My name is David and I recently bought myself a big old Christmas present. It’s a Nimbus 27.5 Muni and, having spent the past 10 years without a proper unicycle (I have a yard-sale uni that is a bit too small for me), I was majorly pumped when it arrived! A serious workout ensued, but loving it, and enjoying browsing through posts and watching cool uni vids (mind recently was blown by discovery of freewheel unicycle!! I just got this one and I’m already dreaming about riding one of those). Only issue I’m having is the saddle does not seem suited to my body, causing pain from pressure that I’ve never experienced. A bit of a set-back, but I plan on utilizing this awesome community resource to figure it out.
It’s really a great sport / hobby and these forums help it not be so isolated as I don’t know that many riders in real life.
Saddles are very very personal and it can depend on a lot of things. Sometimes getting used to it is part of the deal, other times you have to try a different style. There’s a good few posts here about it - and I need to experiment more myself - but but for short trips I’m happy with the newer KH Fusion Freerides.
Post us a picture of your unicycle / and rides in the threads for those - always great to see what others are up to in the UNI-space!!
Welcome to unicyclist.com David. I’m sure you’ll find this a sometimes not-so-consise compendium of unicycle resources and opinions! I’m sure you’ll fine lots to read on saddle options – enjoy and learn from that, it is a great source of information, ultimately you’ll form you own opinion through experience but it is great to have input from so many others across the globe.
Welcome, David! I have the Nimbus Oracle 27.5 with the Stadium Saddle.
Assuming you have the same saddle, if not the same Muni, the saddle may have instilled some confidence when you felt the channel running down the middle where the foam has been removed to create a space for your sensitive parts. Then, you may have noticed the saddle foam feeling much stiffer than you expected.
If so, you are not alone. If your experience is different, you may still find the next bit helpful. I loosened my saddle bolts and slid it as far forward as it could go, which is only about 1/4 inch, to maybe 3/8 inch. However, that little bit did seem to help me put pressure further back toward my sit bones rather than right there in the middle “squash zone”.
Next, I rode it. A lot. And somewhere along the line, either the foam started to soften (it is still firm), I learned to tilt my pelvis so that pressure was placed further back toward my sit bones, or my body toughened up in that area. I think al little of all of the above happened.
Keep riding it. Small/short sessions at first, and then just keep extending the time or distance slowly.
Everyone’s experience is different, but I went from riding a half mile this summer, to riding up to three miles now. That is conservative. I could ride further if I decided to, but I have no reason to push it. I’d rather be able to ride the next day without soreness.
Keep checking back in, and updating your progress and experience(s)!
I personally do not like the Nimbus saddles. I find they give me a sore and painfully numb crotch within 15 minutes or so of riding. My favorite saddle is the Mad4One handle saddle, but they are expensive and not for everyone. The Quax 11 saddle, (rebranded KH fusion), that came on my RGB was considerably better for me than the Nimbus, but as a male I had to make sure I sat on it right or it could crush my anatomy.
Welcome to the forums David! I have found a fully uptilted stadium as described by Uni2ONE2 to be very comfortable for a unicycle saddle, given I came from a Club saddle with foam I stuffed in to make it bearable and before that a 50 year old Schwinn saddle that was basically a steel plate with a cover. You have a very nice uni though! Saddle and pedals are personal changes that most people end up changing on a uni anyways so if that saddle isn’t for you it’s not a big deal, I’m sure someone on here would buy it from you (that’s how I got my stadium).
Thanks for all that feedback! You are correct that I have the Stadium saddle. I will definitely try shifting it forward, for starters. As far as riding through the pain, I’m as stubborn and determined as the next uni rider but if I can get instant relief from just having the right saddle, I may just have to get a new one. We’ll see!
Thanks a lot, everyone. I will scope the buy/sell forum for another saddle. In the meantime, my quads are getting extra pumped up so I’ll have more power maybe when I have a comfortable saddle. Have a good one!
Thanks for the thoughts, Unigoof. In terms of pedals, the ones that came on my Nimbus have metal studs, which are great - when you have your feet placed right, but they make it challenging to adjust your foot placement. Just another thing to get accustomed to, I guess, though I expect some people use pedals with less aggressive grip, even with Muni?
The best short term solution are padded cycling shorts or at least an athletic supporter to keep you in place. A nimbus air cover will make almost any saddle A lot more comfortable and will make long rides possible. I also like the older nimbus gel saddles i have them on my 20 inch and my 26 muni, I find them comfortable with padded shorts for about 45 min. I will Also give a nod to the fusion free ride, it is the most comfortable saddle i own as it is but I’m about to put an air cover on it to make it more comfy o have this on my 32. Also you’ll find that a short break when you start to feel it will help considerably and as mentioned earlier you will starting develop a stamina for it. Best of luck you will find what works for you.
Just a quick comment about the pressure relieving slots that are in some unicycle saddle. Unless you have trained your privates to line up single file i’m just not sure if it helps all that much. Just an observation
Hahaha! Thanks for that Bug72. I’m not sure how I would even begin such a training regimen, we’re I so inclined. The padded shorts are probably my next investment. The seat adjustment suggested by others made a noticeable difference as well.
I usually go for more agressive pedals, like the Nuke Electron pedals which have smaller diameter pins which really grab the sole of your shoes. It gives me more confidence that my foot will not move too much from the pedal. I’m not ready for clips though.
Once you know how to lighten your foot (either on the up stroke or by twisting it), placement is not really an issue.
Hey guys,
I invite you to create a topic in #unicycles-and-equipment, because welcoming topics are automatically closed after 1 month to avoid this kind of off-topic issue (I won’t enforce anything, that’s what the 1-month auto-closing is for )
I’m sure you’ll fine lots to read on saddle options – enjoy and learn from that, it is a great source of information, ultimately you’ll form you own opinion through experience but it is great to have input from so many others across the globe.
the ultimate sacrifice. Thanks again!
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