Cutting down KH saddle foam?

i hold mine more to the middle around where the seatpost is but thats
just me...i think tis a matter of prefernce. for how much foam to cut
out...i cut mine so that there is about 3/4 to maybe1" left on the seat
base...i used a surgical razor blade to cut mine...went through like a
hot knife through warm butter. in terms of do i like having the foam
cut...yes the answer is definately yes..it makes it so much easier to
pull the seat out for SIF and its much easier to get my hand around to
grip it.

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trials_uni said:

i hold mine more to the middle around where the seatpost is but thats
just me...i think tis a matter of prefernce. for how much foam to cut
out...i cut mine so that there is about 3/4 to maybe1" left on the seat
base...i used a surgical razor blade to cut mine...went through like a
hot knife through warm butter. in terms of do i like having the foam
cut...yes the answer is definately yes..it makes it so much easier to
pull the seat out for SIF and its much easier to get my hand around to
grip it.

Sounds good, thanks.

Any more feedback/answers out there? I know some of you have done the
conversion/mod, how do you like it etc.

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I wouldn't hold the seat in the middle...but, then again, I guess since
the KH bases (for the old style anyway...i haven't tried one of the new
ones) are pretty curved.

Also, I tilt my seat, so the rear part becomes flat--and I ride a
carbon fiber miyata-style base. This also makes the seat more
comfortable to sit on, and to hold onto...(which you're supposed to
hold onto the rear part of the seat between the post and bumper
anyway).

I cut the foam down about as much as trials_uni...altho I didn't do the
greatest job with it. I wish that there were replacement, pre-cut
inserts with minimal foam for miyata-style seats. Then there would be
no business about cutting foam down.

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next time i do it im gonna use a band saw...it will be a much straighter
cut.

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If you're going to cut the foam to make the saddle thinner, I'd cut the
bottom part of the foam off using an electric carving knife. Discard
(but keep for later) the bottom part and use the top part of the foam
in the seat. For making the saddle thinner for trials I'd cut the same
amount off the entire bottom of the foam. Use something like
electrical tape to mark where you are going to cut. The tape will act
as a guide so you get an even cut all the way around.

I'm not sure how much to cut off. The foam is actually thinner than it
looks. A good amount of the thickness is actually just a lip that fits
over the sides of the seat base. The business part of the foam isn't
as thick as it looks.

Keep in mind that cut foam is going to be more cushy than the stock
molded foam. Once you cut off the skin the foam changes character and
gets more squishy.

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john_childs said:

If you're going to cut the foam to make the saddle thinner, I'd cut the
bottom part of the foam off using an electric carving knife. Discard
(but keep for later) the bottom part and use the top part of the foam
in the seat. For making the saddle thinner for trials I'd cut the same
amount off the entire bottom of the foam. Use something like
electrical tape to mark where you are going to cut. The tape will act
as a guide so you get an even cut all the way around.

I'm not sure how much to cut off. The foam is actually thinner than it
looks. A good amount of the thickness is actually just a lip that fits
over the sides of the seat base. The business part of the foam isn't
as thick as it looks.

Keep in mind that cut foam is going to be more cushy than the stock
molded foam. Once you cut off the skin the foam changes character and
gets more squishy.

'cushy'? Does it just have more give to it or does it move around on
the saddle base? Do you glue the foam to the base or does it just sit
on top?

Would you recommend doing this mod?

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it gives alittle more once the "skin" is gone..it wont move around at
all. and you dont have to glue the foam onto the seat cover. once you
put the seat cover back on it should hold quite well. and as i said
earlier yes i would recomend this mod for seat out trials...even for
seat in trials...it doesnt seem like much but most trials riders try to
squeeze as much weight out of the uni they can and thats just one more
way.

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monkeyman said:

Those animals aren't innocent, they're keeping my meat from me

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trials_uni said:

it doesnt seem like much but most trials riders try to squeeze as much
weight out of the uni they can and thats just one more way.

That's not really why people do it. I'm most positive. Besides, the
weight savings would be minimal.

Why trials riders do it: It takes more effort to go from seat-in to
seat-out (and vice versa) with more foam.

*Also* With less foam, you can raise the seat up...which means that
that you don't have to bend your back as much when gripping the edge of
the seat, for seat-out--which is why you don't see many people with
their seats at "street rider" low levels, riding seat out. It makes it
harder to stay laterally stable...and it's harder on the knees with it
lower, for seat-out.

Regardless, what matters most is the skill level, strength, and
technique of the rider. Weight shouldn't be that much of a problem.
My unicycle's 11-12lbs...and I have a profile hub/cranks, and still
have a cromo frame (even though I'm probably going alum. once summer
hits and I have a job). I'm managing just fine. More important than
weight is the tire: What kind of tire is it? What are the sidewalls
like? Too thin? Too thick? Does it compress well for hops/pre-hops?
What pressure not only gives me the best bounce, but also allows me to
not bottom out on drops at the same time? Is the tire grippy? Is it
durable?

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im fairly sure he has the maxxis cc which comes stock on the '06 kh. in
which case i would switch to a luna...better side walls and more grippy
or maybe a try-all sticky. for the same reasons.

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monkeyman said:

Those animals aren't innocent, they're keeping my meat from me

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trials_uni said:

im fairly sure he has the maxxis cc which comes stock on the '06 kh. in
which case i would switch to a luna...better side walls and more grippy
or maybe a try-all sticky. for the same reasons.

I keep having a love-hate relationship with my creepy crawler. Thank
goodness the things almost worn down. It's not a bad tire, but the
Luna is way better.

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i agree

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monkeyman said:

Those animals aren't innocent, they're keeping my meat from me

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UNIquelyCanadian said:

'cushy'? Does it just have more give to it or does it move around on the
saddle base? Do you glue the foam to the base or does it just sit on
top?

Would you recommend doing this mod?

By cushy I mean it will squish down more. Think of the skin as
constraining the foam a little bit. With the skin gone it is more free
to squish.

It won't more around on the saddle base. No need to glue the foam to
the saddle base or glue the seat cover to the foam. Don't glue
anything. The glue will just make everything harder to adjust and
fiddle with. The glue will serve no useful purpose.

The front handle and rear bumper will hold the seat cover on. Then you
can use tape to hold the flaps of seat cover that aren't held by the
handle or rear bumper.

Best bet is to use the Fusion seat cover because it has stretchy fabric
over the nose and rear so it will stretch and snug better. But the
regular seat cover will work just fine too.

And yup, I'd do it.

For my trials saddle I used the foam from a Viscount saddle and a KH
Fusion seat cover on a Miyata style carbon fiber base. Works great.
The Viscount foam is a little bit longer than the KH so I had to trim a
bit off the nose to get it to fit. The Viscount foam is actually
pretty comfortable once you get it out of the Viscount seat cover
(which is glued on). If you have a spare Viscount seat I'd go with the
Viscount foam instead of messing around with cutting the KH foam just
because this is the best way to make a Viscount seat useful.

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trials_uni said:

i agree

So trials_uni agrees with Trialsuni here. Hmmmm.

Another tip for making the saddle more confty to hold seat out!
Cost estimate: $3

Use a silicone tube, used for watersupply for washingmachines and such.
2 sizes that fits in one another to make it more rigid!
http://enhjulingsfolket.se/uploaded/material.jpg

Put the tubes together and use the duct tape to hold it together..
http://enhjulingsfolket.se/uploaded/Steg1+vikt.jpg

Put it in the back of your fusion (or whatever) with the thinner part
pointing forward, ending besides the seatpost, or make it as you wish
depending on how you hold your saddle.
http://enhjulingsfolket.se/uploaded/placering.jpg

The result, and it's much more confty to hold on to under long
trialsessions!
http://enhjulingsfolket.se/uploaded/resultat.jpg

Cheers!

Edit: took out the img-tags because of the enormerus size o fhe
pictures, ~250 kb 😉

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Quoted message said:

I keep having a love-hate relationship with my creepy crawler. Thank
goodness the things almost worn down. It's not a bad tire, but the Luna
is way better.

I don't know why everyone always bashes the Creepy Crawler. I've ridden
loads on monty tires, Luna, and now the Maxxis tires, going through at
least 3 of each, and of all the tires i've tried, the Maxxis is the
best, hands down. Especially over the Luna. I mean, the luna is very
thin, and "dead" feeling. It doesn't have that nice tacky compound (the
maxxis definitly can stick better) and neither does the Luna bouce as
well.

Well, that's just my rant. I've just seen this trend increasing, and i
know that tire preference is a personal thing, but, for me, personally,
the Maxxis outshone all the other tires.

-Ryan Atkins

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What pressure do you run it at? I weight 140 lbs, and have to run it at
37.

Well, my main complaint is that it feels like a hard piece of old
licorice to ride with, once the temp dips below 38 degrees F.

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I agree, the tire losses it's nice feel in colder weather, however this
happens to pretty much all tires. I ride this tire at -10 C and can
still produce maximal hops. It doesn't feel as good, but jumps just as
high.

I run between 27 and 35 psi in my tire and i weigh around 170. hmmm,
you pressure seems high.

Anyways, that's about it. I find the Luna to be no better in cold
weather.

-Ryan

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m_extreme_uni said:

I don't know why everyone always bashes the Creepy Crawler. I've ridden
loads on monty tires, Luna, and now the Maxxis tires, going through at
least 3 of each, and of all the tires i've tried, the Maxxis is the
best, hands down. Especially over the Luna. I mean, the luna is very
thin, and "dead" feeling. It doesn't have that nice tacky compound (the
maxxis definitly can stick better) and neither does the Luna bouce as
well.

Well, that's just my rant. I've just seen this trend increasing, and i
know that tire preference is a personal thing, but, for me, personally,
the Maxxis outshone all the other tires.

-Ryan Atkins

Yes! Me too! I started out on a Maxxis, and then got a Luna last month,
and I am just now getting used to it so that I can do the same stuff I
could before on the maxxis. The maxxis just has more bounce.

The Luna rolls better, is graet for street though....

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threadjack!

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