KH Velo saddle review

Unicycles and Equipment
1

I finally had the opportunity to try the new KH Velo saddle for an extended period of time on two different rides. One was a trail ride on mountain bike trails outside Jackson, MS and the other on a paved road through a civil war battlefield park in Vicksburg, MS. Both were with Lewis Beard (Animation) and Christopher LeFay (rhysling).

On the trail ride, the KH saddle was attached to Chris’ Yuni MUni frame with ALEX DX32 and 24x3 Gazz combination. The saddle was one of the handled versions. The handle was extremely comfortable to grab and yank on and the handle/saddle interface seemed stiff and tight to me. I think others have complained about too much flex here. The saddle width was comfortable for me and it was on a stock post so there was no tilt adjustment. The handle contour is more comfortable than the Kinport or the stock Miyata, and is much stronger than the Miyata but is definitely not as stout as the Kinport.

In the park, we went on a 13 mile ride during which Lewis rode his 29er (Nanoraptor tire) with 5" (125mm) cranks. That is a smooth, fast ride and excellent for flats. We had it in some moderately hilly terrain and Lewis, even though unaccustomed to the short crank-big wheel combo, ran up and down some pretty steep ones. Chris and I traded off between Blue Shift in 29" mode with 5.5" (140mm) cranks and Chris’ 24" frame with the KH saddle on it and with a Hookworm tire and 5" (125mm) cranks . I rode maybe a third of the route on the KH saddle in cruise mode, weight on the seat riding. It was a real joy for an extended period of time and I experienced no discomfort whatsoever. It was infinitely superior to a Viscount saddle and noticeably more comfortable than the unconverted Miyatas. This is undoubtedly the best unconverted saddle on the market. I still think that an airseat is more comfortable but I am no longer positive. I will definitely buy one or two of these puppies and get rid of all of my Viscounts and try one at least once on a grueling, non-stop ride.

Hopefully, Lazy LeFay will report further on the saddle since he put in 8-10 miles on it. Also, he and Lewis can tell you the names of the parks we went to and correct all the errors I made describing their frames, wheels, tires, cranks, and pedals. The Mississippi boys are a very hospitable pair. As unicyclists, we are all part of an incredible community. I hope to meet even more in Minnesota this summer.

P.S. Chris and I both wore MUni Militia T-shirts at one time. Everytime we got close to each other the temperature went up as if there were some sort of critical mass thing going on. What’s up with that?

2

Thanks for the review greg.

You said some people have complained about to much flex in the KH seats. But that couldn’t be as bad as a cracked Myata, could it?

3

All,

I can’t really add to the review, because I barely touched the seat. I think I rode it all of 2 minutes. It seemed comfortable.

I just wanted to say that I enjoyed Harper’s stay, and he truly is a gentleman. Even if he did drink all my orange juice and hit on my mom. What a great guy overall, though …

Thanks for the visit Greg! We owe you one!

Lewis

4

I agree fully with Harper’s assessment. I rode the Clementine Loop in Auburn on Saturday on my brand new red Wilder with KH seat. Wheee! I waited a long time for that one, but it was worth it!

The KH/Velo saddle is bar none, no contest, the most comfortable and best off-the-shelf unicycle saddle ever made.

And why shouldn’t it be? It was designed by an expert unicyclist, built upon the good points of the only other unicycle saddle known (by me) to have had a lot of unicyclist input, the Miyata. To me the Miyata, even the recent Chinese version, was previously the best seat out there.

Most unicycle seats over the years have been designed by manufacturers, with either some, little, or no input from actual unicycle riders. How do I know? Because I’m one of the people likely to be asked, if a manufacturer really wanted to know. Or at least I’d hear from other unicyclist friends that they were doing it. Not that there have been many new unicycle seat designs in the nearly 25 years I’ve been riding…

I contributed to the design of the Viscount seat. In late 1984, Schwinn contacted the folks at 67 Lion Lane in Westbury, NY (the home of Bill Jenack before he died), the early IUF. What they got from me was a set of drawings for an improved seat.

But that was all we heard from them Schwinn, other than a belated ‘Thank you’ in the form of some test unicycles after the fact. My drawings for an ‘improved Schwinn seat,’ combined with whatever else they collected, went onto the 1986 and later Schwinns. The new seats, the Viscounts, were definitely an improvement over the previous seats, but still didn’t have much to grip at the front, and still weren’t that comfortable. But they could hold up to average wear & tear, which their predecessors could not, so it was a big improvement.

Miyata unicycle seats are where nearly all unicycle seat innovation took place between the late 1970s and 2002. Metal bumpers? Miyata actually did it first. But before this idea was copied by the makers of the cheapie unicycles, Miyata had already gone to plastic bumpers. But the first Miyatas shipped to the US had metal bumpers.

Then over the years, the Miyata seats we know today developed with lots and lots of incremental changes. Seat post bases were made longer and stronger. The seat was reinforced to be more crack resistant. More bolts were added to the front bumper, from one, to two, to three. A handle was added to the front of the bumper in the 90s. Color was always a problem for us Americans, but not in Japan. It’s just that they only ever seemed to ship us the dregs. This changed with Unicycle.com.

On Saturday, I rode the entire 7 mile trail in Auburn without thinking about my crotch, which is unprecedented for a foam seat. Normally I’d at least start noticing some discomfort by then, but it only occurred to me because I was consciously testing the seat. Comfort? Amazing. For a 7-mile ride, equal to any of my air seats.

Handle:
I didn’t notice any flex in the handle. The seat flexes like a Miyata (NOT like a new Miyata handle), but it is ruggedly built, so I think it will be very crack or break resistant. There is plenty of finger room under the handle, so it’s easy to grip. Some riders commented on it being a little thin, meaning less plastic for your fingers to wrap around. I don’t think I’d mind a wider lip, but I didn’t notice it as a problem. Less plastic means a lighter seat. Light is good.

The Velo is not intended for conversion to air, at least not these first models. The seat cover is stapled on, and might be real hard to replace if you take it off. But the idea is for you not to have to. The vast majority of unicyclists ride their cycles the way they come, and for a seat to be viable, it has to be targeted for this group. Later versions may be more customizable.

I am also curious as to whether there will be no-handle versions for Freestyle. This would mean, I suppose, a different handle version that doesn’t stick out (like Viscount or old Miyatas). If produced as an aftermarket replacement, I think it would be excellent. But the development of such molded parts is very expensive, so it’s understandable if this doesn’t happen until the seat has proven itself in the marketplace.

By attaching to the more common Schwinn-style seatpost, the Velo will fit a wider range of existing unicycles. Those posts are easy to manufacture, and are stronger than the Miyata types. They also offer a minimal amount of adjustment, which is better than none.

No sir. Cracked Miyatas were common in the old days (80s), but later versions were tougher and less likely to crack. But when they do crack, they become all flexy. That’s why my DM ATU has a seat post that attaches to both the base and front bumper mounts; the seat should never break.

I find the KH/Velo to be as stiff as a Miyata, if not stiffer. The amount of flex that’s there is not something I’d worry about.

Conclusion:
This is the seat I’d recommend for anyone who isn’t a customizer. For the vast majority of riders, this is the best seat you can get. Sure it costs a few dollars more. But how much is your crotch worth?

5

john, check out www.unicycle.uk.com, the have velo freestyle saddle without the handle.

also when i got my velo sadle a few moths back, roger who as you know makes the carbonfibre bases said that the seat could be converted to cf, and i presume, air.

in the u.k. the velo sadles are also cheaper than myatas.

6

What’s a review withougt Pics?

check out all these photos of

KH Velo vs. Miyata and Viscount

http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albuo85

I only went out for a trials test, and I’ll be keeping the Miyata+Kinport on my trials uni

I found the KH too bulky. It’s gonna ROCK for MUni though!

If you want any other view (can there be?) let me know

Check it out Harper! :wink:

Using the ‘pushing the thumb into the material’ test, the plushness is similar to the Miyata…but ALOT deeper!

7

Greg, John and others

Thanks for the thoughtful reviews. I had been wavering and now I know that I will get one when they arrive in Australia (a few more weeks I am told).

Phil from Melbourne

8

John Foss wrote:

I’ve had a sample Velo for a few months that I used for designing rail adapters. It doesn’t have a lift handle. The front bumper looks like a stock item so I’m sure they are available without the handle. Here’s a few pictures:

http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albun54

As soon as I rode any distance with the Velo saddle I knew it was a winner. I’ve ridden it for a while now, switching off with my Miyata air saddle conversion and would be hard pressed to say which is more comfortable. However, I have had rides using the air conversion saddle where I’ve never thought about how uncomforable the saddle was. I can’t say that about the Velo.

I made a Reeder type handle and use the Velo saddle on my MUni. The yellow on the sides is starting to get pretty dirty but I think it would clean-up and look good again. If (when) I get another one it will be a darker color that won’t show the dirt as much.

Steve Howard

9

My legs were complaining so much from disuse that I didn’t notice the lack of crotch pain. For a unicycling sadle, there are few better endoresements. I had to conciensiously change were I carry my weight to take advantage of the broad-deep padding of the back part of the sadle, and this resolved most all pressure issues on the front of the abdomin. No part of my groin ‘fell asleap’.

If the ‘free-style’ version of this sadle has the same profile without the bumper, I’d say it would be too deep to excell; still, it isn’t a horrible start- I’d like to see a perpose-specific sadle from Velo for free-style.

Happyly, my only major complaint about the Velo KH is the lack of colour-keyed bumpers at Uni.com. Black sucks.

-Christopher

10

I wouldn’t change it at all for freestyle, other than to have the plain bumper with no handle. These are in the UK Unicycle.com site, and so I assume will be available soon at Unicycle.com. Hopefully we will also be able to buy bumpers separately.

I’m not saying this will make it the perfect freestyle saddle, but it will be a big improvement, and realistic within the limitations of mass production in today’s unicycle market. We should be happy they’re making two versions of the front bumper. Miyata never did this…

I get sore from practicing freestyle on my unadulterated Miyata seat. On my old freestyle uni I had a (very) old Miyata seat with extra foam in it. No more. All my cycles I ride enough to get sore will eventually work their way over to KH/Velo saddles, except the ones that get the high mileage, which will probably keep the air seats. And the “collectible” Miyatas, of course.

11

I like black. Thanks Unicycle.com!

mymuni.jpg
mymuni.jpg640×821 254 KB

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I bought a KH saddle for my daughter’s uni but the handle/seat body were noticeably misaligned. Another one is on its way. Be careful to inspect your merchandise before using it!

14

Lewis’ mom is WAY cute. Another good reason to go. She ignored me so obviously her taste isn’t too refined.

Your pictures are excellent and cover the topic thoroughly as usual. You do outstanding work. Thank you.

15

Thanks for the history lesson John, it was very interesting.
It looks and sounds like the KH saddle would be a good investment.

16

Pics, please.

:smiley:

17

Chris,

I agree. Well, black is OK for some, but I don’t want black. At unicycle.com they mention it comes in 5 colors. “All black with highlights in 5 colors” seems more accurate. :slight_smile: Oh well.

Lewis

18

Another thing I noticed:

Because the seat is so thick, you have to lower your seat post WAY down to maintain riding height. The less post sticking out of the frame, the less likely it will be to bend.

Unfortunately all my uni’s only take a 22mm seat post.

I’ve bent 2 so far

AND, even wearing wristguards, the handle uses a tractor beam to pull your hand comfortably, firmly into place while riding. You feel bad for not holding on to it! I love this thing!

19

Hey Gluteous…doesn’t this thread belong somewhere else?

Gluteous?

You there?

20

Let me be the first to say I find the KH seat uncomfortable. The vast majority of people seem to love the KH seat but I guess my butt is a different shape or some such.

I find the KH saddle much less comfortable than either Miyata of Viscount saddles. I haven’t encountered chaffing problems this bad with anything other than Savage seats. I find even a 5 minute ride uncomfortable.

I’m rather depressed that the hailed “most comfortable” production seat doesn’t suit me. To add insult to injury my one air seat insists on deflating after half an hour of riding. Comfort seems a distant memory at the moment.

Oh well,
Peter