Self adhesive foam padding to make carbon seat more comfortable - what kind?

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antonioiglesius
Posts: 290
Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2016 9:08 pm

by antonioiglesius

Saddle flex: to me, the wings need to flex more than the center part. The middle part of the saddle should be relatively stable while pedaling (because the hips should remain stable and not rock from side to side). The wings should flex more with pedaling: if the wings are stiff, it's more likely that the pressure remains on the sitbones (rather than move around), causing sitbone pain over long rides. Flex in the middle part of the saddle seem to help with the more aggressive position, e.g. in the drops on the rami, but slightly. Flexibility might help reduce road buzz in general (in exchange for bounciness).

Shore A 35 is quite firm, similar to many of the available saddles on the market today. 65 will be too hard.

It is definitely possible to get rid of sitbone pain. The trick is to distribute pressure elsewhere. If you can achieve a riding posture that distributes pressure to the rami (e.g. rotate your hips forward), then your sitbones support less of your weight and the pain reduces. If the saddle shape fits your body better, then weight is distributed over a larger area and pressure at any one spot reduces. If your saddle wings flex, then pressure will move around the sitbone area as you pedal. Think about leather saddles, which are very flexible and comfortable. They work by a) conforming their shape to your body, and b) flexing while pedaling ensuring significant contact patch throughout.

prototoast
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2012 7:17 pm

by prototoast

Hi, I have a slightly different but related question. I have an all carbon saddle that I like, and I don't need more padding but I do need more friction. The surface is so smooth that my butt moves around at the slightest change in terrain. Does anyone have any suggestions for something I could add to the surface that would increase its friction?

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antonioiglesius
Posts: 290
Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2016 9:08 pm

by antonioiglesius

Perhaps take helicopter tape, the type you put on the frame to protect against flying rocks, and stick on the surface. The tape should be slightly rubbery, I think the 8mil version should be thin enough. I don't think anybody sells tape that's wide/long enough to cover the entire surface in one piece. Will be interesting to see how the edges hold up over time.

TheKaiser
Posts: 653
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:29 pm

by TheKaiser

prototoast wrote:Hi, I have a slightly different but related question. I have an all carbon saddle that I like, and I don't need more padding but I do need more friction. The surface is so smooth that my butt moves around at the slightest change in terrain. Does anyone have any suggestions for something I could add to the surface that would increase its friction?


The helicopter tape is a good idea, but if the edges peeling proves to be a problem then you might want to look at some sort of painted on finish. Anything from a matte finish for just a hair more grip, to a rubberized paint like plasti coat. You could also experiment with pressing a material into the semi dried paint to give it texture.

I had wanted to find a source of the CPC material that Prologo uses as I thought that could be useful for customizing saddles, but haven't had any luck yet. That would actually be well suited to the OP's needs too, as it is supposed to be great for pressure and vibration reduction.

Or you could just use sandpaper grip tape like Tony Martin on his TT bike!

weightdoesmatter
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:49 am

by weightdoesmatter

I too think the problem it's not about the saddle but the bibs. A good carbon saddle must flex where it needs to and is not the padding that is going to give it more comfort! When you have a good pair of bibs with let's say 10mm of good chamois, it's not the 1-2mm saddle padding that will make any difference! It can help though when you have some technical sections where you need to use your thighs to hold the bike (mostly on MTB, i find it rare to be needed on road riding). My question would be - What bibs are you using?

My guess would be to keep the saddle, try some quality pair of bibs (Rapha, Assos, Castelli - not trying by any means to adverstise them, just for the record :lol: :lol: ). If you keep finding it uncomfortable, make minor adjustments on the saddle angle and if it still persists, probably that saddle isn't just for you, you need to try another one!

Just my 2 cents

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BRM
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:43 pm

by BRM

TheKaiser wrote:
Or you could just use sandpaper grip tape like Tony Martin on his TT bike!


Yeah really good idea! :)

Image



- 3m and Heskins have several gripping materials
- There are also antislip fabrics/ cloth available that you maybe can use for this purpose

deebosong
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2023 4:31 am

by deebosong

The time has come to revive this thread.

I bought a cheapo saddle from one of the big tech websites. All carbon. 103g. No padding. 143mm width. Carbon rails. I bought 3 more cheapo saddles, all 143, but varying details.

Anywho, the 103g all carbon saddle was too sharp at some crucial points on my butt. I thought about trying yet another saddle. But I wanted to see if there might be a way to salvage this saddle. It eventually dawned upon me that I had bartape scraps I'd been keeping to use for random things. And this instance seemed like such a random thing.

I took 2 four-inch snippest of bar tape, wrapped it at the points of the carbon saddle that were the most sharp & harsh (and was able to do this because of the cutout in the center), and fixed it with some electrical tape.

Took it for a test ride... and it ain't as good as a fully padded carbon saddle, but it's about 50% better. It creates some weird bulges so things are slightly uneven, but I'll say that the uneven lil bumps are better than the harshness.

All that being said, I bet if I just bought a better-fitting saddle, I'd have no problems.

Just thought it was worthwhile to share this pseudo bar-tape-snippet workaround.

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6283
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

alcatraz wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2016 9:53 am
Hey!

Like the topic suggests I'm interested to add just a simple layer of padding to my carbon seat. I can take 2-3 hour rides but after that it does start to irritate. I'm rarely out more than 5 hours so I guess I don't need more than a basic layer of something.

What material is best suitable for the job. What gives the best comfort per gram of weight sort of speak...

What thickness would you recommend? 2,3,5mm?

The seat I have now is completely rigid. Only minimal flex. When my bibs were brand new the padding was enough to forget the seat but now a few months later the padding is getting a bit soft so I'm thinking to add a layer of foam rubber or something equivalent.

Anyone experiment with different materials?

A quick look at my local market shows that whats available is for example neoprene and epdm pads. The thickness can be anything between 1 and 10mm. Whats the difference? Is one too soft to go thin layer with or?

Thanks for reading and for the advice. /a
Be sure you want saddle flex, personally i dislike flexible saddles. The shape is what we deal with and bibshorts that interact well with your body and saddle.
If you find a great saddle and realise you don't need a chamois that interact with the saddle shape, then you go for SQ Labs bibshorts.
With that, i don't like SQ Labs saddles. I have a modified Pro Aerofuel saddle.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

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C36
Posts: 2471
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:24 am

by C36

Got curious and found this provider https://www.algeos.com/materials/foam-sheeting who seem to offer a wide range of products. I have a Berk saddle with a damage cover that I could consider

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