most comfortable seat?

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

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 said:

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 said:

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I see the Evox as a recreational or exercise bike for shorter rides. If

you

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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....

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

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

Pat said:

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 said:

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

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

--

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" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

long rides. Can y'all tell me your favorite recumbent seat set up?

thanks,

Pat

Quoted message said:

Pat:

I noticed that I often get back pains and spasms early in the season,

until

Quoted message said:

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