The title was to grab attention I don’t ‘HATE’ them, but here are my two questions.
Why does UDC put this saddle on EVERY uni? It really is not a very good saddle for tricks, especially things like SIF, because the rear part is so wide. I find it hard to pass between my legs.
Has anyone lost a finger yet? The front handle has an opening at the top just big enough for my fingers to fit into when I grip the handle. I can imagine it is possible someone UPDs while holding onto this and either slicing/breaking their fingers.
I call on anyone with the means and the know-how to design something better.
My velo saddle is like an older KH saddle, cause newer ones are getting thinner and better.
I haven’t had a wreck where my finger got into that hole.
I also never had a problem getting to SIF. I did have a problem with the thickness of the saddle, so I took out all the staples, cut off about half of the foam, and put the cover back, only to realize I couldnt find my staple gun, so I stapled it by hand, with a pair of pliers.
The newest seats are nice, with 2 different layers of foam that are thinner, and they are stronger.
I havnt gotten my fingers stuck in the hole because I dont hold the handle with my fingers through it.
I hate miyata “style” seats, except for street and freestyle. KH style seats are great, as long as you cut down the foam or something. I like the KH handle. Never got my finger caught once, even with lots of one handed seat in unispins.
Right now I have the LX seat on mine, and I like it way more than the Kris Holm style ones for freestyle and trials. I’d like to try a gel seat, though, it’s probably the perfect mix of size and comfort.
I don’t hate them, but I would not buy one for myself. They just don’t seem to agree with my anatomy. Miyata’s don’t either truly, but miyatas are so customizable that I just adapt them to what I want.
hate is a hateful word.
Anyway, the questions.
It’s probably on every unicycle because its the most popular seat. I agree with you the back is too wide to be practical for seat in front, but other than that it is a very good seat. It’s comfortable, and once it is in front it is easy to hold for seat in front. But if you do want a different seat, you will find that UDC is very flexible.
As for the fingers getting stuck, I find my fingers fit in there easily too, but to put them in there I would have to bend my wrist way over, and it would be uncomfortable and hard. Just hold the handle regularly, and there should be no problem…
I didnt like the KH seat when i started doing SIF either but then i just trimmed mine down like Jerrick did. Now im rocking Miyata so ill get back to you on how i like that soon.
I believe they’re getting better. The stock KH saddle that came with my KH29 a couple months ago is by far my favorite stock saddle–even better than a KH gel.
I generally agree about the older KH saddle I have. The shape isn’t quite right even though the super thickness is just fine for a muni.
I like the KH for Muni because of it’s bulk, it cradles your ass and provides nice cuppage for the ballsack. Tilt it back like 45 degrees and it’s the perfect muni saddle.
Miyata saddles for the win. We really need these to be more available, or someone just needs to copy the design. It’s too hard to get your hands on them, but they’re the best saddle due to their shape and the fact they are lightweight.
The Nimbus gel is the same thing as the Koxx gel but without costing so much.
The newer (start of 2006) Kris Holm saddle is very similar in shape to the gel saddles, except I think slightly narrower. Much lower profile than the old KH and I think it’s narrower at the back but I might be wrong.
Whilst the KH seat is quite wide, I don’t see any problem with getting to riding seat out front, it’s just a matter of standing up and pulling it through. If you wear baggy trousers or big jeans or whatever while riding, then moving to bike shorts or some kind of trousers that aren’t baggy makes way more of a difference than changing seats ever will.
As for the handle, you shouldn’t be putting your fingers through the hole, are you holding it in some funny way?
I think seat design is really where unicycle gear improvements needs to happen. All the padding and gel upgrades in the world can’t make up for the deep-curved “u” design of the Velo 500 seat base that is on every Kris Holm-styled seat. I’d love to see the crafty fabricators out there in the unicycle world come up with better, less curved seats - hopefully integrating some of the pressure-relieving technology that big name seat makers like Specialized Bikes use. I’d love to build a design myself, but I’m not handy enough with metal, carbon fiber, or plastic.
