Folding Bikes - Replacing the stock saddle on a Dahon Curve - suggestions?

This is pretty subjective, but who's found something good to replace the stock saddle? Budget is $30-50.

I check out the LBS for take off saddles from higher end bikes and a cheaper price. I like saddles from Specialized.

actually Dahon puts ( relatively speaking) good saddles on their bikes .. there are really no throw away saddles like you see on may other bike lines ....

I like the Dahon Air FLow as it seems to be a little thicker and denser than most...
other people like Brooks ....
than other would be happy with a real man saddle
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html

its VERY SUBJECTIVE in other words ...

thor

I agree it's subjective. I found the stock Dahon seat to be too soft. Because I wanted more support and like a firmer fit, the Brooks saddles worked great for me.

I think you'll pay close to US$90 for a Brooks B17 standard seat. But IMHO, it's worth every butt-sparing penny. It's what I have on my Curve D3.

This seller always has good deals on the B17 http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Brooks-B17-Standard-Bicycle-Saddle_W0QQitemZ140254063370QQihZ004QQcategoryZ22693QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I think you'll pay close to US$90 for a Brooks B17 standard seat. But IMHO, it's worth every butt-sparing penny. It's what I have on my Curve D3.

I just ordered a B17, but for my road bike. It would truly be overkill for a bike/train commute.

I just ordered a B17, but for my road bike. It would truly be overkill for a bike/train commute.
That comment seems to indicate you have relegated the Curve to short distance duty only. There's nothing that necessarily makes it a short distance machine, except perception and comfort. You can do something about both.

All my bikes have Brooks saddles, except the Swift has a weight weenie Spyder which gets ridden while wearing knicks.

That comment seems to indicate you have relegated the Curve to short distance duty only. There's nothing that necessarily makes it a short distance machine, except perception and comfort. You can do something about both.

All my bikes have Brooks saddles, except the Swift has a weight weenie Spyder which gets ridden while wearing knicks.

For the moment, yeah, it's my short distance bike or the backup for longer rides when the road bike is in the shop. It's more that my Randonee is a truly awesome bike than that the Dahon isn't. Of course, a better saddle could change that. I also can't afford two Brooks saddles.

I got a Rido, going cheap. Perhaps the most comfortable saddle ever invented, hand-crafted by individually picked Taiwanese virgins, then lovingly assembled using only the finest organic materials, finally, handsomely gold-plated, and wrapped in rare unicorn feather by a team of highly trained eunuchs.

Guaranteed to add 25 mph to your speed, improve virility, cure warts, and imprint next week's winning lotto numbers on your bum.

Free to anyone who wants it.

I have a Rido on my Curve. Mine is not the model worked on by virgins but it glows in the dark. I think it comfy and a great replacement saddle.

mrbrown, I see on your Flickr photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr-brown/2667631806/) that you attached locking grips to your curve. Were you able to find a pair of grips with one shorter to allow for the twist shifter?

This is pretty subjective, but who's found something good to replace the stock saddle? Budget is $30-50.
Get a RiDo, it's cheap so you can try it without the risc of losing big money. I've got one, tried it and never take it off my bike (Brompton). It's a great saddle for little money.

OK, if everyone is throwing down love for Rid,o, how about posting some links to where it can be ordered?

I want a unicorn feather!!!!11

OK, if everyone is throwing down love for Rid,o, how about posting some links to where it can be ordered?

I want a unicorn feather!!!!11


PM me your address. A Yellow Rido saddle will wing its way to you asap. Gratis.

I have a Rondine (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackcitystation/1301147860/in/set-72157601817463731/) saddle on there at the moment, left over from my road bike. It's more comfy than the stock saddle, but it's not quite the right saddle to ride in street clothes. Time will tell.

I'm sending Neilfein the free Rido saddle ( part-used), for his contribution to bicycing-kind. We await, with baited breff, his report, and subsequent anatomical analysis... Currently, I'm fresh out of Unicorn feathers...

mrbrown, I see on your Flickr photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr-brown/2667631806/) that you attached locking grips to your curve. Were you able to find a pair of grips with one shorter to allow for the twist shifter?

Oh you mean the Ergon R2M grips? Ergon sells the package with both the same length, and also the kind like mine, which are shorter on the right side to accommodate the twist shifter of the Curve.

They are notoriously difficult to find, at least in my country. I bought the last few of the lot and even the local distributor only carries the same-length ones currently with the twist shifter ones on back order.

Some dudes in Taiwan have been known to cut the regular ones themselves to fit but I am told it looks less than nice.

I like the Ergons a lot. My only complaint is that bar-end mirrors cannot be mounted properly if I use them.

I'd settle for the individually picked Taiwanese virgins in lieu of the unicorn feathers. Hahaha!

Oh you mean the Ergon R2M grips? Ergon sells the package with both the same length, and also the kind like mine, which are shorter on the right side to accommodate the twist shifter of the Curve.

They are notoriously difficult to find, at least in my country. I bought the last few of the lot and even the local distributor only carries the same-length ones currently with the twist shifter ones on back order.

Some dudes in Taiwan have been known to cut the regular ones themselves to fit but I am told it looks less than nice.

I like the Ergons a lot. My only complaint is that bar-end mirrors cannot be mounted properly if I use them.

I had Ergons on my MTB and they're pretty awesome. mrbrown, did you have to buy two sets?

OK, if everyone is throwing down love for Rid,o, how about posting some links to where it can be ordered?

I want a unicorn feather!!!!11

Yo Old School... no need to order, save your money, you can have my Rido if you haven't already received a bunch of free offers from overseas.. ridden a couple of times.. guranteed to do whatever Snafu says.. also comes with full money back warranty .. of course, if it's not your cup of tea, you need to keep the chain alive. :lol:

Kind of off-topic but regarding the Ergons, are the bar ends any good/useful? I've never ridden a bike with bar ends and the basic GP1 model seems good enough.

Kind of off-topic but regarding the Ergons, are the bar ends any good/useful? I've never ridden a bike with bar ends and the basic GP1 model seems good enough.

If you want barends, you'e much better off getting separate ones. Like this:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2035/2258773219_7396e01730_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilfein/2258773219/)

I had Ergons on my MTB and they're pretty awesome. mrbrown, did you have to buy two sets?

Not at all. The set came with a long left side and the shorter right side. I like the bar ends included but I think I will get the model with no bar ends for my MU P24, then add one of those bar end mirrors from Topeak to kill two birds with one stone.

Not at all. The set came with a long left side and the shorter right side.

Where did you get that? I've not found that anywhere.

I just bought the full-size ergon set at REI, and shortened the right grip for fit. I actually preferred to do it this way, as I mounted the twist shift a little further towards the center and could cut the right-grip to exactly the length I needed. (The stock right grip on my Curve D3 is very short, and I wanted a longer right grip from the ergon)

I just bought the full-size ergon set at REI, and shortened the right grip for fit. I actually preferred to do it this way, as I mounted the twist shift a little further towards the center and could cut the right-grip to exactly the length I needed. (The stock right grip on my Curve D3 is very short, and I wanted a longer right grip from the ergon)

Were you able to cut it cleanly? I'd love to see a picture of that, since I have a pair of these at home and it'd be nice if I didn't have to spend more money on another set.

Were you able to cut it cleanly? I'd love to see a picture of that, since I have a pair of these at home and it'd be nice if I didn't have to spend more money on another set.

Clean enough for me...quick hacksaw and grip-in-vise job... I'm sure Ergon would do a better deal, but I was really after customizing the right grip length for my hand & shifter placement.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h271/olbenkenobi/bike/IMAGE_042.jpg

Does the rubber look weakened or like it'll fray?

This is what Ergon's customer service has told me regarding the different versions:
The Nexus version has one full length grip and one shorter as Nexus is usually only available with a shifter on the right hand side. The Gripshift version has both grips in the shorter version.

I cut mine for the Downtube Mini too. The part that is cut is like a sturdy plastic underneath with a layer of bonded stiff rubber over it. Won't fray.

Does the rubber look weakened or like it'll fray?

Not at all. Like Jur said, it's very thick and solid plastic, which made for a clean cut. If you're obsessive about that kind of thing, I will say it's a little difficult to get an exactly-plumb-straight cut, because of all the curves on the ergon grips, it's not easy to determine an exactly parallel cut. But I'm happy.

Where did you get that? I've not found that anywhere.

My Dahon dealer had them. But you're right, they are quite hard to find. I am tempted to get a regular sized pair of Ergons and cut one myself, as old_school_dave did.

Back on the saddle thing, I've just stumbled across the Sportourer range and there's some very affordable elastomer sprung saddles that look good.

http://www.sportourer.com/

They're a little on the heavy side but there's a FLX that's 380 grams. The Eleganza model looks rather nice.

They also make grips too which look far out, quite Ergon-esque.

I put Brooks b17's on both my bike and my wife's for $69 each shipping included.

snafu21 sent me the Rido saddle. I got it on the bike for my Wednesday commute, and it's most comfy with padded shorts, but not bad in street clothes. It's certainly comfortable enough to give it some time.

It's a sharp-looking saddle; I'll put up some pics when I get a chance. Thanks!

I've just started using a Rido saddle. My initial reaction on seeing it was that it was disgusting, and then on trying it also. Really weird. I don't know if they loosen/soften a bit over time, I'd assume they don't. The skeleton under the rubber can really be felt, perhaps that's intentional to make you position your sitting bones over the soft spots? The proof will, of course, be in the long ride.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/2763688167_536bcd2460.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilfein/2763688167/)

I think it's beautiful.

Twice the Rido beauty falls short of half a Brooks' beauty.

Ridden some more. The Rido is soft but lumpen, and it pops as it compresses (!), as you'd expect plastic to. I doubt I'll really bond with it.

I've ridden the Rido for a week, and it's a little uncomfortable for riding more than 10 minutes in street clothes, but it's a great saddle if you wear padded bike shorts. Since most of my rides are <1 mile in cotton pants, >5 miles in bike shorts, it works well for me.

I switched back to the stock Dahon saddle and it's better than the Rido, but too fat and heavy. I need my saddles to mate and produce hybrid offspring.

The BBB saddles look a good spec.

Anyone here tried the BBB stuff? Looks cheap, very light and quite padded.

Just got this:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=14747&subcategory_ID=10051

I am going for a long drive from Brooklyn - Manhattan - Queens. Will report if it is better than the stock saddle.

One thing I have noticed in this thread is that no one has said what is wrong with the original saddle on their Curve. I love mine. It's quite comfortable and looks good quality.

I must admit I only ride my Curve 20 km (12 mile) a day.

If it's the same as my Vitesse saddle, I quite like the feel of it. It's just too wide and hence slightly restricting in terms of leg movement, and too heavy. I like the amount of gel on the sit-bone area - it absorbs vibrations quite well and feels floaty. I'd like a cross between this and a sport/race saddle, a slimmed-down version, ideally < 300g.

One thing I have noticed in this thread is that no one has said what is wrong with the original saddle on their Curve. I love mine. It's quite comfortable and looks good quality.

I must admit I only ride my Curve 20 km (12 mile) a day.

It is too narrow for me and my perineal hurts after riding. Maybe I am not used to it since I stopped riding for a year? I do agree that after a few miles it has broken in and it is more comfortable now.

snafu21, I rode my full commute home last night (22 miles as opposed to the normal 1.5) and the Riso was pretty comfortable. My tushy was a little achy for the last few miles, but nothing I'm worried about. The yellow Rido is definitely a keeper!

mrbrown, mjw, old_school_dave; I cut down a pair of Ergons and am having no problems. The bike is a little more finicky to fold, but I'm getting used to that and folding is again a fast process.