I have a Nimbus 36" with a T-Bar mounted on the rear sticking out a few inches. It is just long enough that when the uni falls the T-Bar is what hits the ground instead of the seat. I slipped rubber hoses over the bars to protect the bars. I would rather not have the T-Bar so what other ideas are there to protect the rear of the seat?
Disassemble the rear bar. Then the plastic seat bumper will hit first. It will get a little scratched up but should not break (and is cheaply replaceable if it does). I actually never put the rear bar on my shadow handle; instead I used it as an alternate front handle.
Actually the plastic seat bumper does not hit first all the time. Most of the time the seat cloth hits and it is showing wear after just a few falls. It is a poor design with the plasttic guard.
Ok, I guess that makes sense. On smaller unis the plastic bumper actually does some good, but on a 36" I could see how the additional angle at impact caused by the larger wheel could cause the back of the seat to hit rather than the bumper. When my 36" hits the ground the hit is invariably to the front. I’ve always been able to catch the seat when I come off the back.