Evaluation: Seat Concept part 2

See part 1

Installation

Removing the original seat foam and cover is a breeze and takes only 15 minutes.  The installation of the new components takes some more times and one should not be afraid to start over if the result is not perfect.  Practice makes perfect.  At a first attempt to install a seat, you can count around 2 hours of work.  An experienced person can make this in 45 minutes.

I attached some pictures of the new seat installed below.

 

 

I am pretty happy with the result.  As a bonus, the new cover looks sharp!  The carbon fiber texture is quite appealing.  I would have like the stitches color to match the bike color, but that would have limited potential buyers if I ever need to sell it.

First impression

Once the seat installed I went for a 20 miles ride in the country side on Rivière Sud (South River) road with my 11 years old daughter. 

Thank goodness!  The forward slope effect from the original seat is gone – wouhou!!  Only for this reason that worth it.  During that ride, I even went for a short off-road ride close to the Exotarium and I discovered an ostrich farm not to far away.

For a moment I had completely forgot the purpose of this ride.  The new seat was comfortable and out of my mind: +1.

However, after a longer moment on the seat I started feeling a discomfort at the crotch.  I think the seat foam is not hard enough – the sit bones digs into the foam and pressure builds up at the crotch.  That could also be the pair of Jeans that I was wearing at this moment that were not adequate...may be.

Verdict.  First impression I had was great. Note that I felt much higher than the OEM seat.  The fact that I had a bar raiser installed helped for the comfort.  I should probably do a little adjustment on the handle bar (lean backward).  For a fair review I`ll need to ride the bike for a longer period of time to really compare with the original seat.

After a few more rides

The seat is way too high.  I have been commuting for 2 days: St-Eustache to downtown Montreal near the Bell Center (35 miles).  Before I install the new seat I was already short having both heels on the ground.  Now, I am tiptoeing even more - very inconvenient in stop and go traffic.  Neither appreciated on the highway – the additional height makes a noticeable difference on the air pressure against the helmet.

The seat is certainly more comfortable that the OEM one, however I should have waited for the low version of the seat - it will be available in 5 months as per the sales rep at Seat Concept.

The additional height would most likely be less noticeable if my tires were not high profile dual sport ones.  Also note that I customized my original seat a couple of times to make it more comfortable - I removed almost an inch of foam in the process.

My recommendations so far would be: if you are 6 foot tall and up, go for it, otherwise wait for the low version of the seat (I am 5’8).

Update July 15, 2012

I have been using the bike for much more time now, and I can tell without a doubt that this seat is fantastic, really.  It looks like a period of time is required to get used to it.  Or perhaps the foam needs to be broken in.

For the seat height problem: my soon, he is fifteen and 5’10”.  He can sit on the bike an have both foot on the ground without a problem – so I have probably exaggerated a little bit in my first recommendation, I suggested to be at least 6’ to consider ordering this seat and wait for the low version of the seat if one is less than 6’ tall.  So, new recommendation: 5’10” or more you should be fine, less than that wait the low version.  Of course that may vary depending on your inseam. 

To fix my personal issue with the seat height, I contacted the company and they agreed to replace the seat when the low version will be available.

To be continued...