.G.
readied an aftermarket line of extended aluminum swingarms, lightweight powder-coated
cr-mo frames, and clean aluminum skidplates. Suddenly, a wild idea began to
appear within reach. Why not produce a high-end complete bike, just for adults,
already tricked out and ready to ride?
By 2004 S.D.G. had designed and produced their own line of plastic, wheels,
and a powerful 107cc engine that starts in any gear and drives a 4-speed manual
transmission. They applied a 3-valve head, beefy 36mm front forks with five
inches of travel, front and rear hydraulic disc brakes, and Kenda Millville
Tires, creating the Speed Mini; a finely crafted bike that costs about 1/3 the
price of creating one from aftermarket parts.
Two-wheeled excitement, adrenaline, fun and great seats are the lifeblood of
S.D.G. To be sure, S.D.G.’s employees continuously endeavor to apply their
expertise and fuel their passion, never losing sight of the fact that Speed
Defies Gravity. |