Saddle modification....

[ultraman6970]

I saw some brooks butchering projects here and there... but nothing in a regular saddle like a toupe or a selle italia or anything else.

So just wondering if somebody had modified a saddle and made a cut out or a deeper central channel or modify a saddle so it works with your butt?

Anybody?

[Cicli]

I saw a new style Flite someone cut the edges off of and recovered. It broke. I do t think the plastic, nylon, carbon bases are made to be hacked on.

[ultraman6970]

Asking because I want to make my own "Friction free" + cut out + take the like 80% of the padding off an old saddle I have moving around...

Nobody have done something like this?

[makoti]

I'd worry about ever getting it smooth enough after surgery to tolerate it.

[ultraman6970]

Need to test before trying to mod that ergon saddle man... Havent returned them yet.

Did oyu get my email about the swap meet?

[basilic]

how's this for butchering?
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=113491&p=969736&hilit=basilic#p969687

over time the sides have become a bit too flexy, but very comfortable while it lasted.

[ultraman6970]

Wow thats insane... will read the whole thread... thanks.

[bshell]

I shape all of my saddles.

Takes some time/tools and you have to re-cover them afterwards but it's been great for me.

Heat gun and patience to remove existing leather w/o tearing the foam out in chunks.

Rotary tool* with straight carbide burr cuts through shell like butter.

Same tool with the little sanding drums and a light hand for shaping the foam is what I've been doing and it works well but you have to be careful not to gouge...if anyone has a smarter method I'd love to know it.

Contact cement on foam/new leather to cover. Exacto knife to trim underneath saddle.

**Rotary tools. They are not die grinders. If you can use a die grinder or angle grinder for a job--do it. Rotary tools are for finer, lighter weight work and tight spaces like this project.

My experience...Dremel has to be one of the biggest pieces of crap I've ever purchased as far as quality and longevity is concerned. I wasted a lot of time taking them apart and repairing them in the past because I knew the new ones would be junk as well. One day it occurred to me that someone out there is making a better tool and I took to the interweb to find it. I bought one a few years ago by a company called Proxxon--much nicer quality. Saw some mixed reviews online but mine has been great and I wouldn't go back. It accepts all of the little bits you'll find at any Dremel display. If you ever have the chance to go carbide (on ANYTHING) for more $ instead of "high speed steel"--do it.

[ultraman6970]

Hey thanks.... :)

I know proxxon but never had the chance to buy their tools... I have a dremel since a very long time and worked fine for what I need :)

Do you have some pictures of your saddle experiments?

[jmoore]

I want to see pics of this project as it progresses. I won't mess with structural components, but I've done plenty of foam modifications.

My rotary grinder is from Grizzly. It can be a little persnickity, but it's been a good tool in general. I could use another one or two.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Flex-Shaft-Grinder/G9928?utm_campaign=zPage&utm_source=grizzly.com

[ultraman6970]

Never heard this word before, persnickity... to the txt file with words I dont know. Im waiting to nail another saddle of the ones im using to start working at it. Obviously needs to be done in something bought for pennies so it worth to lose the money in case I screw it up :D

Lighter to handle and more control because is like a pencil... interesting tool :)

BTW how to do you the foam??? with the a dremel like sand drum a knife or like a one of those pin cutting tools?

[jmoore]

Never heard this word before, persnickity... to the txt file with words I dont know. Im waiting to nail another saddle of the ones im using to start working at it. Obviously needs to be done in something bought for pennies so it worth to lose the money in case I screw it up :D

Lighter to handle and more control because is like a pencil... interesting tool :)

BTW how to do you the foam??? with the a dremel like sand drum a knife or like a one of those pin cutting tools?
I do the foam shaping with a combo of stuff. Wood rasp work for brute force. Then refine with a rotary sander drum and finish with an orbital sander.

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[bshell]

You are on the right track...experiment with used/beat up saddles if you want to get familiar with using the tools but keep in mind that if the saddle is not something you already like before modification it may be a waste of your time in finding comfort.

Unlike the picture at the beginning of the thread --with the massive cut-out, I recommend thinking about what you want to achieve first. No point in cutting out 80% of a saddle that will give you no benefit (unless you just want to feel the wind at your 'scranus' --BikesnobNYC).

It's a waste of your time and dramatically reduces the strength/service life of your saddle. Swallow tail saddles and cut-outs at your butthole do zero for your comfort because they are nowhere near your contact points.

jmoore --I know this is your biz so you might want to keep this stuff private but is there a product for full foam replacement? Like if you took every bit of foam off of the saddle shell? Super curious. Thanks!

[ultraman6970]

The mods I need arent that radical, for example I dont need a full godzilla size butt hole in saddle, just a wide and kinda deep channel will do, and what bothers me the most with almost any saddle but 2 (ergon and kontact), is that in a couple of areas I get sores or almost sores. I need more room for the leg/butt area.

Regarding the foam, honestly since the foam needs to be really firm and is hard to find, probably use cork sheets is the way to go. It has adhesive side, you can cut that anyway you want, even you kind'a sand it aswell. Is firm and will last. Really easy to work with as well.

For example the saddle I want to modify is a zoncolan, is super thin in the front, ideal for me, the back is like a spoon. So was thinking just dig a cut out in the middle w/o actually cutting the carcass, then round the edges in front of the bones sit to make more room for the legs so the saddle shape match more my butt.

BTW I been using a ergon saddle and the thing is fantastic, my only complain is that the rails are super high, thought the zoncolan had tall rails compared with the toupe for example, but the ergon is just insane, had to get the saddle down like 2 cm, once that saddle is dialed it rocks. If the zoncolan experiment works I might carve the channel in the middle a little bit wider and deeper in the ergon, wish I could change the rails for something else aswell :/

[jmoore]

jmoore --I know this is your biz so you might want to keep this stuff private but is there a product for full foam replacement? Like if you took every bit of foam off of the saddle shell? Super curious. Thanks![/QUOTE]



I have experimented with lots of stuff and settled on a sheet foam. The stuff I use is shape able with common tools. I can patch in sections with no problem but redoing a full saddle exactly the same requires molds and things like that which I don't have.


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