Cutting out a centre channel in a carbon saddle

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McGilli
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:57 pm

by McGilli

Hey all.

I've been riding this saddle for the past year - and it's the best I've ever used. It just fits really great, and is the least painful I've ever used.

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In my quest to be a weenie lately - I have ordered a different, much lighter (55g lighter) saddle for a new build.

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Anyone have experience cutting out a centre channel in a carbon saddle? I'd like to cut a channel to be somewhat similar to what I'm used to. Wondering if anyone anticipates loss of structural integrity if I cut it like the above saddle where the from and rear are still connected with the channel in between...

thx.

by Weenie


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aronjancso
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Dec 28, 2014 12:26 pm
Location: Budapest, Hungary
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by aronjancso

I did that exact thing, well my cut is more like the Toupe rather than the SMP. Also removed some material from the underside of the saddle where the rails connect and thinned the back end a bit. My saddle was 95g originally and managed to get it down to 78g. Cutting the center channel results in more flex, but that was a good thing for me as it increased comfort. I'm 64 kg and have been used the modded saddle for more than a month (1000+ km) without any issues. The sharp edges were eating my shorts, so I decided to introduce a little padding made from dense eva foam and covered it with lycra. Final weight is 119g which is not bad for a padded saddle I think.

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

cutting material out of a cf saddle will weaken it

whether what remains is able to safely support you, including when you hit a bump etc., is another matter, the lighter you are the better, but the only way to find out for sure is try it

if one day it breaks and you end up getting scratched, stabbed, impaled, or crash from the surprise and/or loss of balance, then you'll know :D

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