I’m stuck between the two. The only reason I’d lean towards the Naomi is the super super thin stock version it comes in. Other than that I prefer the KHU cover and the KH street is cheaper.
I once ran a 2006 original first release Fusion Street KH saddle… can anyone compare the 2010 updates to the first version so I get a clearer idea? What is the current foam like? Any other decent upgrades? I disliked how chunky the 2006 Fusion street foam was and the shape wasn’t that comfy to hold.
If anyone can, please post up some close-ups detailing either your Naomi seat or KH 2010 Street saddle! I’d like to see how thick each foam is and the other features like underside for example. I can’t view Flickr, Imageshack, Photobucket… so can you put them on this forum gallery please?
Cheers!
Contributors, if any of you are in England or visiting England any time this year later… I’ll give you an Echo seatclamp of your colour choice (14 or so clean anodized colours!)
Cheers Andrew, I’m looking for some criticism of either to draw out the hidden weaknesses.
Can you share some more info and detail on why it’s ‘bad’? I’d like to know more about the foam. Is it the main thing that makes the 2010 seat not so good?
I’m ridin’ a custom saddle… I’ve cutted down my Black Zebra and putted a KH cover on it and it’s awesome to ride with!! But if you aren’t going to do anything to you saddle I would say an Impact would be best…! I doesn’t like the KH '10 saddle because it’s too thick for me, but if you’re putting Carbon base and cut it down it’s AWESOME (much better than Impact in me upponion)
The Impact seat has the same “old” velo base that the k1, quax, old kh, old nimbus, etc have.
Since 09 the KH seats have had a redesigned base. The base is quite a bit stiffer and is a slightly different shape. The main difference I’ve noticed is that it feels more like the shape of my scott wallis CF base. The new KH base is much deeper underneath, so your fingers can wrap around the lip more securely. This could be good or bad depending on how you hold the seat. When I lift the uni, I curl my fingers around the side almost like making a fist, so the new base feels better to me in that way. If you hold your seat more like a sandwich then you might have a different opinion.
As far as the foam goes, its definitely preference. The impact is pretty minimalist and the KH has quite a bit more volume to it. When I ride my 2010KH seat I don’t feel like it’s huge and my grip is still pretty good. The KH foam also has a channel cut away through the center. So depending how you grip your seat it could be comfortable to rest your thumb inside.
I have a carbon base (udc) with a Naomi foam and kh cover since late summer 09. I used to have the the street foam with the same setup. the Naomi is great for trials. holding it sif is great. its very stiff and curves more than the kh street. its impossibly uncomfortable. I’m not sure I’d recommend it. great for pure trials but it gets to the point where I walk from spot to spot. if you want I can send you photos of both setups on Monday. I have the oh foam on a plastic base with a kh fusion cover.
I think I would prefer the koxx thin foams.
And my fusion foam is the 08 model with the gel insert.
i hav both. naomi is ultra thin and quite comfortable too. kh however does hav a much better base. the solution to this decision: get a naomi with a cf base. done
edit: comfort of naomi is personal preference but ive even heard of coker riders saying how nice it is
The Naomi is the best long distance road/Muni saddle out there.
I’ve been cutting down the KH Saddles for years, and they are still at least two or three times thicker than they need to be. Low profile=increased comfort.
There are a couple of minor drawbacks with the Naomi- you won’t be able to fit a KH T-Bar on it easily, and it needs a narrower profile seatpost clamp as the bigger ones is hard to clamp on.
I have a KH 2010 street, and last weekend I got a chance to try the Impact saddle for a couple minutes.
The KH foam is a little too thick for me, but I don’t want to cut it down because I like the cutaway in the center. The base is also a really nice shape and seems stiffer than my old Velo base. The allen head bolts are also a plus.
The Impact saddle was nice too and would be really great for trials since it’s so thin. That’s the advantage it has over the KH, but the KH also has really nice features like I mentioned.
Tomorrow I may have a chance to take some pictures of both. If I do I’ll put them up here.
would someone mind posting some more detailed pics of the naomi saddle? (different angles and such) I’m looking at getting one for distance. I’ve seen some pictures that kinda looks like it has a small trench in it like the kh, but I can’t tell for sure. Hopefully this will be the saddle will be good for touring multiple days in a row. The only thing I’m worried about is it not being flat enough front to back, I don’t like the nose of it to bend too far up.
Personally i had a 2009 KH street saddle and have tried my friends naomi saddle and i prefer my custom set up for trials. i have a miata CF base and cover with worndown foam. works like a sharm. super light weight and the way that the miyata bse folds gives excellent grip. its super stiff too.
Obviously naomi is with the blue cover, KH is with the black.
Notice the KH has a 2005 seat cover so it doesnt fit all that brilliantly.
Also I have cut the blue saddles rear bumper both vertically and horizontally. The foam is really alot thinner at the back.
I do definitely want to upgrade to a CF base sooner rather than later, but if I go for a KH 2010 saddle, I think I’d need to alter the way I ‘drill and prep’ the CF base right? For one, the KH2010 has threaded alu bosses inside the seat and the base is shaped differently… hmm.
And what’s the deal with there being two types of UDC base?-- Miyata and KH?
Only one option was around when I uni’d.
and when they describe it as a ‘KH’ CF base, do they mean a mould of the old Velo style base that KHs ran before 2009? Or do they really mean ‘KH’ CF base as in to be fitted as direct replacement for the 2009/2010 updated KH plastic bases.
The different shape makes very little difference. You can quite easily shove a 2010 foam on a older style velo base. I’m pretty sure they have not updated their CF bases. For a CF base, you just need to make sure the bumpers fit, after that you dont have to care about anything else. So you wont have to change the way you prep the CF base, as long as you find your own bolts!
If you want a real nice CF base, addict/impact (whats with the name change?) make one with allready threaded bolts. Although I cant see it on the site but it was available at EUC 09.
Myata seats have different shapes so there have/need a different CF bases. (I dont know anything about myata seat, never had one)
