Carbon seat

Somebody recently asked about changing over to a carbon fiber seat, but I couldn't quickly find the thread here.(i.e. Seat Comfort Questions) But Mark Power made a couple of astute observations on the subject:
1. It may only save a pound or so. Not worth it.
2. It may be trendy, but comfort and cushion may be compromised.
3. Don't lay the bike down (who doesn't?) as the CF seat will be the first thing to break.

Mark alluded to a carbon/fiberglas seat he has provided for about 15 years that may be superior to Bacchetta's, but that's all I know about it.

I'll let somebody else be the trend setter.

 

Chromoly steel frame...with mesh and a nice cushion.... I'm all for it. Sort of the best of both worlds.

 

I have two Bacchettas. One has a mesh seat and one has one of Mark Power's carbon seat. I can tell a difference between the two. The mesh seat moves more with my backside than the carbon seat. Does it make a lot of difference??? Not to me. I think the bicycle world gets carried away with an extra few ounces here and there. If I could lose 5 pounds, all the extra weight I have on my recumbents is more than made up for. I'm not drinking the cool aid. I will keep the extra money in my wallet like Dave.

BTW - I buy my bents and listen to Mark Power about anything recumbent. He is a wealth of tried and True knowledge.

 

Tis true. Mark knows his stuff.

The seat we used to manufacture was a good one too. We still get inquiries about them. Even saw one on You Tube, on some guys new hybrid electric invention that he is about to start mass producing. Kind of neat.

 

I'm surprised to hear the mesh seat (or your backside) moves more than with Mark's seat, since the latter (tho stiffer) is considerably more narrow.

 

I've got carbon seats on 3 of my bents, counting the NoCom where the seat is built into the frame. And I've gone down on all of them. I put the M5 down at Waterford Hills doing 26 mph one year. The Baron's been down at least once at 24 mph. Crashes scuff up the edges a bit, but the scuffs barely show. If I wanted to add weight, I could always use edge trim.

While there's no doubt that the seat on my V-Rex breathes better, the carbon seats are perfectly comfortable too - just a little sweatier. Not only are they lighter, they're stiffer for better power transfer to the road. I've thought about putting a shell on my V-Rex to save 5+ pounds; but carbon shells really only work with a lot of recline, and reclining that much on the V-Rex would put my head behind the back wheel. That would not do good things for handling! I guess if I want to go fast with the V-Rex, I'll have to cook up another fairing for it.

 

I have a bacchetta giro that came with a Euromesh seat. I found riding it did not support my lower back and I developed a good deal of pain in my tailbone. I put on a carbon seat and have hand no problems. It does support my lower back better and there is no tailbone pain. The only downside is that it doesn't allow air flow through so my lower back is pretty wet after a long ride on a hot day.

 

Many talk about the lack of air flow and how hot a carbon shell is. Asking out of total ignorance here, but is it possible to bore ventilation holes in CF without compromising the strength and integrity of the unit? If not, could the manufacturer incorporate holes when laying out the fiber in the mold?

 

What cools you off is the sweat wicking into the mesh fabric. Ventisit is probably the closest approximation for a carbon seat. I have Airxxxwolf zotefoam seat pads, which have channels routed into them. The channels are supposed to provide some air flow, but they really don't. Drilling holes wouldn't help a lot either. On a hot day, I get wet with sweat, including my back. No big deal.

 

Yeah, if I ain't sweatin' I ain't pedalin'. I have "overactive" sweat glands and within a few miles am usually soaked. That's why dry-wick shirts are very important. Without it one would think I just rode thru a rain shower.

 

Rode Bacchettas with Euromesh seats for about 14 years with no problem but I find the carbon seat on my CA2 to be even more comfortable and transfer more power. I live in central Florida and don't find sweating a problem.