So, realising that I’m incapable of wording a search phrase that doesn’t bring back less than a million hits, let me just boldy ask this question up front rather than looking for historical stuff.
Now I’ve had a bit of time in the saddle of my Qu-Ax I’m wondering about other seat options. I’ve (mostly) got over some of my nut crushing mounting technique but still find the stock Qu-Ax seat a little uncomfortable. It also has a bit of a seam along the top edges which can rub as can the sides of the saddle so my shorts are showing a bit of wear. All of these things may be generic to all saddles but I thought I’d check?
Alternative options seem a little slim on the ground but UDC here in the UK have the following candidates;
Kris Holm Freeride
Kris Holm Slim
Kris Holm Street
Nimbus Gel
Qu-Ax Freestyle
My current riding style is cross country trails (with copious arm waving and endless UPDs) on a 26" Qu-Ax Muni.
So, what do you think? Are there any advocates for the above or should I stick with the stock seat?
(I’m assuming they’re all completely interchangeable).
saddles are really one of the most personal bits of kit. some love one saddle that others hate
but since youve asked for opinions, heres mine
from your list i have experience with a few
the older fusion free ride. initially feels amazing. soft, loys.of cushoning. but for me too much padding. you sit in it not on it, leading to chaffing.
newer 2012 fusion free ride is better. a vinyl cover reducing chaffage, and feels firmer to me.
not on your.list bu i really like the impact naomi
but my favourite is a
NNC flatfish base with KH street foam and cover.
theres a lot of people flattening the plastic bases of the.stock saddles too. dont be surprized if some manufactures start making flatter bases soon ish
but.if.you look at the.lenghts people go to to get a comfy saddle, (ordering custom made cf parts from new zealand, boiling plastic bases, trimming and customising foam) it tells me a few things. theres no perfect.saddle out there. if you can make a great saddle, youll sell plenty.
Any FLAT or flattened saddle (carbon, plastic, alloy) and you will be on a winner fellow rider!
Personal preferences to the foams. My pick is kh slim. Close second kh street
Research opinions on flat saddle riding and happy saddle hunting!
hello unilateral. For nut comfort I would suggest you try the K.H. freeride saddle. It’s not as curved as some other saddles so it’s less likely to trap your nuts as you mount. It also has a groove running front to back which is designed to reduce pressure on critical areas. However, it does have seams along the top edges.
The Nimbus gel is quite comfortable, but is more curved than the K.H. freeride, but it doesn’t have seams along the top edges.
I’ve used both of the above saddles for road and for Muni and found them comfortable. I usually wear track suit bottoms over my cycling shorts which may be why the K.H. seams don’t bother me.
I got a B-stock Impact Naomi, there’s barely any padding on it, and it’s as thin as a thong, but it never rubs as you’re riding (Because there’s no side bits to rub on) So I’ve found it pretty comfortable It’s also far flatter than your typical banana-shaped seat, so I find there’s less crushing of the parts you don’t want crushing if you mount it a bit funny.
I’m not saying the Impact Naomi is the only seat in the world with these features (I wouldn’t know, it’s the only proper seat I’ve used besides the stock seat on my eBay Special Uni) But these are the features that I’ll look for in a seat in the future if I ever need a new one
Thanks for your thoughts so far chaps. In fairness to UDC I missed the Impact saddles so the full list should have read;
Impact Naomi
Kris Holm Freeride
Kris Holm Slim
Kris Holm Street
Nimbus Gel
Qu-Ax Freestyle
Just sat here hugging my Uni now and I think one of my issues with the current saddle (apart from the seams) is the fact that it's sort of vinyl on top and material on the sides. This seems to mean that I twist about on it a bit (no top friction) but my thighs rub a bit (too much side friction)...I think I want the opposite. I feel like something narrower might fit better between the legs but I'm going to guess the trade off is comfort when riding for a distance?
THis is a very subjective subject but your thoughts and experiences are interesting none the less.
Latest kh saddles are vinyl sides and material top. I think it is great this way. Better than vinyl top.
My lastept flat alloy saddle being made in incorporating unigeezers relief channel idea and making the saddle cover dip in down the centre. Zero support along the channel. Using slim foam modified and original material top vinyl side kh cover
I prefer thin firmer foam to support the sit bones and not get lost it the saddle and pressures being transfered across the other bits where its not needed or comfy. If I am riding on or off road for a lengthy amount of time a flat thin dense foam saddle I find most comfy. If learning, helping others learn or doing mad down hill muni I like freeride softness and depth.
I too got yesterday a b-stock naomi and was surprised how much padding it seemed to have compared to my older naomi. I think I might like this one for distance more than any other seat. It seems to be pretty much everything I wish for a saddle. Except for flat base but I’m working on that
Yeah cycling shorts (I wear two pair to keep the jewels in place) and Chamoix Butt’r really helps (no underwear).
The most comfortable seat I have is an older KH Fusion Freeride (I forget the year). The split down the middle eliminated the numbness I’ve felt on every other saddle. The soft foam provides a bit of padding w/ bumps. The only big downside I’ve noticed is its very hard to hold SIF.
My second favorite is a KH Air. Good cussioning for bumps but VERY hard to get a good shape that stays.
I also have a Nimbus Gel. It’s the first seat I could tolerate at all. I’ve thought of flattening it and cutting a channel down the middle like the KH Fi Fr but haven’t tried yet.
I’ve felt, but not ridden, a newish KH F Fr (2011?), the cover has fewer seems and new material is smoother, both probably reducing chaffing (never been a problem w/ me if I wear cycling shorts), and the foam appeared to be dual density, similar as my older F Fr on top and much firmer below, wich I also think would help. Also it’s thinner, a tad lighter and easier to hold SIF.
There is also the Nimbus Flat which I hear is like the KH Street w/o the easily removable cover.
Mikefule / skilewis74…Yup, I discovered the advantages of cycle shorts early on. Slidey (is that actually a word?), hold ‘things’ in place and make wearing shin/knee guards easier. Genius.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys…there are a few ‘seat’ threads about so lots of shared experience.
I’ve decided to have a go with the KH Freeride and have also picked up a KH adjustable seatpost to experiment with a bit…just doing my bit to keep UDC UK in business
I’ll let you know how I get on…
I have given up on the bicycle-style concept of a firm seat that supports the sit bones, at least for my “normal” riding. It works great on the bike, where I’m leaned forward in a sitting position, but the upright unicycle riding position just puts the sit bones in the wrong place to be supported.
For muni I’m using a semi-flattened KH freeride saddle with the stock padding; I’m up out of the saddle enough that it doesn’t really get uncomfortable.
For seated trail riding on my 29 I added EXTRA padding to a semi-flattened KH freeride. It has a medium-length handle extension; if I’m on pavement or it’s very smooth, I’ll lean down on the end of that, for a more seated position, and the back of the saddle rotates up for some actual sit bone support.
> I used to ride 1-2 hours a day without a dismount on an old Viscount saddle. Most people seem to think the Viscount is uncomfortable.
Wow. I have that one mounted on my old sem which I still use once in a while. It is close to the most uncomfortable saddle ever, if you exclude the saddles they were making over 10 years ago. I can barely ride a mile on it without having to get off.
It’s also far flatter than your typical banana-shaped seat, so I find there’s less crushing of the parts you don’t want crushing if you mount it a bit funny.
