Towards the end of last year I ordered a KH Velo saddle for DW to give
me for Christmas. I fitted it to the Coker when we got home after
Christmas, then I didn't ride it. Then I didn't ride it a bit more.
The Coker usually only gets used for commuting once or twice a week, if
that. First a succession of colds meant I didn't feel like the extra
effort of yiking to work (added to which I have to get up 20 minutes
earlier to yike to work, which is really hard to do in the winter).
Later on, DW's advanced state of pregnancy meant that I might have to
get home quickly, so I wanted the extra speed afforded by a second wheel
and a decent range of gears.
But now the baby's out, I'm feeling good, it was a lovely morning, so I
did it.
The first thing to become very obvious was how much deeper the KH is
than my old Viscount. I had about 3/4" less seatpost showing than with
the Viscount and it was only just rideable. I stopped after 1/2 mile
and lowered it by about 3mm, then it was perfect. (I wasn't wearing the
same shoes that I used with the Viscount, but if anything I think the
soles on the new shoes may be slightly thicker).
The next thing I noticed was the flex in the handle. It's certainly
more comfortable to hang onto than the front of the Viscount, or the
grab rail of my DM contoured, but a little less flex would be nice.
When I dismounted, I discovered a problem that I may have to do
something about. The depth of the saddle makes it quite uncomfortable
to catch during a forward dismount. I think I'll have to fit a handle.
I stuck to rear dismounts after that, but it's important to be able to
grab the saddle during a dismount either way.
Comfort was very impressive. I usually ride a recumbent bike, but I
bent it last week so I've been riding a wedgie to work this week. My
sit-bones are sore from what I used to think of as quite a comfy saddle,
but I'm no longer used to. So I expected to feel sore sit-bones as soon
as I mounted the Coker. But instead, this was the first time that I've
yiked the 5.4 miles to work without feeling slightly sore by the end
(except perhaps for when I was using 5" cranks).
Unfortunately, the saddle also seemed to put pressure on the urethra
that I don't get with the Viscount. I had the nose angled up as far as
it would go, so I angled it down slightly from there for the ride home.
This relieved the pressure on my urethra. There seemed then to be
more pressure on my sit-bones and inner thighs, but that could well just
have been because it was the second ride of the day.
Finally, speed was better than I expected. I haven't ridden a unicycle
for 7 months (except for a bit of bouncing around on the patio to
entertain DD), so I expected a slow ride. And my cadence *did* feel
low. But I still managed a pretty average speed for my Coker commute.
All in all, I'm quite happy with this seat.
--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<url:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
Why I like OE6 - http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/misc/oe6.html
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine