Joe S. said:Anyone tried these alternatives to the usual seat --
-- The Seat http://www.ergo-theseat.com/index.htm
-- Bi-Saddle http://www.bycycleinc.com/
-- SpiderFlex http://www.spiderflex.com/index.html
-- or any other alternative seat?
My limited experience with noseless saddles suggests that the harder
you ride, the less usable they become. If you generally sit bolt
upright, ride fairly sedately, and never stand up to pedal, they can be
comfortable for the occasional rider. But then, if you ride that way
you can probably find a comfortable standard saddle that, if positioned
properly, won't cause you any discomfort and also won't be a problem
when cornering at speed, lifting over obstacles, dodging dogs on the
bike path, etc. The nose of a standard saddle gontributes a lot to bike
control.
It's also been my experience that saddle comfort issues boil down to
(1) inappropriate width (often too wide), (2) too much padding
(compressing your soft bits and thus pinching nerves, causing
numbness), and (3) improper positioning of the saddle.
On a "comfort bike" like yours, it's probably all three.
In general, the best saddle is the one whose width matches the distance
between your "sit bones," is hard enough not to compress your tissues,
and is installed so that you can keep your weight on the wide part of
the saddle without your position on the bike pushing you forward or
back. Saddles should generally be level (or very nearly so). If you
find yourself sitting on the nose, your saddle may be tilted forward,
or the reach to the handlebars may be too far.
RichC