most comfortable seat?
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I am thinking of just buying a seat and jury-rigging it to
my Evox semi-recumbent. I prefer to sit more upright and
need back support. I rode 100K on the Evox yesterday and the
lack of back support put my lower back muscles into spasms--
spasms that stopped abruptly at each rest stop! In fact, I
spent much of the ride figuring out how to change the stock
appearance of this bike into something a heck of a lot more
comfortable for long rides. Can y'all tell me your favorite
recumbent seat set up?
thanks,
Pat
"Pat" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message news:2kqgu6F51349U1@uni-berlin.de...
> I am thinking of just buying a seat and jury-rigging it to
> my Evox semi-recumbent. I prefer to sit more upright and
> need back support. I rode 100K on the Evox yesterday and
> the lack of back support put my lower back muscles into
> spasms--spasms that stopped abruptly at each rest stop! In
> fact, I spent much of the ride figuring out how to change
> the stock appearance of this bike into something a heck of
> a lot more comfortable
for
> long rides. Can y'all tell me your favorite recumbent
> seat set up?
>
In sitting more upright you would probably be swaping back
spasms for recumbent butt.
I see the Evox as a recreational or exercise bike for
shorter rides. If you want to do 100k rides I suggest you
consider selling the Evox and for minimum investment buying
a used RANS Tailwind or Rocket for about $600 plus or minus.
There's almost always one of them available on eBay at that
price. This way you would be relaxing in the luxuriant
comfort of the famous RANS seat during your 100k rides. In
fact you will probably feel so go you will want to go ahead
and do an additional 38 miles an call it a century.
Buying a real recumbent seat and adapting it to the Evox
doesn't seem to me like a practical undertaking from a cost
and labor standpoint. Recumbent seats are usually in the
$300 to $350 range.
The non recumbent solution is to go from your semi-recumbent
to a properly fitted DF bike and ride it until you are
comfortable on it (if you are physically able to do so).
There are DF riders out there who find their properly fitted
bikes comfortable too.
skip
Pat wrote:
> Can y'all tell me your favorite recumbent seat set up?
The Greenspeed Ergo seat is awesome.
Unfortunately, I don't have a Greenspeed. I recently got a
self-inflating back support intended for kayaking to use on
my 'bents.
It was like $25 at REI. They don't seem to have it on their
website though, but they have alternatives.
--
I do not accept unsolicted commercial e-mail. Remove NO_UCE
for legitimate replies.
Pat wrote:
> I am thinking of just buying a seat and jury-rigging it to
> my Evox semi-recumbent. I prefer to sit more upright and
> need back support. I rode 100K on the Evox yesterday and
> the lack of back support put my lower back muscles into
> spasms--spasms that stopped abruptly at each rest stop! In
> fact, I spent much of the ride figuring out how to change
> the stock appearance of this bike into something a heck of
> a lot more comfortable for long rides. Can y'all tell me
> your favorite recumbent seat set up?
>
> thanks,
>
> Pat
>
>
Pat, preferences in recumbent seating vary considerably
from person to person. What works for one person may not
work for another. You may find a seat that seems as if it
would be a good fit for your bike, but find that it won't
work on your Evox.
As to my own experience with recumbent seats, I have 2
recumbents, a Burley Django and a Sun EZ-1 SC Lite. The
seats on both bikes are comfortable up to 50 miles. For
anything exceeding that the Burley seat is much more
comfortable. The seat on the Burley is set up in a much more
reclined position. Another difference is that the seat
bottom of the Burley is much firmer. The Burley seat is much
more adjustable than the Sun's seat. I think adjustability
is an important consideration if you are looking at seats.
I've had the Burley for 3 years, and have ridden more than
8,000 miles on it. I've never found its seat uncomfortable.
I did 180 miles in the last 2 days on it, and while I'm a
little fatigued, the seat was comfortable the whole time.
But that's just me and my riding style. I'm considering
modifying the Sun to take the Burley seat.
I know that some have found the Burley seat to be
uncomfortable, or too heavy, or feel that it needs seat
stays to provide more support. But for me, it seems to be
just right.
-John
> As to my own experience with recumbent seats, I have 2
> recumbents, a Burley Django and a Sun EZ-1 SC Lite. The
> seats on both bikes are comfortable up to 50 miles. For
> anything exceeding that the Burley seat is much more
> comfortable. The seat on the Burley is set up in a much
> more reclined position. Another difference is that the
> seat bottom of the Burley is much firmer. The Burley seat
> is much more adjustable than the Sun's seat. I think
> adjustability is an important consideration if you are
> looking at seats.> -John
Funny you should mention the Sun EZ-1 SC Lite, because I
have been eyeing that one lately! I seem to be a sit-more-
upright than a lie-streamlined-on-my-back rider. I am going
to switch out the tires on the Evox, get toe clips, and try
another 100K before I spend any more money.
thanks for the suggestions.
Pat
> I see the Evox as a recreational or exercise bike for
> shorter rides. If
you
> want to do 100k rides I suggest you consider selling the
> Evox and for minimum investment buying a used RANS
> Tailwind or Rocket for about $600
plus or minus.
Yeah, I think you're right about it being a recreatonal
bike. But, before I give up on it, I plan to switch out the
tires and the pedals as a start.
>
> Buying a real recumbent seat and adapting it to the Evox
> doesn't seem to
me like a practical undertaking from a cost and labor
standpoint. Recumbent seats are usually in the $300 to
$350 range.
Oh rats! Back to the drawing board....
>
> The non recumbent solution is to go from your semi-
> recumbent to a properly
fitted DF bike and ride it until you are comfortable on it
(if you are
> physically able to do so). There are DF riders out there
> who find their properly fitted bikes comfortable too.
>
> skip
Oh, I do have a Bianchi diamond frame bike. I have
ridden one 50 miler and two 100K rides on it already
this year...painless, I might add. I just think the semi-
recumbent is so much fun! So, I am trying to mold it to
my wishes, I guess. Okay, I like to have different
bikes around! Lots of bikes! :) (Running out of garage
room, though)
Pat
Hi Pat,
I agree with SKIP it would be a safer bet to buy a recumbent then modify the semi recumbent.
I'm changing my setup from a Vision R45 mesh seat to a M5 Carbon Fibre seat. This should provide more power and more support on the shoulders.
I would advice making a short list of half a dozon recumbents and then taking the time out to try them.
Regards & Tar Tar For Now
Jemil
Originally posted by Pat
I am thinking of just buying a seat and jury-rigging it to
my Evox semi-recumbent. I prefer to sit more upright and
need back support. I rode 100K on the Evox yesterday and the
lack of back support put my lower back muscles into spasms--
spasms that stopped abruptly at each rest stop! In fact, I
spent much of the ride figuring out how to change the stock
appearance of this bike into something a heck of a lot more
comfortable for long rides. Can y'all tell me your favorite
recumbent seat set up?
thanks,
Pat
Pat wrote:
> Can y'all tell me your favorite recumbent seat set up?
I /personally/ get on best with the HP Velotechnik
hardshell seat, but that's designed to be used in a
pretty reclined position.
--
Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================
Pat,
Seat comfort has several aspects.
The normal trade off of recumbent seats is between
"recumbent butt" and ergonomics. Many riders don't want
to be real laid back. It certainly does feel different.
is hard to look back and takes some getting used to.
With the "Barnett Williams" type of sling seat, you
run into the problem of the fabric hitting the back of
the thighs when you tilt the seat back past the
designed angle.
Many riders have reported good back results with a hard
shell seat. But, this requires a pretty extreme seat
angle, so that you are, in fact, lying on your back as
opposed to sitting on your bottom.
Mark Stonich, a recumbent builder and designer of some
experience, has stated (if I've remembered correctly)
that you need a seat back recline of 55 degrees from the
vertical or more to eliminate recumbent butt.
You also need the bottom bracket to be in a reasonable
position, after your back is comfortable, to be able to
develop some power.
Your Evox, IIRC, is a comfort bike of the new look. As
such, you are limited in how far you can recline your
seat. You will soon reach a point where you can't reach
the steering. Changing the steering will result in a lot
of tiller. You will be laid back to where you can't push
the pedals with any authority.
Recumbents really should be designed as a system. The
seat is only one part of the system.
While the bicycle seat industry is a multi million
dollar operation, it has long been my contention that
new riders buy seats and persevere in riding through the
discomfort. When their rear end stops hurting, they
think they have finally found "THE SEAT". It fact, they
have more probably trained to the point where they could
now ride comfortably on a sharpened fence post.
Pat:
I noticed that I often get back pains and spasms early in
the season, until my form gets better and my muscles get a
little toned. Frankly, I'm not sure "support" is the answer.
Or rather "support" is a static answer to a dynamic problem.
I actually do quite a lot of rowing, which is in a position
similar to recumbent cycling, but with *zero* back support.
I probably wouldn't like to cycle long distances like that,
although people have done precisely that on the Thys. But
frankly I think support is a little over-rated. It's a good
way to end up with a set of very weak back muscles, which
can lead to all kinds of other problems.
Anyway, maybe Cliff Culp will weigh in on this if he's still
around. Nothing like having an expert opinion.
--
--Scott "Pat" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message news:2kqgu6F51349U1@uni-
berlin.de...
> I am thinking of just buying a seat and jury-rigging it to
> my Evox semi-recumbent. I prefer to sit more upright and
> need back support. I rode 100K on the Evox yesterday and
> the lack of back support put my lower back muscles into
> spasms--spasms that stopped abruptly at each rest stop! In
> fact, I spent much of the ride figuring out how to change
> the stock appearance of this bike into something a heck of
> a lot more comfortable
for
> long rides. Can y'all tell me your favorite recumbent
> seat set up?
>
> thanks,
>
> Pat
> Pat:
>
> I noticed that I often get back pains and spasms early in
> the season,
until
> my form gets better and my muscles get a little toned.
> Frankly, I'm not sure "support" is the answer. Or rather
> "support" is a static answer to a dynamic problem. I
> actually do quite a lot of rowing, which is in a position
> similar to recumbent cycling, but with *zero* back
> support. I probably wouldn't like to cycle long distances
> like that, although people have done precisely that on the
> Thys. But frankly I think support is a little over-rated.
> It's a good way to end up with a set of very weak back
> muscles, which can lead to all kinds of other problems.
>
> Anyway, maybe Cliff Culp will weigh in on this if he's
> still around. Nothing like having an expert opinion.
>
> --
> --Scott
So, maybe I should look at what I am going through as
training for stronger back muscles. Thanks for the idea; it
makes a good amount of sense. I have been doing stretches
since Saturday for my back muscles. It occurred to me that
this experience may have been a "wake up call" telling me I
am not in shape in certain ways.
Pat
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