Good to know thanks
Thank you and yes I will be quick, I can tell you from lots of hrs and miles that this cover is very comfortable and what I am offering is good advise. Have you tried one? Let me know when you have.
I’m offering this rider a proven solution, that only cost $50 and is proven by my personal experience offers a low cost solution to.a common problem that most riders have especially at the begining stages. I post about this topic regularly because I’m a believer in this product and will continue to offer the same advise when the topic comes up again.
Note this cover fits over almost any saddle including the stadium saddle mentioned at the begining of this post.
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The cover will hold up fine if you mount it under your grab handle. If you mount it over your handle upd’s will likely destroy it.
The 500 you spent is a good investment, you won’t regret it. The Schwinn design was great for it’s day is good for beginners but very outdated. Unicycle tech has come a long way
That’s definitely true. I rode my Schwinn 20 until there wasn’t much left to ride and then got a Club 24. I rode that for a while and take it out from time to time but my Nimbus 29 and custom bomb proof 20 get the most usage, so @Terry just skipped the fiddling and went right for the best.
My Schwinn was almost bullet proof. I thought, why not go for bullet proof and a big fat tire.I may have screwed up a bit.I’ve discovered a 26" is only 6% larger than a 24". A 26" rim has a lot more tire options than 24’s. However, I live in Vermont. The tire is the only shock absorber you have and I’ll be riding on dirt roads and trails.So, I may never need a different tire.
That makes sense
I’m in the exact same boat as you I think (from your great illustration 
). Those corners on the stadium saddle are bad news for me. I went the air saddle cover route and my opinion is it made things more uncomfortable, it just adds a bunch of pressure in places where there shouldn’t be any (it made it so I had to rest my neither regions every mile as opposed to every three miles without it).
Padded bike shorts are a must for me, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t wear them under jeans, no one would know.
If you do upgrade to freeride saddle be sure to update here, I’ll be watching.
I have not noticed that. I think it is more accurate to say your that your butt need “broke in” then the saddle. I have two Club saddles of the same age, one has maybe 20 miles on it and the other has many thousand miles of use. I can not tell the difference in firmness, shape or in actual use. However I can tell the difference from when I started riding with no history of riding to now. I guess my butt got broke in.
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I once added a piece of foam to a club saddle after taking the cover off and flattening it. This piece of foam was softer than stock foam and I contoured the edges a bit. It helped, but it is about as comfortable to me as the Stadium is, but in different ways. The Stadium is hard and the modified Club is soft, so they hurt a little differently but both last about 12 miles before it gets to be bad.
I just tried some " Highly rated " cycle shorts and they felt like I had a load in my britches. I got to the end of my driveway, the padding helped. I tried to turn around and failed. Free mounting smashed everything and stopped me from getting back on.
I may just get a Club? I’m not in the least bit pleased with my Stadium.I’m sure it will take time to progress but the Stadium is killing me.
I didn’t like the club saddle, it was too hard for my liking. But the shape is much better than the stadium saddle. I recommend the KH saddles, I’ve had no issues with fusion freerides. If you live near anybody who has one, try it.
QX Eleven is also good but might take a little time to get used to.
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If I was in your situation (and I kind of am) I would get the kh freeride saddle. I went the cheap route and got the air saddle cover ( I knew deep down it wasn’t gonna help, and was right) now I’m out the 50 for the cover, and another chunk for the freeride saddle when I ultimately buy it.
I’ve ridden the free rides years ago and they are pretty good.
I may try and change the shape of the stadium saddle first, but time has been short and my garage is a huge mess from fixing a car, so I haven’t done anything yet.
First Off, thanks so much to everyone, for all the feedback. Keep it coming, I have a feeling I’m not done here. You’ve given me so much information to work with.
Also, I’ve been in contact with Josh. He’s the General manager of Unicycle USA. He put me in touch with Rodger of UDC UK. He’s been designing Uni’s for 35 years and weighed in as well.
Roger says the KH is a winner for heavier built men due to the wide profile. I’m 210 these days and should probably drop 20.
Josh says the Freestyle is the plushest saddle they sell touch wise.
I almost went back to my roots. I was going to get the Nimbus Classic. It has most rounded profile and the steepest banana curve from front to rear. The (Nimbus, Club, Trainer and Schwinn) are all identical, except the banana curve is less pronounced.
Plus, I was going to add an air cushion for good measure. It kind of felt like I was stuffing a V-6 in a Ford Pinto. And I’d still have a Pinto in the long run.
For the same price, a KH Freeride it is. {:>)
It’s ordered, now, I cross my fingers and toes.
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I got my response on seat break in time. I got the impression break in time may primarily refer to to Stadium & KH street saddles.Why?
Both seats have a center channel of foam removed. It’s hard to tell just by looking at the Stadium. The shinny black area/strip on the cover, is hollowed out underneath.
It’s 3/4" wide in the center. It tapers wider to 1" in the front and 1 1/4" in the rear.
This is Josh’s explanation for the cutouts…The Nimbus Stadium and Kris Holm Street saddle offers a flatter profile with 2" of multi density foam with a relief cut down the center, this is why there is a visual flatter top till pressure from riding is applied. The relief cut down the center offers less groin pressure and allows the square edges to give and round out. Please note this is once the saddle is broke in, the saddle cover and cushion are rigid straight out of the box.
Rogers response to break in time was this…The foam on the saddles softens over time, typically you will see the difference within a few months.
Both Roger and Josh work for UDC and design unicycles.
I’m not challenging your experience, you certainly road test seats to death and I commend you.{:>) It looks like a nice area of the world where you ride. I’ve checked out your YouTube channel. I haven’t ruled out a Club seat. I’m hoping the freeride gets me there.
They do, but as such it’s also important to remember that they’re not impartial. The products being discussed are ones that they have had a hand in designing for their company, so they’re not likely to say too much negative about them.
Now this is not me suggesting that what they’re saying is incorrect, just a note that when you’re talking about products you should be aware of who’s got a vested interest in those products being perceived as good.
I did find that my Nimbus Stadium saddle that came with my Oracle has gotten more comfortable over time. It seemed incredibly firm at first, and for a long time afterward.
However, I noticed it getting more comfortable and wondered if the foam was getting used to me, or if my body was getting used to the saddle. Probably a little of both but it did feel like the foam was getting softer. It did take some stubbornness on my part.
It is still not like my Schwinn Gel saddle, my Nimbus Gel saddles, or my Coker extra thick and cushioned gel saddle, or my Koxx/K1 saddles, but I have completely different expectations for those saddles (and the unicycles on which they are installed.)
Lastly, I think (warning, opinion coming) the stadium saddle + blue jeans = recipe for unmet expectations. I think that once your bruises and raw skin heal from the stadium/jeans combination, replacing the jeans with a pair of workout shorts with two layers of man-made material that can slide against each other, and one of the layers being a “compression layer against the skin” (see attached photo) will result in a much higher opinion of the saddle.
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Agree with your opinion, I can’t imagine riding in jeans, probably one trip around the block and my inner thighs would be ground off. I do the same as you, tight cycling shorts underneath loose mesh athletic shorts.
I 100% appreciate where you’re coming from. I accept that jeans are probably out for good in this day and age.
My point about jeans may be misunderstood or missed altogether. I probably couldn’t ride my old Schwinn 50 miles in jeans and likely not in padded shorts either.
However, I could ride it 10 miles " In Jeans " and did. Generally speaking, I’m not going to ride any further than that on any given day.
That being said. I can’t buy that saddle or one that allows me to do that. Why? Because today’s saddles are more advanced and better than yesteryear’s saddles. According to those that design, produce and sell today’s saddles.
LOL to that.
They may be better overall, but I’d love alternatives and ones that don’t require " Special Pants " for short trips and basic riding.