The Story Behind Our Seat

We’ve been hearing your questions - from Instagram comments to test day conversations -  and one topic that often comes up is our seat. It’s one of the most important parts of the Supersmith experience. It’s also one of the most complex to get right. We sat down with Fred, our CTO, to take you behind the scenes on the design thinking, user testing, trade-offs and future possibilities around the seat. 

“The seat is the biggest human–product interface on the whole scooter.”

Fred doesn’t mince words. He knows the seat is where the rider meets the ride -  it has to feel good, fit well, and offer the right level of support. But here’s the thing: everyone’s body, ability and comfort needs are different. That’s why designing the seat has been one of the biggest challenges (and priorities) of the entire product.

Inspiration from different applications:
The current seat has been developed using principles from:
- Wheelchair standards (for safety and durability).
- Bike saddle design (for long-term comfort and vibration dampening).
- Office furniture ergonomics (for posture and adjustability).
- User testing (for real-world experience across a range of needs).

Our seat is lightweight, strong and compact. Most people say it’s surprisingly comfortable. We’ve tested it with many different people - from those with limited mobility to those with balance or core strength differences, using this feedback to shape the final design. 

It’s All About Trade-Offs
Fred talks about balance a lot when it comes to the seat, because every decision requires it:

Too scooped? Harder to get onto, especially if you can’t step sideways or lift yourself easily.

Too flat? Harder to feel stable or centred. People worry they could slip off.

We’ve designed for that sweet spot -  a form that cues your body to know you’re “in the middle,” but still lets you slide on safely and independently.

It Is Adjustable — Just Not Always in Obvious Ways
Many of you have asked if the seat is adjustable. It is - but not necessarily with big obvious knobs and levers. Why? Because those add weight, cost and complexity - three things we’ve worked hard to minimise.

Here’s what is user-adjustable or optional:

• Use the seat with or without a cushion
   
• Vary the thickness of the cushion for more comfort
   
• Flip the backrest 180 degrees to change its position (lower or higher)
   
• Adjust the seat height, which also shifts the seat forward/back
   
• Raise/lower the handlebars, also affecting reach
   
• Place your feet on the footplate or footpegs — we’ve kept both because user testing has showed they each bring comfort advantages
   
• Remove the backrest entirely (some riders prefer this for style and freedom)

This combination allows for a surprising amount of customisation - especially once you've tried it in person.

It’s Not Perfect for Everyone 
This seat won’t work for 100% of people. The current seat has been through 46 iterations to reach the optimum design, but no seat is perfect for everyone. Some people need deeper back support, higher side bolsters or integrated armrests. Other people may have unique needs arising from their specific posture or walking impairment. For many, the existing seat works brilliantly - but we know it won’t meet every need from day one.

And that’s why Fred and the team are still testing, still iterating and still listening. The current seat is version one. Future seats will serve even more people and we’re already exploring those ideas. 

What About Swapping It?
We’ve heard this question too: “Can I just replace the seat with my own?”
Technically, some people already do this - especially those with highly custom seating needs. But officially, we can’t recommend third-party seats yet, because we can’t safely certify how they interact with the rest of the scooter.

What we can say: we’ve designed the base to be as modular as possible, inspired by how e-bikes and premium mobility aids are built. That means future seat options — from us or specialist makers — are very much part of the plan.

Want to Be Part of the Journey?
We’re designing for real life, not just first impressions. The seat will continue to develop - just like the rest of the scooter. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Of course, the best way to get a feel for our seat is to try it in real life. We’ve had many offers to test the 3Scooter and we’re keen to keep the feedback coming - for this model and future variants.

If you’d like to test future seat designs or discuss particular seating needs, email hello@supersmith.co and we’ll keep you in the loop.