Kiriakos GR said:
Why? I've heard some good reports of the ThudBuster LT and there's the new BodyFloat which looks promising; http://www.cirruscycles.com/
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which is the best bicycle saddle regarding soft suspension ?
- Thread starter Ade
- Start date
Why? I've heard some good reports of the ThudBuster LT and there's the new BodyFloat which looks promising; http://www.cirruscycles.com/
dogman dan
1 PW
Dang! now that's a saddle.
My favorite saddle in my collection has two of those open coil type springs on it. I prefer saddles with the open, compression type spring, vs the closed, expansion type spring. Your example has both springs! 8) I also like some foam padding, but not those excessively squishy gel seats.
Went looking for a picture of the type I like, and found one on ebay at such a good price I bought one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Viscount-Timberlin-Comfort-Bicycle-Saddle-w-Springs-Bike-Seat-Lycra-Black-NEW-/191500451449?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c9650fe79
I like a saddle to be wider than a racing saddle, but not a real wide one. Too much chafing after mile 40 on a to big saddle. In my climate, I do like the more breathable lycra top, vs vynil.
I've been tempted to try this one.
a real brooks leather saddle.
My favorite saddle in my collection has two of those open coil type springs on it. I prefer saddles with the open, compression type spring, vs the closed, expansion type spring. Your example has both springs! 8) I also like some foam padding, but not those excessively squishy gel seats.
Went looking for a picture of the type I like, and found one on ebay at such a good price I bought one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Viscount-Timberlin-Comfort-Bicycle-Saddle-w-Springs-Bike-Seat-Lycra-Black-NEW-/191500451449?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c9650fe79
I like a saddle to be wider than a racing saddle, but not a real wide one. Too much chafing after mile 40 on a to big saddle. In my climate, I do like the more breathable lycra top, vs vynil.
I've been tempted to try this one.
a real brooks leather saddle.
friendly1uk
1 MW
I was dismayed at some Bell saddles recently. They claim to be sprung, but when you look at the packaging it's by a polymer blocks that are shaped like springs. However, they have no give in them when you put weight on the seat. So with all my finger strength I compressed them, to see how much travel there should be. Non. The sprung seat carries polymer decoration, that is all. It's a bloody scam by a major brand.
I do like seeing their helmets on people though. With Bell written across their foreheads. Who buys these things?
I had a super cheap one that was well sprung, but it's hard face meant my weight was still on a small area of my sit bones.
I swapped it for a sprung SR Moody when my sit bones holed it. That lasted as long as it took to buy something else. The Royal Gel meant my sit bones sank in, so I sunk on the seat. Which left the middle of the seat raised in comparison, rather than being a channel for my limb. Which suffered serious pin&needles for circulation issues. Have you had that.. It's not a place for pins&needles.
So seat number 3, and what a seat it is. I'm well happy. Another SR with royal gel and springs that don't really work (like the Bell). Only it has a nice cut-out that you can see light through, and the surface is as kneedable as some firm silicone breasts. Unlike the bell it is sprung, but it's the metal bars that give not the pretend polymer springs that are firm as a pencil eraser.
I like this one as I can sit up and let the motor help, Or lean forward and take over. Both positions are comfy without changing the seats angle. It offers a lot of compliance.
My sit bones are 135mm and two friends think I'm riding a razor blade as I think 135mm is as wide a rider as it wants. So it's for thinner built blokes.
Edit: Doh! It's the SR Ellipse sprung.
I do like seeing their helmets on people though. With Bell written across their foreheads. Who buys these things?
I had a super cheap one that was well sprung, but it's hard face meant my weight was still on a small area of my sit bones.
I swapped it for a sprung SR Moody when my sit bones holed it. That lasted as long as it took to buy something else. The Royal Gel meant my sit bones sank in, so I sunk on the seat. Which left the middle of the seat raised in comparison, rather than being a channel for my limb. Which suffered serious pin&needles for circulation issues. Have you had that.. It's not a place for pins&needles.
So seat number 3, and what a seat it is. I'm well happy. Another SR with royal gel and springs that don't really work (like the Bell). Only it has a nice cut-out that you can see light through, and the surface is as kneedable as some firm silicone breasts. Unlike the bell it is sprung, but it's the metal bars that give not the pretend polymer springs that are firm as a pencil eraser.
I like this one as I can sit up and let the motor help, Or lean forward and take over. Both positions are comfy without changing the seats angle. It offers a lot of compliance.
My sit bones are 135mm and two friends think I'm riding a razor blade as I think 135mm is as wide a rider as it wants. So it's for thinner built blokes.
Edit: Doh! It's the SR Ellipse sprung.
friendly1uk
1 MW
The best saddles are Brooks. Made in the EU. I doubt many would disagree when looking for traditional leather sprung saddles
The suntour NCX sprung seatpost is really good. There's two versions, one a bit cheaper than the other. I'm mot sure which one I tried, but it was extremely effective. They're more or less the same as the Thudbuster, but cheaper. Don't try and compare them eith normal sprung seatposts. They're in a different league.
friendly1uk
1 MW
Yes, a friend swapped from a post to the cheaper parallelogram. No contest. That was on a poor full suspension bike. Having traded for a non-suspension bike with big apples he is now not using it. He also has the £17 ASDA sofa from Bell.
Drunkskunk
100 GW
It really depends on how and where you ride, and how you are built. for slow cruising and short trips, a spring saddle is great. but depending on the conditions and length of the ride, a spring saddle can actually wear you out and leave you more sore than a conventional saddle.
Every time you hit a bump, the spring on the seat compresses. That causes the length between the seat top and the bottom bracket to shorten. if you are pedaling hard on a mountain bike, for example, that unexpected jolt can cause more stress in your knees and ankles, as well as more stress in your leg muscles. So at the end of the ride, you end up with real pain in your leg muscles and joints, instead of a real pain in the ass.
I used to ride spring seats, but over the years I've discovered I hurt less after a ride if I go to a more rigid seat, but use a larger, softer tire to soak up the jolts.
The most comfortable seat I've rode on any bike, at any price range, just happens to be one of the cheaper options. The ARS made by Planet Bike.
Every time you hit a bump, the spring on the seat compresses. That causes the length between the seat top and the bottom bracket to shorten. if you are pedaling hard on a mountain bike, for example, that unexpected jolt can cause more stress in your knees and ankles, as well as more stress in your leg muscles. So at the end of the ride, you end up with real pain in your leg muscles and joints, instead of a real pain in the ass.
I used to ride spring seats, but over the years I've discovered I hurt less after a ride if I go to a more rigid seat, but use a larger, softer tire to soak up the jolts.
The most comfortable seat I've rode on any bike, at any price range, just happens to be one of the cheaper options. The ARS made by Planet Bike.
friendly1uk
1 MW
Like with many things worn, it's length and width we get to specify. Though few cheap models offer various sizes. They seem to think a different width is worth a different model name entirely.
The width we measure is that between our sit bones. If you have an old saddle it may have wear that shows your width. Or you could put corrugated cardboard on a step and perch upon it at the right angle to leave indentations you can measure.
With this dimension you can at least tell if your small medium or large. Then you can view seats and measure them. To know exactly where your going to seat.
A saddle is sat upon with your sit bones, it doesn't support anything else that may be spilling over. It is skeletal support. If you buy a saddle thinking it's a seat, you will likely buy one too wide. This would put your bones in top of the saddle, when they should be getting some purchase. By sitting upon the horizontal surface you kneed when correcting the bike. You have to move that bit further to nudge the bike as hard. Movement that damages soft tissue. It is better to limit movement and give yourself chance to toughen up the points you do rest on. Gel can be helpful to enlarge the contact area on your bones.
To narrow a seat and you move towards sitting on soft tissue, not your bones.
Shape is just as important as width though. Some are offered in grades of leaning forward. My SR saddle is for a 60 degree back. I find the central cutout means tucking in isn't uncomfortable, and it's ok sat at 90 to, though I do feel a little detached, perched up on the back, like two little silicone mounds. My first seat I thought ok, but changing angle on that meant arching my back. Keeping my pelvis set in a small range of angles. I hadn't really realised how good a seat could be.
The width we measure is that between our sit bones. If you have an old saddle it may have wear that shows your width. Or you could put corrugated cardboard on a step and perch upon it at the right angle to leave indentations you can measure.
With this dimension you can at least tell if your small medium or large. Then you can view seats and measure them. To know exactly where your going to seat.
A saddle is sat upon with your sit bones, it doesn't support anything else that may be spilling over. It is skeletal support. If you buy a saddle thinking it's a seat, you will likely buy one too wide. This would put your bones in top of the saddle, when they should be getting some purchase. By sitting upon the horizontal surface you kneed when correcting the bike. You have to move that bit further to nudge the bike as hard. Movement that damages soft tissue. It is better to limit movement and give yourself chance to toughen up the points you do rest on. Gel can be helpful to enlarge the contact area on your bones.
To narrow a seat and you move towards sitting on soft tissue, not your bones.
Shape is just as important as width though. Some are offered in grades of leaning forward. My SR saddle is for a 60 degree back. I find the central cutout means tucking in isn't uncomfortable, and it's ok sat at 90 to, though I do feel a little detached, perched up on the back, like two little silicone mounds. My first seat I thought ok, but changing angle on that meant arching my back. Keeping my pelvis set in a small range of angles. I hadn't really realised how good a seat could be.
Last month I did 1000 miles on my bike. I tried to ride it every day, but we have lots of bad weather. A normal ride for me is 50km. Often, I do 80km without stopping. Last year, I always got a sore backside after about 30km, but now I have a Brooks B67 leather saddle. It's wide and flat at the back, so it spreads the load very well. I don't get a sore backside anymore. It has springs, but I don't think they help much because I have a full-suspension bike. I tried the unsprung B17 before, but it's a different shape. It's narrower and doesn't spread the weight so much, so I don't recommend it. There's some cheaper copies of the Brooks saddles that are probably good as well.
Dauntless
100 TW
Kiriakos GR said:
DANG! Also known as the ejection saddle. Having too much going on can put a strain on those nerves and arteries in the video.
One thing I've noticed: Even with NO spring at all, a seat gets more comfortable if the bars are higher and I'm not leaning forward so much. The strain you feel there is caused not only by the pressure of sitting there, but also by the strain on your back.
friendly1uk
1 MW
I think you may have a bad saddle dauntless. Leaning forward takes weight off your back and saddle. Unless your seat is like my first, and stops you rotating your pelvis when you lean forward. Making you bend your lower back instead. Causing stiffness. To find your more comfortable sat upright where your back and bottom takes the most thrashing is a strong sign something is up.
Springs all over the place mean you can't make fine adjustment to your position. You loose the fine control you need to find the perfect spot, because a seat will move to where it wants to be. Which might not be where you want it. Big seats with many springs are for short rides. They offer the illusion of comfort, then chaff you as actually they are in the way and you can't control it's position enough.
Springs all over the place mean you can't make fine adjustment to your position. You loose the fine control you need to find the perfect spot, because a seat will move to where it wants to be. Which might not be where you want it. Big seats with many springs are for short rides. They offer the illusion of comfort, then chaff you as actually they are in the way and you can't control it's position enough.
friendly1uk
1 MW
It sure is a difficult decision to make. I might talk the talk, but it still took 3 goes to get a good one. What you really want is a shop that will let you trial a few. I know of non. However they might let you perch on them, with them sat on a step or demo bike.
It's like shoes. I know my size, but can visit large outlets and find nothing fits when I actually try them.
It's like shoes. I know my size, but can visit large outlets and find nothing fits when I actually try them.
markz
100 TW
I scored 3 springy seats from the Community Bike shop that teaches people how to repair and sells used donated bikes that have been repaired.
One seat was worth atleast $120 new, I got the other seat with the new age air shock thingy worth about $30 new, and an older style but new style spring seat all for $5 each. I also got a metal cage handle bar basket, suspension seat, assortment of rims, freewheels, pedals each for $5 each. Heck I even got free bikes out of there, a nice K2, and around the main community outreach buildings theres always bicycles there that are unlocked, have sat for a long time, abondoned, with something that needs to be fixed whether its a rear der, bent rim.
One seat was worth atleast $120 new, I got the other seat with the new age air shock thingy worth about $30 new, and an older style but new style spring seat all for $5 each. I also got a metal cage handle bar basket, suspension seat, assortment of rims, freewheels, pedals each for $5 each. Heck I even got free bikes out of there, a nice K2, and around the main community outreach buildings theres always bicycles there that are unlocked, have sat for a long time, abondoned, with something that needs to be fixed whether its a rear der, bent rim.
Dauntless
100 TW
markz said:
NOT how I think of bikes.
Heck I even got free bikes out of there. . . .[/quote]
Now THAT is how I think of bikes.
friendly1uk said:
Now I'm not talking about an individual bike, I mean in my lifetime. What I liked best with BMX were the old banana seats, which I would recover myself. I wanted the little saddles on a streetbike to tilt forward in a way others shook their heads at. I cracked 6 feet in 8th grade. And my back definitely had its' demands concerning posture. But I also had my initial leg injury in the 8th grade in a sequence that eventually left me semihandicapped. But I went right on being able to ride and to run much of the time. The dang bike seats sure were a nuisance.
I've noticed the Pilates crowd seems to use stretches that always helped me.
http://www.somatics.com/psoas.htm
Kiriakos GR said:I think that I located one of my targets which this one is made in Holland and called as LEPPER Primus.
Dauntless said:
This line of text gave me three minutes of strong laughs, thanks mate !!
Hey, that's what it's really all about, eh?
markz
100 TW
$5 for a used seat that retails for $120 is a GREAT deal, especially to keep a place like that open that pays full retail for rental space and has volunteers to operate it. Its in a yuppier part of town, so I cant see me dropping $100 for a crappy bike which they seem to sell them for. Just love the deals, pretty much every part is $5, they sell new stuff too. I go every week or twice a week with my magnet in hand. Its the best place to buy a soft suspension saddle I must say, for me.
Chalo
100 TW
I have a Lepper Primus on one of my choppers, and a couple of Brooks B90/3 saddles on other bikes. Both these saddles move several centimeters under load. I can't say whether that makes them ride any better than my more firmly sprung saddles. They do feel different, not necessarily better.
The B90/3 in particular I think might be a better saddle with fewer springs and more reliance on the tensioned leather shell to provide suspension. The most similar model that is still produced is the Brooks B190.
The B90/3 in particular I think might be a better saddle with fewer springs and more reliance on the tensioned leather shell to provide suspension. The most similar model that is still produced is the Brooks B190.
dogman dan
1 PW
Re the comment a page ago by Mad Rhino. Definitely no spring seats on my off road bikes. They have good suspension instead.
But a good spring seat is definitely a joy on a hardtail bike for street riding. Takes the sting out of some of the rough patches of pavement. Sure, you still feel the big bumps, but not every single one. Not every pebble on the asphalt.
Got that seat I ordered. Looks fine, nothing like a high quality (brooks) saddle, but light years better than those bell seats with the plastic things that mimic the look of a spring. It's not overly full of squishy gell either. Just some foam with a little give.
Another thing worth noting, if you think your backside and lower back is getting jolted by the pavement, you really need to try a longtail. Get your ass off the top of that rear wheel!
Other pains caused by poor fit of the bike are easy to fix. I'm tall, so I almost always have to toss the too short seat post, and then get tall riser handlebars, often bmx bars.
But a good spring seat is definitely a joy on a hardtail bike for street riding. Takes the sting out of some of the rough patches of pavement. Sure, you still feel the big bumps, but not every single one. Not every pebble on the asphalt.
Got that seat I ordered. Looks fine, nothing like a high quality (brooks) saddle, but light years better than those bell seats with the plastic things that mimic the look of a spring. It's not overly full of squishy gell either. Just some foam with a little give.
Another thing worth noting, if you think your backside and lower back is getting jolted by the pavement, you really need to try a longtail. Get your ass off the top of that rear wheel!
Other pains caused by poor fit of the bike are easy to fix. I'm tall, so I almost always have to toss the too short seat post, and then get tall riser handlebars, often bmx bars.
dogman dan
1 PW
What? How is that? When did I say build your bike so you can't reach your brake handles? How much riding have you really done? Motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, whatever. Can you counter steer a turn if it's needed? If you can't do that, you're no wheelman.
In any case, if you are emergency braking, you screwed up royal 2 seconds ago. Why'd you do that? Brakes won't save you now anyway.
On the street, it's all about never letting that emergency happen. On the dirt or the racetrack, it's more like braking instantly with great finesse with one wheel or both when needed for a specific goal. Can you do that? I can, regardless of what kind of handlebars I have, or where the handles point. But I do have a favorite angle for the handles, that helps me finesse them better.
One thing for sure, by mile 50 or so of a long ride, you will be painfully aware of anything at all on your bike that fits your body poorly. A really poor fit, and you'll be desperately wanting off by mile 15.
In any case, if you are emergency braking, you screwed up royal 2 seconds ago. Why'd you do that? Brakes won't save you now anyway.
On the street, it's all about never letting that emergency happen. On the dirt or the racetrack, it's more like braking instantly with great finesse with one wheel or both when needed for a specific goal. Can you do that? I can, regardless of what kind of handlebars I have, or where the handles point. But I do have a favorite angle for the handles, that helps me finesse them better.
One thing for sure, by mile 50 or so of a long ride, you will be painfully aware of anything at all on your bike that fits your body poorly. A really poor fit, and you'll be desperately wanting off by mile 15.
The fingers
10 TW
http://no-nose.com/ Have a looksie at some of these.
markz
100 TW
dogman dan
1 PW
No 3 the bell one, truly the worst saddle I have ever sat on in my lifetime. Too wide, too hard, and those spring shaped plastic deals, aint springs.
Anybody want one? No, even free I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Pity you paid $5, but me? I think I paid 15 or 20!!!
That was a bad choice.
No 2 is a lot like the saddles I tend to favor. I'm not that big a guy, so the wimpy open coil springs don't squirm so much for me.
No 1, stiffer springs in most cases. Less squirmy for the big boys. I mean really big. Me, I'm not big enough for that kind.
Anybody want one? No, even free I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Pity you paid $5, but me? I think I paid 15 or 20!!!
That was a bad choice. No 2 is a lot like the saddles I tend to favor. I'm not that big a guy, so the wimpy open coil springs don't squirm so much for me.
No 1, stiffer springs in most cases. Less squirmy for the big boys. I mean really big. Me, I'm not big enough for that kind.
markz
100 TW
With my phat 300lb azz, I would and have broken the air and bell easy.
TheBeastie
1 MW
That bodyfloat looks interesting, kind of like the Thudbuster but with springs instead of Elastomer.
I rarely buy things from Amazon because most of the time it comes up with that annoying message saying "We don't ship to AU" or the shipping is crazy expensive, I almost always go ebay instead. The one exception has been SSD drive which was directly from Amazon.
But the Amazon listing directly from Cane Creek (the manufacturers) is a proper one that seems to be fully international. Right now its $138.62 USD with free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/Cane-Creek-Thudbuster-Travel-Seatpost/dp/B000T3BYH6/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1426344367&sr=1-3
Even if its not free shipping any more like when I bought it it only added up to a total of like $160 AUD with shipping and its great.
Normally if I wanted to by the Thudbuster anywhere in AU it was always $250 average price.
I rarely buy things from Amazon because most of the time it comes up with that annoying message saying "We don't ship to AU" or the shipping is crazy expensive, I almost always go ebay instead. The one exception has been SSD drive which was directly from Amazon.
But the Amazon listing directly from Cane Creek (the manufacturers) is a proper one that seems to be fully international. Right now its $138.62 USD with free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/Cane-Creek-Thudbuster-Travel-Seatpost/dp/B000T3BYH6/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1426344367&sr=1-3
Even if its not free shipping any more like when I bought it it only added up to a total of like $160 AUD with shipping and its great.
Normally if I wanted to by the Thudbuster anywhere in AU it was always $250 average price.
Avitt
100 W
macribs said:
There are bicycle rims which are targeted for tandem use (example is the Velocity Chukker). Those should work fine for you heavy guys.
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