So is the claim of
Ride Out Technologies who recently got a link on the sidebar of my blog. If someone makes the bold claim of having the world's most comfortable bicycle seat, I have to check it out. The folks at Ride Out sent me a sample to test for your benefit.
Nothing is more subjective and personal than the comfort of a bike seat. The search for the relief of constant pain to your butt and an end to numb genitals (This affects women too btw) is the single most elusive cycling quest in my book. For me, apart from recumbents, the answer was the Brooks B66 leather saddle, a time tested design since the 19th century.
So I received this piece of 21st century technology via snail mail, well packaged, at my door and my first reaction when pulling it out of the box was: "This looks weird." but if it does the job, I don't really care how it looks. The next thing that hit me was how light it felt. My scale indicates 375 grams, well within the claimed 390 on the website. The overall finish is very good and I really appreciate the more rugged material used on the side of the saddle. That is some forward thinking since the side of the saddle is abused on a regular basis be it on a wall or on the ground. I feel that it is well worth the 84.95 asking price. However, I would have done away with the 90's lime fluo color accent and I love the idea of reflective material on the back of the seat but white is the wrong color. I'm sure that red reflective material could have been found.
Apart from those small details, the rest of the seat is wide enough to accommodate the sitting bones of both men and women (This was confirmed by my daughter.). It has a channel in the middle to allow circulation to the more intimate and delicate parts of our anatomy.
Let's bring our attention underneath the seat where everything sits on a piece of infused carbon that looks like a piece of leaf spring and sitting on that is the seat support rails. That piece of carbon is what gives the flex to the seat.
I installed the seat on my one speed road bike and saw right away that I had to bring the seat down by 1/2 an inch as per the company's instructions. Then I sat down and pushed the pedals forward.
My very first reaction when sitting on a new seat is either "Wow!" or "Crap!" and a bunch of degrees in between. Not with this one. I have no words to describe it more than this: "!?!"
When cycling my attention is not grabbed by how much energy I put into pedaling or how hard I have to push to get up a hill. No, it is the constant feeling of my sitting bones on the seat and the degree of pain at which it is, may it be low or high. All of a sudden I couldn't feel my sitting bones and I was sitting down pedaling!
It's hard to explain but you are sitting on the seat yet you are not. The combination of the cushion design, the side by side flex of the saddle while pedaling and the total absence of feel of the saddle nose makes it as if you were merely leaning on the seat instead of sitting down on it. Weird but in a good way.
I rode on some nasty bumps and I was impressed on how good it took it. Better than a lot of spring saddles that I own. I've installed the seat on a bike that has a hunched over riding position for now. I will also try it out on a cruiser with a more upright riding position to see how well it does in that configuration. So far I've taken only short rides around the block, so I don't know yet how well it will do on long rides.
I will update this post as I test along with the results. I have a good ride planned this evening, so I'll have a better idea.
UPDATE JULY 21ST 2011
I took the saddle out for a one hour ride the evening of that first post. I spent the first half hour trying to find the proper position on the seat by shifting my butt all over it. It was kinda like trying to get a feel for it and looking for that usual seating position. When I got off at my destination however, my butt was just not hurting. On the return trip ,while still shifting position, I found the sweet spot and the saddle just vanished from under me!
I guess that I haven't found the proper setting yet and I will have to work on that. I will reposition the seat for the next ride. I think I have to bring the nose up a bit and the height as well. Keep posted.
and download
my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.
Until next time, ride safe and free.
Gerry :)
