I started riding a unicycle last January after reading the article in Bicycling
Magazine about George Peck. Don’t know why but I just decided that I wanted to
try off-road unicycling so I ordered a 26" SEM Cycle XL. Since then I’ve
modified the it with 170 mm cranks, different pedals and an old Ritchie Megabite
knobby with the side knobs trimmed off so it will clear the stays. I’ve got the
equipment for off-roading but of course I don’t have the skill yet. However, I’m
making very good progress … I can ride in control on the road, free-mount,
make tight turns, etc. My goal is to be riding on easy trails within the next
couple months.
I’m an avid mountain biker and as such have had a tough time finding a seat for
my bike that doesn’t hurt me in the prostate area (I’m 42 so the 'ol prostate
isn’t what it used to be!). I’ve found a great seat for my bike - Wilderness
Trail Bikes SST - but the unicycle just kills me!!
What are some suggestions for more comfort on a unicycle? I’ve Flattened the
metal base on the SEM cycle seat and this helped some but I NEED to get the
weight off the prostate and on to the sit bones. Is there another saddle that’s
better than the SEM? I’m a pretty good fabricator so anything is possible. I’ve
even thought of putting a WTB bike saddle on the uni. Has anyone used a bicycle
saddle on a unicycle?
any unicycling engineers (medical engineers) out there who want to design a user
friendly seat.
I’d buy 5.
Wayne van Wijk
wvanwijk@gil.com.au
<read between the lines>
> From: Howastev <Howastev@aol.com> To: unicycling@winternet.com Subject: Uni > Seats Date: Monday, April 13, 1998 3:03 AM > > I started riding a unicycle last January after reading the article in > Bicycling Magazine about George Peck. Don’t know why but I just decided
that > I wanted to try off-road unicycling so I ordered a 26" SEM Cycle XL.
Since > then I’ve modified the it with 170 mm cranks, different pedals and an old > Ritchie Megabite knobby with the side knobs trimmed off so it will clear
the > stays. I’ve got the equipment for off-roading but of course I don’t have
the > skill yet. However, I’m making very good progress … I can ride in
control > on the road, free-mount, make tight turns, etc. My goal is to be riding
on > easy trails within the next couple months. > > I’m an avid mountain biker and as such have had a tough time finding a
seat > for my bike that doesn’t hurt me in the prostate area (I’m 42 so the 'ol > prostate isn’t what it used to be!). I’ve found a great seat for my bike
> Wilderness Trail Bikes SST - but the unicycle just kills me!! > > What are some suggestions for more comfort on a unicycle? I’ve Flattened
the > metal base on the SEM cycle seat and this helped some but I NEED to get
the > weight off the prostate and on to the sit bones. Is there another saddle > that’s better than the SEM? I’m a pretty good fabricator so anything is > possible. I’ve even thought of putting a WTB bike saddle on the uni.
Has > anyone used a bicycle saddle on a unicycle? > > Any help would be appreciated! > > Steve Howard Pocatello, Idaho
At 01:03 PM 4/12/98 EDT, Howastev@aol.com wrote: >I started riding a unicycle last January after reading the article in Bicycling >Magazine about George Peck.
That’s great. George has really done a lot for this sport and we all thank him!
I have talked to a lot of people who saw the article in Bicycling. That was an
excellent national plug for us. Now I think we need to hit up the Mountain
Biking magazines and get the word out!
>I wanted to try off-road unicycling so I ordered a 26" SEM Cycle XL. Since
I’m no big fan of the semcycle seat. I personally like the Miyata seat, but some
would disagree with me. As far as the prostate thing, I’m not sure. I find that
unicycling is better for the “equipment” than biking because you are more
upright. Most of the articles I have seen indicate that the forward position on
the bike cuts off circulation which causes problems. But at the same time all
your weight is on the seat on a uni which has to cause problems. We need a
doctor’s opinion here I think. Any MD’s out there?
>weight off the prostate and on to the sit bones. Is there another saddle that’s >better than the SEM? I’m a pretty good fabricator so anything is
A lot of people cut grooves in the seat padding where your butt bone hits the
seat. This seems to make a much more comfortable ride. Also several people have
thrown out the padding altogether and put a tire in the seat, and then inflated
the tire. I think the inflated tire in the seat is a good option, but I’ve been
too lazy to try it myself. Maybe that will be my summer project. Just as a
reference, I ride a Miyata seat with two pieces of the original padding. I have
done 40+ mile rides which take between 6 and 7 hrs on the saddle (my goal is to
break 60 miles this summer). Training your butt for long rides takes as long as
training your legs!
>Has anyone used a bicycle saddle on a unicycle?
That’s pretty tricky since bike seats and unicycles use different connecting
hardware. The main problem with a bike seat is that it doesn’t have a front. A
unicycle seat has a fairly wide front end which allows you to steer with your
thighs. Bike seats don’t have this, which makes stabilizing the uni and turning
harder. Also, there isn’t much to hold onto so you can’t pull up the seat much.
But it still may work. Besides, a functioning prostate is better than lateral
control! If you try it, let us know the results.
>Several people have thrown out the padding altogether and put a tire in the >seat, and then inflated the tire.
Sounds good. Do you mean a tube? Do you keep some kind of a nogahide cover over
the whole thing? Does the valve stem come out the bottom? That would be cool.
Love to hear from anybody that has done this.
Chris Reeder Rexburg, Idaho
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On Sun, 12 Apr 1998, Chris A Reeder wrote: > >>Several people have thrown out the padding altogether and put a tire in the >>seat, and then inflated the tire. > >Sounds good. Do you mean a tube? Do you keep some kind of a nogahide cover over >the whole thing? Does the valve stem come out the bottom? That would be cool. >Love to hear from anybody that has done this. >
Yes it should be an inner tube. I use a 20" by 1.75" tube. You should just be
able to keep the original seat cover and only throw away the padding. I also put
in some thinner padding than the original as well as the tube. Something like a
lightweight camping insulation/mattress (“Karrimat” in the UK) this means that
the seat is still ridable if the tube is deflated and also protects the tube
from being punctured by the metalwork of the seat in some designs. Whether I put
this under or over the tube depends on the design of the seat and the thickness
of the seat cover. Semcycle seats have a stregically placed hole just behind the
post which is just the right size for the valve. (This is actually to allow the
seat to be bent into shape during manufacture without crumpling but its pretty
convenient for this type of conversion). On other types you may have to drill a
hole or enlarge an existing one.
This is definately worth doing. Your rear end will thank you.
Jon
Jonathan Marshall /| O O/ /|\ /| /|\ _/| / |\ LUNIs Unicycle Hockey Club
/| >>\ << |\ / E-mail rocket@jbmarshl.demon.co.uk /| 0 _ o 0 |_/
Chris A Reeder wrote: > > >Several people have thrown out the padding altogether and put a tire in the > >seat, and then inflated the tire. > > Sounds good. Do you mean a tube? Do you keep some kind of a nogahide cover > over the whole thing? Does the valve stem come out the bottom? That would be > cool. Love to hear from anybody that has done this. > > Chris Reeder Rexburg, Idaho > > _____________________________________________________________________ > You don’t need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get > completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) > 654-JUNO [654-5866]
I did it on my 24" schwinn (with a sem seat on it). There is a hole on the
bottom of the seat positioned just right for the valve stem. Remove the cover,
take out the padding and lay the tube on the metal frame. Replace the cover,
pump a few times and you are set. Sometimes the cover tends to pull itself off
but some ingeniuty on your part can help keep it on.
I still haven’t been sold on the air seat. It is soft but I found it actually
hugs too much sometimes. Make sure to get the tube near the edges of the seat
frame otherwise you will be sitting with the frame digging into your inner leg
and rear (not comforable) Overall it isn’t bad. I haven’t logged serious miles
on it. Just a mile each way to work everyday.
I personally prefer to new Schwinn style seat. I removed it from my 24" scwhinn
and place in on my freestyle 20" sem deluxe. It is all a personal preference.
You have to try until you find something you like.