I understand the simplicity of simply adjusting ones self before riding
off. I usually do this to some degree by moving my body around on the
saddle in the first few meters of riding. But sometimes this is not
enough. However, sometimes you are too public to do this. What if you’re
in a show? Or simply in a crowded area. So a piece of underwear that could
potentially eliminate this problem is definitely worth thinking about, if
you’re interested.
> From my experience though, the viscount is definately better than the
> seat that was on the uni to begin with, which was one of the ones with
> the metal bumpers, and from learning to ride, the seat was so bent, that
> the metal ended up practically drawing blood on my inner thigh… so in
> this case, the viscount was a godsend
Those metal-bumpered and older style (same without the bumpers) seats have
drawn blood on many a leg. If you have a seat like this, the Viscount is a
huge improvement. You will have gone from garbage, to something that’s
been designed for a unicycle with input from unicyclists.
I was some of the input. I first saw the Viscount seat on the
Schwinns when they were re-introduced in 1986 (they had been out of
production since
1983). In late 1984, Schwinn asked Tom Miller and the folks at 67 Lion
Lane (then the office of the IUF) for suggestions on improving
their unicycles. They used many of Tom’s suggestions on the
subsequent cycles.
Unfortunately they reverted back to the older-style, heavier, more
primitive unicycles in the mid-nineties. I think today’s Schwinns are
supposed to be part of their “retro” movement. A retro unicycle is great,
but couldn’t you have a modern one first?
Meanwhile, I sent Schwinn some drawings for a better seat. Peoples’ main
complaint with the Schwinn seats of the time (made by Messenger, now owned
by Semcycle) was the base cutting through the vinyl cover. So I drew them
pictures of a Schwinn-shaped seat with bumpers on the ends. I didn’t want
it to look too much like a Miyata seat, which was what I was modeling it
after, because they might consider it too much of a change and too
expensive to manufacture. But the Viscount seats of today look more or
less exactly like my 1984 drawings.
However I did not make suggestions on how to pad it, nor how to attach the
bumpers. There is room for improvement in both areas. Over the years I’ve
seen Schwinn/Viscount seats with both very soft and super-hard foam. I’ve
never found them that comfortable myself. But my main complaint is the
lack of handle. You can only get two or three fingers in between the
screws under the front bumper, so anything involving pulling up or holding
onto the front of the seat will hurt your hand after a while.
NOTE: Semcycle’s saddles (the kind formerly found on Schwinns) are better
than the Schwinn originals due to extra protection from the base
cutting the cover. The choice of colors is nice too.
If I were to be asked to offer suggestions on a next-generation Viscount
seat, I would start with these three main areas:
- Vinyl cover over thin foam, with air bladder inside
- Bolts instead of screws to hold bumpers on
- More of a handle on the front
That would repair the existing design, and if done right, make it better
than a stock Miyata. But I’d rather start from the ground up:
- Rails, to fit standard bicycle seat posts
- A frame and bumper section separate from the padding section
- Padded section with an air bladder and strong material on the
outside
- Frame with front & rear bumpers, and handle built into front
- Optional high-end frames with mounts for brakes, cycle computers,
bigger handles, etc.
Have a nice day, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com
“The difference between a winner and a loser is character.”
