LittleBigMan

Ya, I think another review of this bike is in order in another 3,000 miles. I'm really interested in how well it holds up in the long haul.

I modified my seat where it attaches to the frame. I got some extra mounting brackets and bolted the seat's bottom bracket directly to the seat's plastic inner shell, so that the plastic shell would take any road shock/vibration instead of the metal seat frame. To do this, I had to remove the vinyl upholstry at the seat base and peel it back to expose the inner plastic shell. Then, I bolted the mounting bracket through the shell to a thin metal reinforcing plate on the other side. Finally, I used some small brass wood screws to reattach the vinyl upholstry to the seat. A small hole had to be drilled through the seat for each screw.

I had upgraded my replacement seat to the fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) seat, but after mounting it, I discovered that the head rest did not work well with my helmet. I had to ride helmetless, and that wouldn't do, so I removed the headrest. But then, I decided I preferred the original seat, so that's why I modified my original seat. I actually like the original seat best, except for the metal-fatigue problem, which I think I've solved.

Another design flaw which this bike has is that if the seat fails, it will come down and rub on the rear wheel. I was standing still when mine failed, so I don't know how the bike would have handled the failure during motion. Anyway, I really think this part needs to be redesigned more like Actionbent's other bikes, where any seat failure would not compromise the rear wheel.

I think the problem is licked, and I enjoy the way the bike rides. But the design issue is an important one, I think. If I get another Actionbent in the future, I think I'll look at a suspended bike (to absorb road shock,) or a bike with a frame that does not integrate the seat in the frame structure.