Tandem Cycling - Which saddle for a child stoker?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Which saddle for a child stoker?

yeamac
05-07-09, 12:45 PM
Just purchased a 1996 Cannondale MT1000 tandem, and my 8-yr-old (soon to be 9) daughter is going to be the stoker. I am concerned about the harshness of the ride for her, due to the fact that I had to remove the stock suspension seatpost for her to reach the pedals (it added too much height), and because of the aluminum frame.

I was wondering what kind of saddle someone might recommend for a child stoker to make the ride as comfortable as possible for her. I was thinking of a saddle with springs, but the ones I have seen are all cruiser saddles that are 10 inches wide. Is it OK to use such a large saddle with a child? Or should I stick with a youth saddle that is more for her anatomy, and try to find one with gel in it or something?

Also, I'd like to keep the saddle price under $40, so no $180 Brooks sprung saddle or anything.

woog
05-07-09, 02:41 PM
I would just let her ride what's on there. Just take lots of butt breaks. If she starts to complain then change it out. Otherwise don't worry about it. My son (now 10) has always stoked on an adult saddle. His longest ride is a metric.
Stray8
05-07-09, 04:38 PM
I agree. It's a subjective feel. Let the butt determine what feels right and what doesn't. :D



.

phoran
05-07-09, 11:01 PM
Last year i bought a kid's gel saddle from REI, and my daughter was fine with it (she was nine). today we went for a 27 mile ride, and i forgot to swap my girlfriend's saddle off (gel comfort women's saddle). No complaints at all. Just remember to call out "bump"!
timbentdude
05-07-09, 11:44 PM
My Bike Friday has a childs seat for my 6 and 13 year old, its smaller fits their sit bones better. Saddles are such a personal thing, and it may be hard for a young person to communicate what feels right.
prathmann
05-08-09, 12:48 AM
It wasn't an issue with our daughter either when she was the stoker on a kid-back tandem - but it was later. I think most kids have a low enough weight that saddle comfort isn't as critical as it is for adult stokers. Certainly call out bumps, but I wouldn't worry too much about the saddle unless you get some complaints.
yeamac
05-08-09, 07:15 AM
Thanks for the comments. Everyone seems to be on the same page. I guess "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." :)

I found a youth C-9 Cloud saddle at REI on clearance for $13.99, so I went ahead and bought it. I'll ask her if that or the adult saddle that came on the bike feels better and then go with that.