Unfortunately the "science" of unicycle seat comfort is limited by
variations in personal crotch shape, and possibly also by personal
preference. For every saddle I've disliked, I know someone who has
liked it (not counting saddles on "toy" unicycles).
Your description of the saddle you're using sounds to be hitting all
the usual marks. Air works well, and less curve seems more popular than
lots of curve.
A unicycle seat is a compromise between comfort, control and cost. KH
(Velo) and Miyata (some Torkers) compromise less on the cost, but each
still has its strengths and weaknesses. You need enough leg contact for
decent directional control, but too much gets you all chafed up. I
think comfort is also hard for two reasons. First, we generally have
all our weight on the saddle, unlike a bike where up to 40% of your
weight is on the handlebars. One of the reasons handles are good.
Secondly, the body position on a unicycle has your pelvic area rotated
more forward (vertical) than on a bike. I think this leaves less "good"
contact area to put your weight on.
As for tilt, back in my early riding days, we used to push all our
Schwinn seats as far forward as the slots would allow, as Daytripper
said, to get farther back on the seat. I think I do the same with my
KHs. Miyatas don't have a tilt adjustment.
So what is the true path to saddle comfort? Lots of honest assessment,
along with trying different things. Be fair in your testing. 50 hours
on one saddle does not compare with 1 hour on another. A straight,
cold-weather ride on one saddle does not compare with a highly active
ride in hot weather. Be fair in your testing, and take your time.
My favorite saddles currently are my KHs (one fusion and one not, no
air or gel) and my very first Miyata air saddle. This one was made with
a relatively skinny 16" tube, folded into a shape like a W with an
upside-down W on top of it. This worked by dumb luck as it was my first
attempt, and the only tube I could find at the last minute. No foam in
that seat, just tube and seat cover.
Before those, I rode Miyata seats with extra foam on top of the
original foam. I'd always cut a center channel out of the extra foam,
to create ridges in the area of my sit bones, and less pressure in the
center, where the nerves & stuff run.
--
johnfoss
John Foss
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
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