replacement saddle

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webber
Posts: 267
Joined: 2 May 2012, 3:48pm

replacement saddle

Post by webber »

ive got a sprung lepper saddle much like the brooks flyer which the rail has snapped again so im looking for a replacement but im not sure whether to go for a brooks flyer or velo orange model 5 or whether to get a b17 or spa nidd i like the sprung saddle as they give a bit of comfort on the ruff stuff but would a suspension seat post with a b17 etc be better im not worried about weight to much any help would be greatly appreciated :)
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Vantage
Posts: 3050
Joined: 24 Jan 2012, 1:44pm
Location: somewhere in Bolton
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Re: replacement saddle

Post by Vantage »

I've been using a cheapo Zoom suspension post for nearly 3 years now and can say without a doubt, it helps take the sting out of the UK's roads and trail rides.
I have that coupled with a Nidd, but it's been heavily 'modified' with a diy perineal area cut out and the laces undone slightly for more 'give'. The tension bolt has also been slackened off a touch.
Nidd's are seriously tough. John Wayne could've designed them.
Saddle choice though is about as personal as you can get when it comes to picking bike components.
Bill


“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
Suffolker
Posts: 149
Joined: 5 Jul 2014, 7:04am

Re: replacement saddle

Post by Suffolker »

webber wrote:ive got a sprung lepper saddle much like the brooks flyer which the rail has snapped again so im looking for a replacement but im not sure whether to go for a brooks flyer or velo orange model 5 or whether to get a b17 or spa nidd i like the sprung saddle as they give a bit of comfort on the ruff stuff but would a suspension seat post with a b17 etc be better im not worried about weight to much any help would be greatly appreciated :)


I had an old Lepper Concorde which broke a rail in 2012. Lepper were then in the middle of some sort of reorganisation or resurrection, but I did manage to get them to supply a new rail (which is much more solid than the originals and designed for single rail seatpost fitting). The cost, however, was well on the way to a new Flyer (with UK bank charge costs etc for electronic payment), and they sent me two bills which meant a lot of correspondence in Dutch. I notice that they have a new website (in Dutch only) with some good-looking saddles. I have always liked the Concorde design with springs beneath the leather top, which is less prone to stretch than the Brooks designs, but they're not easy to buy in the UK and frankly I couldn't stand another lot of hassle.

I now have a sprung Flyer on a fixed seatpost Paper cycle with soft Big Apple tyres, a Brooks B17 on a fixed seatpost Cooper, and the repaired Lepper on a sprung seatpost on a Gazelle (overkill, really, but it's what I have to hand). The Cooper is best for efficiency and speed, but hard on old bones, and the other two are about even on comfort and efficiency.

I'd feel inclined to go for an unsprung leather saddle like a Nidd or B17 in combination with a sprung seatpost. However, I'd certainly want a decent post where the travel/springing can be adjusted easily to be "hard" or "soft" to suit your weight and other factors. There's nothing worse than a sloppy sprung post where you spend much time and energy bouncing up and down a couple of inches as you try to cycle forward. A personal choice, as Vantage says.
webber
Posts: 267
Joined: 2 May 2012, 3:48pm

Re: replacement saddle

Post by webber »

Suffolker wrote:
webber wrote:ive got a sprung lepper saddle much like the brooks flyer which the rail has snapped again so im looking for a replacement but im not sure whether to go for a brooks flyer or velo orange model 5 or whether to get a b17 or spa nidd i like the sprung saddle as they give a bit of comfort on the ruff stuff but would a suspension seat post with a b17 etc be better im not worried about weight to much any help would be greatly appreciated :)


I had an old Lepper Concorde which broke a rail in 2012. Lepper were then in the middle of some sort of reorganisation or resurrection, but I did manage to get them to supply a new rail (which is much more solid than the originals and designed for single rail seatpost fitting). The cost, however, was well on the way to a new Flyer (with UK bank charge costs etc for electronic payment), and they sent me two bills which meant a lot of correspondence in Dutch. I notice that they have a new website (in Dutch only) with some good-looking saddles. I have always liked the Concorde design with springs beneath the leather top, which is less prone to stretch than the Brooks designs, but they're not easy to buy in the UK and frankly I couldn't stand another lot of hassle.

I now have a sprung Flyer on a fixed seatpost Paper cycle with soft Big Apple tyres, a Brooks B17 on a fixed seatpost Cooper, and the repaired Lepper on a sprung seatpost on a Gazelle (overkill, really, but it's what I have to hand). The Cooper is best for efficiency and speed, but hard on old bones, and the other two are about even on comfort and efficiency.

I'd feel inclined to go for an unsprung leather saddle like a Nidd or B17 in combination with a sprung seatpost. However, I'd certainly want a decent post where the travel/springing can be adjusted easily to be "hard" or "soft" to suit your weight and other factors. There's nothing worse than a sloppy sprung post where you spend much time and energy bouncing up and down a couple of inches as you try to cycle forward. A personal choice, as Vantage says.


i was thinking about a spa nidd with a suntour ncx post http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/bike/seatposts/ which looks very nice :D
Valbrona
Posts: 2694
Joined: 7 Feb 2011, 4:49pm

Re: replacement saddle

Post by Valbrona »

Saddles with springs are straight out of the 1950s. Springs absorb and then release stored energy, and how suitable that is in the context of saddle design ... I don't know. Bou okay if you like a bouncy ride.

Saddles based around more modern designs use elastomer dampers.
I should coco.
WrightsW5
Posts: 851
Joined: 1 Jun 2010, 10:37pm
Location: Saddle City

Re: replacement saddle

Post by WrightsW5 »

In this situation i'd get a B73, you can't beat front and rear springing for comfort, and I never had a decently branded saddle that bounced around.
Brucey
Posts: 44517
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: replacement saddle

Post by Brucey »

If you want to get something 'repairable' then a B73 is a good choice. If it breaks, you will be able to get the bits and fix it.

I quite like sprung saddles for some types of riding but if you start really pedalling hard then they can be a touch bouncy. I don't know if this really costs you or not in terms of speed.

For a suspension seat post there are cheap ones, expensive lightweight ones, and ones that work really well.

In the last category the cane creek thudbuster; the two downsides to this are the price and the prospect of pivot wear. There is a rubber boot available. Even if you use that some pivot maintenance is still a good idea. The action of the suspension causes a smaller variation in distance to the pedals which some folk really like.

The USE suspension posts have been some of the best lightweight ones for some years now. You can tune them and there are spare parts for the clamp etc. I don't think they are super strong, but they are lightweight.

The cheaper ones are often pretty good for the money, even if they are a bit heavy. They usually have an polymer bushing in them that can be tightened when slightly worn. Often this bears against an aluminium part and the result is wear, regardless of how clean and how well greased it is.

All the telescopic seat posts I have ever seen have the possibility of becoming loose in such a way that the saddle can twist from side to side. Many have a provision for adjusting it out should this happen, but some don't. In any event it can turn into a problem.

No suspension seat post I have ever used has had such a free action as a coil- sprung saddle; they all have a little friction in the mechanism. If you want to try a suspension seat post a cheap one will prove whether you are going to hate it or not, and a posher one can be bought later if necessary.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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